Page 5 of His Orc Lady
I grab Willow by the hand and yank her toward the thermal pools. “Come, you do look half frozen. I’m so sorry, I know the weather is awful for traveling this time of year.”
We sink into the mist, and a glance over my shoulder tells me we’re hidden from view—I can’t see Ozork anymore, which means he can’t see me either. Still, I pull the human woman farther into the chamber, past several empty pools, and I don’t stop until we reach the far wall.
“Here.” I motion at the calm water beside us. “This is far enough from everyone.”
Willow deposits her bathing sheet on a stone bench by the pool, then stands there, fidgeting with the sleeve of her dress. I strain my ears for any sounds coming from the entrance to the baths, but the mist has swallowed us completely, so we’re safe for now.
It’s then I realize the woman is waiting for something—and remember how strange humans are about propriety. With a sigh, I reach for the laces of my gown and tug, undoing the bows I tied early this morning.
“I wasn’t planning on taking a bath, but it never hurts.” I loosen my dress, then take several hairpins from a pocket andattach my braid to the top of my head. “And I promise to tell you if anyone gets too close for comfort. I have very good hearing.”
She still seems unsure, so I point to my ears and smile encouragingly. I don’t want her to pick up on my anxiety—especially if she really knows the captain.
It only just occurs to me that she never said the captain who arrived with her is thesameone who delivered the letter to Gorvor all those weeks ago, and some of the tension in me releases. Maybe it’s another soldier altogether. The Duke of Ultrup must have many captains in his service, no?
I tell myself that’s a good thing as I remove my dress, then untie my underwear and let it slip down my legs. A stranger would be preferable to the man who saw me at my worst, then left.
That doesn’t explain the horrible sting of regret now radiating from the center of my chest.
Before I can indulge in some more self-pity, Willow sits on the edge of the pool, her pale skin stark against the dark stone. She sways and nearly stumbles into the water. I move forward to catch her, but she steadies herself in the middle of the pool.
But she’s not well—her face scrunches up in pain, and she lets out a low groan, then stares down at her trembling hands.
“Are you okay?” I ask softly, floating closer.
She swipes at her cheeks, and I realize it’s tears, not water, wetting her skin. She gives me a curt nod, her lip trembling, then draws in a big, shuddery inhale and bursts into tears.
Her shoulders shake as she covers her face with her hands, sobbing quietly.
My first thought is to get Ozork, because surely, he’s the right person to comfort her at a time like this.
He’s her mate after all, and even if she doesn’t know it yet, his presence alone would soothe her beyond anything. But she’s also human, so she might be too concerned with propriety to enjoyhaving him here. They only met a very short time ago—and while Ozork would have no problem with her nakedness, I’m almost certain she would consider it a betrayal if I called him here.
I gently tap Willow on the shoulder. When she looks up with her red-rimmed eyes, I know I’ll have to be the one to offer help. Whatever happened in the human lands to have her arrive to our Hill at such a late hour, half frozen to death, it can’t be good. She said she came here to act as the duke’s ambassador, but why would she be traveling like this, with no lady’s maid in sight? If she’s a noblewoman, she should have a whole slew of attendants with her, and yet she ended up alone with me.
I nudge her backward, and she stares at me, clearly confused, but she finds the underwater ledge I’ve been leading her toward and collapses on it with a sigh. I turn her away from me, then pull out all the pins she has stuck in her messy hair. It’s already damp and smelling strongly of horses, so I might as well offer her the comfort of washing it.
One of my earliest memories is of my mother washing my hair. She didn’t do it often, because she and Father never believed in coddling me, but for some reason, that instance has seared itself in my brain. It’s been years, yet I still remember the firm pressure of her fingers and the sweet scent of our homemade lavender soap.
The bar of soap resting on the lip of the pool is scented with honey, so the experience is different, but Willow relaxes, just as I’d intended.
I scoop up water in a pitcher to pour it over her head, then lather up her hair, massaging her scalp just as Mama did for me. Tears slip down Willow’s cheeks, mixing with water, but she’s not sobbing anymore, and by the time I’m done, she calms considerably, her breathing returning to normal. She may be older than me, but she’s in need of comfort, and if I can offer her that, I will.
“You’ll have to dip underwater to rinse out the suds,” I tell her, shifting back to let her move in the pool.
She closes her eyes and does as I ask, and when she emerges from the water, her color is better than before. Her cheeks are still pink, but the rest of her face is, too, and she no longer looks like she might keel over.
“Thank you,” she murmurs. “I didn’t know I needed that.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” I scrub a washcloth over the bar of soap and wash my arms, relishing the warmth of the pool.
Willow cocks her head to the side. “It?”
“Whatever had you sobbing like that.”
I don’t want to pry, and I know a little something about keeping my secrets close to my chest, but perhaps Willow is one of those people who likes to share. Besides, if she’s the Duke of Ultrup’s niece, Gorvor will want to know about her presence here. I want to help Willow, yes, but my loyalty is to my clan, and if she is similar to her uncle, her being here might signal trouble.
She studies me for long moments, her expression pensive. I watch her right back, waiting to see how she’ll react. She’s doesn’t seem to be one for quick chatter, or for spilling her secrets, and I have to respect her for it. She may have broken down earlier, but she has picked herself up remarkably fast.
