smile, then slipped out the door.
Avery placed another log on the fire and dusted her hands. The tub wasn’t going to fill itself. She followed Xavier out the door, found a bucket and the well, and started pumping. The water that flowed was cool and sweet and came easily out of the spout as if it were already primed.
She wondered if it was this place. The brownie, who still hadn’t reappeared, must have lived here for some time. Nathaniel had said that Mistwood was infused with his magic due to his long-term residence there. Might this property be infused with the brownie’s magic?
She carried the bucket back to the cabin and poured it into the cauldron near the fire and swung it over the flames. Then she collected another and another, alternating one in the tub and one over the fire, until the water started to boil. She used a wadded towel to carefully tip the boiling water into the cool liquid already in the tub, then tested it for temperature.
“Perfect.” The tub wasn’t large enough for her to fully stretch out, but it would do. She began the arduous process of unfastening each piece of her clothing, cursing the rigors of eighteenth-century fashion, until finally she pulled her chemise over her head and stepped into the water.
The tub was deep enough to almost cover her with her knees bent. She leaned her shoulders against the edge and closed her eyes, allowing the heat of the water to soak into her. After a few heavenly moments, she reached for her bag and the small bottles of bathroom sundries she’d stashed away. She’d never used them at the castle, only the homemade soap they’d given her. No better time than the present. She started to scrub and immediately felt better. The welcome scent of modern shampoo wrapped around her, and she bent her knees closer to her chest to sink beneath the water and rinse her hair.
She broke the surface, wiped the water from her eyes, and came face-to-face with fur and brown eyes. “Ahhhh!” The scream broke her lips before she could stop it.
The brownie jumped, emitted a high-pitched squeak, and scurried into the bedroom, slamming the door behind him. Avery reached for a towel, her skin dripping on the woven rug, and realized she didn’t have one. She tried to reach for her clothes instead. The door opened. She froze.
Xavier’s blue eyes locked on her, grew wide, and then he blinked out of sight.
“It doesn’t help if you’re invisible!” she yelled, her fingers finally finding purchase on her arisaid and pulling it to drape over the top of the tub.
“I thought it would make ye more comfortable,” Xavier said, blinking back into her field of vision with a roguish smile on his face and a laugh in his voice.
“Why would it make me more comfortable if you can see me but I can’t see you?” She tugged the cloth higher on her neck.
He smiled wider. “Well, at least ye can pretend I didna see you as God created ye.”
Avery stood up, wrapped the tartan around her and stormed toward the bedroom. When she opened the door, the brownie raced past her and hid behind Xavier’s legs.
“Oh, for the love of all that is holy!” Avery cursed and slammed the door behind her.
Chapter Fifteen
The woman reminded Xavier of the Mountain—the goddess of the mountain. She reminded him of home. Avery must have fire in her blood the way her blue eyes burned when she countered him with her wit. She wasn’t spoiled, that was certain. Her skin might be as smooth as a Highborn lady’s, but she carried water like a Highland farm girl. She was an enigma.
Xavier looked down at the brownie hiding behind his legs. “I donna ken whit she’s so up in arms about. Nothin’ ta be ashamed of on that one.”
The furry man nodded. Xavier carried the tub outside to drain it and then returned it to where he’d found it. Upon reentering the cottage, he heard the bedroom door open. Avery emerged dressed in a blue skirt and a jacket lined in fur with gold stitching. Xavier had spent enough time in the care of oreads to know when a garment was made by the supernatural.
“Lovely,” he murmured.
She smiled, running her fingers through her wet hair. “Our furry friend outdid himself. This isn’t just beautiful, it’s functional. Light and soft.”
“’Tis fairy made,” Xavier said. “I suspect this brownie fancies ye to give ye that.”
In fact,