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Where was she?
* * *
Once Charlotte saw David, she rushed to his side. She looked down at him, his face paler than ever, and there was a new wound on his leg, which seemed fresh, but was still seeping. The blood had not yet congealed. “When did this wound occur?”
Breya looked as if she was about to cry. “I’m so sorry, Mistress. I told him tae rest, but he wouldnae listen. He tried tae help me with carrying something, and he dropped it, cutting himself as he did so. I did my best for the wound, but it wouldnae seal, just as ye see it now. And now he’s weaker than ever. He wouldnae sleep nor drink.
Charlotte’s heart tightened with fear. She asked Breya to boil some water, and she removed herbs from the pouch she always brought with her. She also took out some white cloth, and once the water was ready, she put the herbs into it and attempted to clean the wound. Liam looked on in amazement as she did so.
She spoke to Breya confidently, even though in her heart, she did not feel so. “I will wrap the wound tonight. Ye must keep him in bed, or else he will have no hope of recovery.”
Breya nodded furiously.
Charlotte continued, “And may I ask, what is it that ye eat from day to day? It could have an effect on his health.”
Breya looked a little taken aback at such a question. “Well, we eat meat when we can spare it. But often, we have milk, bread, and fish. Sometimes we can find vegetables and carrots when the planting has been good.”
Charlotte nodded her head. “So, I understand that fruits and vegetables do not come to the island very often?”
Breya shook her head. “Nae, Mistress. Especially nae in the last few years.”
“Ah, I see. Well, I will do my best for you to find what I can. I believe that he would benefit from eating these things. They may bring back his energy and blood to his face.”
Breya smiled. “So ye can cure him, Mistress?”
Charlotte took Breya’s hand in her own. Her face was concerned. “I will do my best, but I cannot promise anything. Your son is on my mind, I can assure you.”
She turned to David, who was mumbling incoherently. The fatigue was wearing him down so much. “David, you must rest. It is very important that you listen to your mother. Or else your sickness could become even worse. I have left herbs with your mother. You will need to drink tea today if you can stomach it.”
David could not reply more than a small nod, and Breya smiled weakly as she took Liam and Charlotte to the door. “Ye are God’s blessing tae us, Mistress. I pray for yer health and happiness.”
Charlotte smiled and left the house, walking slowly to her horse. My health and happiness, she thought to herself. What a lovely thing to say. No one in her circles, besides Julia, of course, would ever say such a kind thing, in such a kind way.
I wish for my health and happiness too. Now, how might that come about? She smiled as she thought about that fact that she needed to figure out what she was going to do, and as Liam assisted her to mount her horse, a flash came through her mind of the image of Angus, staring at her from across the dinner table, his eyes full of meaning.
Then she dropped the image as soon as it came to her, and her smile disappeared. “Are ye well, lass?” Liam asked, and she turned to him, comforted by the kind smile on his face.
“Yes, Liam. I am well. I think only of my patients,” she lied. “There are many more to visit today, and I hope they are not all as bad as David.”
Liam looked up at the sky. “It looks like clouds are moving in, Mistress? We may wish tae postpone until a better and drier time.”
Charlotte glanced upwards and huffed with frustration. She shook her head. “No, Liam, I’m sorry, but we must visit the villagers. I do not need to see everyone, but I need to see those that are suffering the same as David.
Liam hesitated for a moment, but only a moment, and then he relented. “Aye, but we must ride like the wind.”
“If the storm begins, we can stay for a while by the hearth of our patient’s home, can we not?”
“Aye, true enough.” And that was the end of the conversation. Charlotte was relieved. She had expected Liam to be easier to deal with, but not this easy. It was as if he really listened to her and understood what she wanted. He didn’t make an angry face at her or demand a reason or tell her flat out that it would not be happening.
They rode on to the next house and the next. The other patients were not as bad as David, but they had not gotten any better, and they had answered the question about the food just the same. No fruits and vegetables. There must be a connection.
But in the last house, she could hear the rain begin to patter on the roof, and she and Liam hurried out, hoping they could make the next house before the storm got too bad. They began to ride, but the rain starting pelting down, feeling like a great weight upon her, so much so that she almost couldn’t breathe. She had never been in such a rainstorm, and her cloak was so drenched that it weighed on her even more. Liam was leading the way now, and the next house was closer to one of the forested areas of the isle. The trees looked like dark blobs as she peered through the rain at them, trying to follow Liam’s horse as best she could.
They were getting close. She was sure of it, but she and Liam had stopped talking because they couldn’t hear each other. So she just kept riding, trusting fully in her new protector to take her in the right direction. But then, she felt a sharp pain across her forehead, and she flipped back over the horse and hit the ground.
