her chest or even her shoulders. But as quick as the woman was, the muscles in Evina’s arm were soon trembling with strain by the time she was ready to move on to the rinsing. She wouldn’t have said anything, and would have tried to last for the rinsing too. However, Tildy noticed and insisted on a break before she moved on to rinsing. Evina accepted the decision silently. She hated to admit weakness, but there was no way to hide it when it was visible as it presently was, so she eased up into a sitting position with relief.
“Here, I’d best . . .” Tildy didn’t bother to finish the phrase; she simply wrapped a fresh linen around Evina’s soapy hair and head, explaining, “‘Twill keep anything from dripping down yer chest and back now ye’re sitting up.”
“Thank ye,” Evina murmured, removing the still-dry strip of linen from her wound.
“Do ye want me to help ye with the rest o’ yer bath?” Tildy asked with concern.
“Nay. I’ll manage, and I’ll keep the wound dry,” Evina added before Tildy could give her the warning again.
The maid nodded, relaxing a little. “Well, then, I’ll strip the linens from yer bed and remake it while ye do that.”
“Thank ye,” Evina murmured again, and then turned her attention to soaping and cleaning herself as the woman bustled about the room, making up the bed with fresh linens and tidying up here and there. She finished before Tildy, but merely waited patiently until the woman completed the things she wished to do and returned to the tub.
“Shall I rinse yer hair now?”
“Aye, please.” Evina slid forward in the tub again and then eased back and tipped her head back to be rinsed.
“Here.”
She glanced down with a start as something light was laid over her injured breast. Spotting the scrap of linen she’d held there during the washing, Evina pressed one hand gently on the edge of it to keep it in place and then tightened the fingers of her other hand over the rim of the tub and closed her eyes.
Tildy was thorough but quick. It was just moments before she was wringing out Evina’s hair, and wrapping another dry linen around it.
“Oh, damn,” Tildy muttered suddenly as she helped Evina sit up in the water with the linen around her head.
“What is it?” Turning, she raised an eyebrow in question as she noted the old woman’s vexed expression.
“Well, I’ve used both the linens I brought up,” Tildy pointed out. “Now I’ve naught fer ye to dry with.”
Evina’s gaze slid to the sopping linen Tildy had wrapped around her soapy hair to keep her from getting her injury wet. It now lay a soapy wet mess in the rushes.
“There are bed linens in the chest,” Evina pointed out.
Tildy clucked with irritation. “Nay. I’ll no waste a good bed linen on this. I’ll fetch another linen for ye to dry with. Will no’ take a moment. Ye just relax there for a bit. Yer arm was shaking again by the time I finished rinsing anyway. Ye can no doubt use a break ere ye try to get up.”
Evina didn’t get a chance to agree, disagree or comment. Tildy talked all the way to and through the door, closing it on the last word.
Shaking her head with amusement, she leaned back against the cold metal, only to wince as it pressed against the entry wound in her back. It was only then it occurred to her to worry about whether that had got wet while her hair was rinsed. Evina didn’t think so, but supposed she’d find out soon enough when Tildy rewrapped her.
A soft shuffling sound caught her ear then, and she frowned, wondering if they had mice. She’d have to tell Tildy to put down some black hellebore with barley meal. Evina hated mice. She wasn’t afraid of much, but seeing one of those little creatures scampering across the floor was enough to make her squeal and leap about like an idiot. It was most embarrassing. Aye. She’d talk to Tildy about the hellebore when she returned, Evina thought, and then stilled in surprise when something pressed down on her head, pushing her down in the tub.
Her eyes popped open at once, and Evina opened her mouth on a startled cry that was silenced when soapy liquid poured into her mouth as she was forced under the water’s surface.
“Have ye heard any news from Dougall or Niels? When do ye expect them to arrive?”