Taking a deep breath, Anna only managed a whisper, “Yes, of course I remember. How did I get here?”
Nessa patted the blanket in place over her shoulders, and Anna felt instant warmth. “My brother carried ye here last eve after ye passed out. My maid and I undressed ye, and put ye in a sleeping gown. I hope ye dinnae mind. Yer clothes were dirty and needed mending. Father told us to tend to ye until ye are well.”
Noticing the brightness of the sun through the window, Anna closed her eyes. “How long have I been asleep?”
“Ye slept through the night and most of the day. ’Tis afternoon. Other than a few times of needin’ the bucket, ye have not woken, though yer sleep was disturbed by nightmares. I was never given the chance to thank ye for saving my life. Da wouldnae allow us near ye after the rescue. He said ’twas not safe.”
Anna forced a small smile. “He was being protective. He almost lost you.”
Nessa frowned, hands on hips in an indignant pose. “But ye saved us from those men. They said they would kill us rather than let us go. I dinnae understand how he could think ye were a danger, after ye saved my life.”
“Sometimes a father’s protection does not make sense. ’Tis how they tell us they love us.” Her voice sounded husky, rough with fatigue, despite her sleep.
“Ye are welcome to rest more. When you are ready, we will help ye bathe. Food and drink await on the table. When ye feel up to it, my da and brother wish to speak with ye.”
Anna spotted the tub close to the fireplace, and the food on a small table in the corner. She gave Nessa a frank stare. “The last time your father and brother wanted to speak with me, I almost killed a man.”
Nessa immediately dropped her gaze. “Ye should know Alain has been banished. My brother wanted to kill him because of what he did. When Da proclaimed his sentence, he told the clan everyone is to treat ye as if ye were his own daughter. He said if anyone raised a hand against ye, he would kill them himself.” Tears sparkled on her cheeks and she wiped them away.
Stunned into silence, Anna closed her eyes again, trying to make sense of Nessa’s words. His own daughter? What does he mean? After treating me as an enemy, he now wants to treat me as family? Her stomach lurched again, though this time not due to the pain in her head.
As she lay back, gentle hands unbraided her hair.
“Would ye like more sleep, or are ye ready for a bath?”
Anna tried to remember how many days had passed since she’d properly bathed. She couldn’t recall. More than a fortnight. Her recent bathing had been confined to rivers and lakes. Even so, she couldn’t bring herself to get out of bed.
Unable to open her eyes, she murmured, “Sleep for now.”
Only a few hours must have passed, because when she next woke, the sun was still in the sky, though much lower. The pain in her head, a merciless tyrant, had eased a bit. She saw Nessa sitting next to her, reading a book. The girl glanced at her and smiled.
“Are ye ready for a bath?”
Slowly rising, her body stiff and sore, Anna answered, “A bath sounds good.”
Nessa motioned to the other young woman with her. “This is Isla, my handmaiden and closest friend. She is the other ye rescued.”
Isla took Anna’s hand, turned it palm up and kissed it. “Thank ye,” she whispered, tears deepening the blue of her eyes.
Anna offered a half smile, half grimace in response as she tried to slide off the edge of the bed. The two girls helped Anna into the tub, then Isla added buckets of water left heating by the fire. Anna groaned at the heavenly touch of hot water on her skin, her sore muscles relaxing one by one.
Nessa produced a bar of soap smelling of lavender and honey and helped her bathe, while Isla washed her hair. Anna tensed as Nessa’s fingers traced the blue lines on her shoulders and back. After rinsing with a final bucket, they allowed her to soak, the hot water chasing the chill from her body.
Nessa returned to her book as Anna relaxed in the high-back wooden tub and checked her arm. The wound Shamus had given her continued to heal nicely. Cursed man. Pleased to find