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“Is he all right?”
“He…He was in the storm, Your Grace. He isn’t speaking a-and his skin…he’s freezing!”
Simon rushed up closer to Walter, examining him more carefully. “It’s all right, we’ll call for a doctor. Was anyone else out with him? Is everyone safe?”
“I…Well,” the old maid took a deep breath, trying to control her panic, “I’m not sure, I only saw him.”
Suddenly, Walter’s hand flung out and gripped Simon’s collar as he pulled him closer. Close enough to whisper. “Lady—Lady Ellie, she’s still out there…”
“What!” Simon’s eyes grew wide in paralyzing fear. But without another moment of hesitation, Simon jumped back to his feet and threw open the veranda door, running outside, his blazing skin steaming as the coldness doused down the fire he was feeling. The cold was paralyzing and especially cruel, but all of his strength focused on finding Ellie. He couldn’t lose her. Not her.
“Ellie!” he called out. “Where are you?”
He placed a hand in front of his face to shield his eyes, continuing to push on. There was no sight or sound of her, and he was worried she might be buried under piles of snow by now. Even a few minutes outside could kill someone, there was no way for him to know how long she’d been out there. Pushing away his cynical thoughts, he prayed. His belief was snatched from him years ago, but for the first time, he begged God for some mercy, for Ellie to be alive and well.
“Ellie! Call out for me, please, I’m here!”
It was impossible to see through the blinding mist. He had to rely on pure instinct alone, and he pushed onward, struggling to navigate. If something happened to her, if she was found dead or harmed, he’d never be able to forgive himself, he’d never allow himself to get close to anyone ever again. But there was no time for self-pity or dwelling now. His body screamed for him to sit and rest as his core burned cold, yet he couldn’t stall, not even for a moment.
Please, be safe. Please, be alive.
Among the snow field-like terrain, he saw a lone branch amid all the carnage, the same one he had noticed when he was back in the warmth of his study. He ran to it—as quickly as his heavy legs would allow—praying to all the gods in the world that she would be there. He almost tripped on his way, his hands touching the freezing snow to stop his fall, but it didn’t halt him.
“Elli…e!” A cough escaped his lips at the last letter.
Once he reached the branch, he remained still and unmoving. His muscles stiffened, and adrenaline rushed throughout his body. There she was. Ellie. Her body was lying still on the ground, her pale skin blending with the white snow. She looked like an angel. He scooped her in his arms, his heart ripping at the feel of her freezing skin against his. She was on the verge of dying, her breath releasing in soft huffs and her eyebrows scrunched tightly together.
“You’re safe,” he whispered to her, holding her against his chest for warmness. She moved gently as if her skin was searing with each touch. “Shhh, I’ve got you now.”
Simon hurried back inside, with Ellie in his arms as quickly as he could. Once he reached the veranda door and kicked it open, he watched as a few more servants had now begun attending to Walter while the others stood horrified to the side. He couldn’t pay attention to anything around him. His sole focus was Ellie. She lay unconscious, only moving slightly as her limbs twitched from the sudden rush of warmth to her skin.
“Stay with me,” he whispered in her ear. Then he turned to the servants, weakly, “Light the hearth in my chambers. And bring her a change of clothes and a hot bucket at once.” He watched them hesitate as they glanced between each other. “Now!”
Satisfied they were on the move, he made his way up the stairs. He kicked the door to his chambers open, laying her body gently on the bed and watching as she curled up like a baby, wincing beneath the blankets of sudden warmth.
The servants rushed in, placing the change of clothes in his hands, a soft maroon gown. They helped him undress her from the soaking clothes and redress her with the new garments. But it wasn’t enough. Her skin was still cold to the touch and paler than ever before.
“Ellie, sweetheart,” he whispered in her ear, as closely as he could get, “are you feeling fine? Does it hurt?”
“…Burns,” she mumbled.
“Soak some cloths in the hot bucket!” he yelled out. The servants did as they were told and handed him the warm linens as he placed them gently against her skin, afraid that she would break with the tiniest of touches. She was so delicate and vulnerable. His heart swelled as he noticed her sighing a breath of relief. She no longer tugged uncomfortably at her skin. She relaxed, her tense body easing for the first time in a while.
Yet, if there was one thing that could not relax, that was his racing mind. He knew that despite her condition improving, things could swiftly change. Fear gripped him, and he laced their fingers together, feeling that if he let her go, she would vanish before his eyes, and her body would fall lifeless before him. He couldn’t handle this. The scene was so gut-wrenching he felt tears well in his eyes.
He sat there the whole night, whispering soothing words in Ellie’s ears, caressing her soft skin, and making sure she remained warm at all times. But soon, his exhaustion took hold of him, and he couldn’t keep his eyelids open for much longer. His freezing soaked clothes, the tiredness, the adrenaline, it all swooped up on him at once, and he gradually closed his eyes, his conscience slipping away into a deep sleep, right by the foot of the bed. Right beside Ellie.
