AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She removed a paper-wrapped packet of powder from her box and began to mix it with a small amount of water. Rhys watched her work as his hand continued to throb.
When she finished, she handed him the bowl. “Drink this,” she said without preamble.
He sniffed at it suspiciously. “Is it laudanum?”
“It’s a milder concoction.” At his continued skepticism, she added, “It consists of a tiny bit of powdered opium, some willow bark and chamomile.” She paused, narrowing her eyes at him. “You don’t have an opium habit, do you?”
He shook his head. He’d not taken laudanum or any other opium since he’d been a boy of eight of nine, suffering a broken foot. One of his father’s jobs had gone askew, and Rhys had been required to make a hasty exit. He quickly shut his mind to the memory and, with one last sniff at the bowl, he drained it. The bitterness of the concoction sent a shudder rippling through him.
Miss Corbyn returned to her medicine box and came up next with a roll of linen bandages.
“I don’t need a splint,” he assured her. “The powder should be sufficient.”
“Of course, you need a splint. It’s possible you’ve one or more bones that are broken.”
“A splint will only be a hindrance.” When he found the Collector, he didn’t wish to be encumbered.
“A splint will help to stabilize the hand. Broken bones can shift and heal poorly, which can cause stiffness and affect the mobility of the limb. They can also lead to infection. A splint will help ensure the hand is stronger once it’s healed.”
Her voice was firm and prim, not unlike that of a governess explaining the importance of verb conjugations to a troublesome charge. He might have paid more attention to his lessons with a governess like Miss Corbyn. His lips twitched, but he said firmly, “No splint.”
She eyed him then the roll of linen in her hand. “No man ever defeated the dastardly Flowerpot with a poorly treated hand.”
He snorted. “And if we encounter him along our travels, what then? Am I to beat him about the head with this wondrous splint?”
“Hmm… That might work.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Is this an example of your powers of persuasion?”
She settled her hands on her hips, and in the low light of the lantern, he could see the shadowy outline of her curves beneath thejalabiya. “That depends. Is it working?”
“Is what working?”
She frowned her annoyance, and while he might normally have been intrigued by the sight she presented, he found himself stifling a yawn. Truth be told, the day’s events had left him too tired to argue the matter.
“Fine,” he grumbled. “Prepare the splint if you must, but not too tight.”
She grinned, entirely too pleased with herself. She left him then to search the edge of the canal, returning with a short but sturdy reed that she halved with a self-satisfied grin.
“Reeds and other plant material have been used for splints for thousands of years,” she said in her governess voice as she prepared her supplies.
She leaned toward him, and he inhaled her jasmine scent. Dimly, he thought the powder must have begun working, because he barely felt the pain as her soft fingers wound the linen over and around his hand.
“I’ve never wrapped a mummy before,” she said with a twitch of her lips. She finished much too soon and secured the end with a knot.
“Don’t become too excited,” he cautioned. “I’m not dead yet.”
——
Helen nudged Mr.Evelyn’s boot with her foot. “Mr. Evelyn,” she hissed. She prodded him again, this time more firmly. He grunted and leaned a bit to the left. She hurried to push his shoulder until he was upright once more, his back leaning against the date palm. If he landed on his face, she’d never get him up again.
The man, it seemed, was more sensitive to opium powder than either of them had anticipated. She’d mixed only the merest bit, but his eyelids had begun lowering as soon as she finished wrapping his splint. By the time she’d replaced her supplies in the saddle bags and returned to his side, he’d been asleep.
He released a low snore that might have been amusing if she weren’t so anxious to reach theTamarisk.
“Mr. Evelyn.”Nudge.“Please”—nudge—“wake up.” Nothing. Helen placed her hands on her hips and surveyed their surroundings.
A long, low mound interrupted the horizon some distance ahead—most likely the remains of anancient village, as they’d passed several such bumps in the landscape. She’d find no help ahead of them.
