Highland Temptation Read Free

and stoic, strong and self-assured. Those adjectives might describe an automaton, but Colin was anything but. There was an edge to him, a rawness in his gaze that showed her he was human, perhaps more human than anyone she’d ever known.
    She didn’t hate herself—she couldn’t, because she was acquainted with all the Highland Knights from their months of guarding her father, and she trusted them. Not only to take care of themselves when faced with danger, but to protect her as well.
    Still, she knew her father. He was the most insidious, conniving person in the world, as far as she was concerned. He could fool anyone.
    Sir Colin had left the room, but she sensed that he was close. He’d said she was safe now, and he wasn’t one to renege on his promises. He would ensure her safety for as long as he could.
    “You’re bleeding,” Lady Claire said with a gentle touch to Emilia’s waist. Emilia nodded.
    “May I remove your bodice and take a look?”
    Emilia nodded again. She knew it was bad. It hurt terribly, and the blood was sticking the fabric of her dress to her raw skin like glue.
    She sat as forward as she possibly could on the edge of the sofa while Lady Claire undid the hidden buttons at her side—Emilia was surprised she’d managed them at all. She’d been in such a state when she’d donned the dress, shaking so hard, she’d hardly been able to slip the buttons through their holes.
    Claire gently unwrapped her dress until Emilia’s torso was completely bare. She wasn’t wearing stays or a petticoat or even a shift. She hadn’t thought about it until now, when she was naked before someone who wasn’t her lady’s maid. Heat suffused her face and chest, but it was quickly overtaken by pain as Claire tugged her dress from the raw flesh of her back.
    Claire didn’t gasp or suck in a breath, for which Emilia was thankful. Instead she simply asked, “You were whipped?”
    “Yes.” Emilia said nothing more, for what else was there to say?
    “You have scars. This has happened before.” Claire’s words were flat. Emotionless.
    “Yes.”
    “I have some salve, which should soothe the pain,” Claire said. “Then I’ll wrap it. We’ll change the bandages once a day and add medicine until the wounds have healed.”
    Emilia nodded.
    “You can sit like this while I work, or lie on your stomach. Whichever you prefer.”
    “This will do.”
    A few minutes later, Sir Robert brought in some warm water. She only remembered him vaguely, because he hadn’t guarded her father as much as the other men had. But she knew who he was. The Highland Knights referred to him as “the major,” which was in honor of his military rank, though he was no longer in the army. He had been a military hero and had married Lady Claire, an earl’s daughter, a few years ago. From the way the other Knights spoke of him, he was a man to be respected and admired.
    Emilia leaned forward, her arms wrapped around her chest, and breathed carefully, refusing to allow herself to whimper as Claire tended to her. Claire worked briskly but meticulously, first using warm water and a soft cloth to clean the wounds, then rubbing a soothing cream over them. Using a sturdy roll of wide linen, she bade Emilia to stand and wrapped the linen around her torso several times. Finally, Claire helped Emilia into the nightgown the major had left with Sir Colin at the door. The nightgown fit her perfectly, and she realized that she and Lady Claire were nearly the same size.
    “There now.” Claire threaded Emilia’s arms into a robe made of soft blue muslin before leading her back to the sofa and sitting her down. Then, smiling, she knelt before Emilia and cleaned her face with a warm, damp cloth. When she was finished, she asked, “Better?” and Emilia nodded, thankful the other woman had remained quiet throughout the ordeal. Emilia felt less out of control now, calmer. But she didn’t want to talk. She wasn’t ready.
    “I’ll be right back.”