Lady Eilean

Chapter 28

The day passed in a blur of activity. We set up the sweating tents and kept the fires kept burning well into the night. The stink of camphor and other medicinal herbs hung like a fog over the village. Once the afflicted had gone through the tents, we pulled down the structures and washed them thoroughly before reconstructing them so non-infected people could use the treatment preventatively. A temporary quarantine was placed on the town. To prevent the spread of the fever, the townsfolk were confined to their borders for the next seven days.

Calum and I were the only exceptions to the quarantine, so we took extra precautions to ensure that we would not carry the fever back to Stormway. We bound up our hair in linen caps and wore thick leather aprons and gloves. We stopped our nostrils with cotton and wrapped heavy cloths over our mouths. It was hot, sweaty, disturbing work; but it was vital to ensure that the sickness did not spread.

While the afflicted were purging the fever from their bodies, an open-air campsite was established in a nearby field. Families of the sick were to sleep out of doors for the next week, the fresh air ensuring proper ventilation that would keep the sickness from the damp quarters of their homes. Wind was our best talisman. A smattering of lean-tos were erected, nestled against the protective branches of large trees and spaced out so that one household was not too close to another.

Before I could register the time, the sun slipped under the horizon and darkness fell. Still, we worked. Someone only dismissed me when the moon was high in the sky and the stars dazzled against the velvety backdrop of night.

Achingly tired, sticky with sweat, grime, and dead on my feet, I shuffled from one of the sweating tents toward a lean-to. A town elder pointed it out, saying that he had built it for Calum and I. It had not been our plan to stay overnight, but the demands of the day kept us from leaving for Stormway in a timely fashion. Both of us had refused multiple times to leave before the work was complete.

Calum was already at our campsite, sitting on an upturned log at the mouth of the lean-to. He stared into the dancing flames of a lantern placed on another log before him. His eyes were unfocused, distant. Lost to exhaustion and the late hour. The bright lantern light flickered and danced across his sharp features, distorting them. His dark hair dripped as if he had just come from a swim. I noticed he wore a fresh change of clothes. He had swapped his green silk suit for a loose, billowing shirt and navy pants. He wore no boots and idly wiggled the toes of his bare foot in the grass.

I watched him for a while, impressed by his tenacity and willingness to serve. He had performed selflessly. His natural charm and humor put everyone at ease and brought much-needed levity to the day's work. It was strange to see him so quiet, so inside himself. I hoped I had not dragged up too many terrible memories this morning with talk of his family.

Stepping to the side of the lean-to and out of the light of the lantern I gave him more space. Carefully, I shucked off my apron, leaving it on the ground to air out. Then I removed my face wrap and nose cotton. Pulling the cap from my head, my braid flopped down onto my back. The cool touch of the night air on my forehead and neck was a tonic of its own. I shook off my gloves, leaving them on top of the heap of discarded clothing. It was a sorry lump of grey fabric in the grass.

Knocking lightly on the side of the lean-to, I announced my arrival. Calum startled, his eyes slowly leaving the hypnosis of the flame.

"My lady," he said, inclining his head.

"I've never seen you so serious," I said, sweeping my hair over my shoulder, undoing the tight braid. "I am sorry to disturb you."

Calum offered me a sly grin that did not entirely dissipate the fog of distraction. "Dearest Lairdess, you know I am happy to play your fool at any moment. Give the word and I shall entertain you."