Page 75 of Highlander's Captive Bride
Poppy seemed furious with Nadia and angry at her brother’s attack. While Daisy went about cleaning up the mess of bloody towels and mopping the floor, she railed at them in a low voice.
“’Tis a good thing ye’re here, then,” Poppy said finally. “Have any of the other healers come in from the villages yet? Ye’ll need someone to help ye with the casualties.”
“Not yet,” Daisy admitted.
She had not thought of that, but Poppy was right. There were other healers, and they should be coming into the castle soon, along with the other Beltane revelers. She would need their help.
“I’d better go and get things organized, for there are bound to be soldiers needing help soon. Will ye be all right for a while? I’ll try and come back and check on ye when I can.”
Poppy nodded. “Dinnae worry about me. I’ll stay here and watch over the lass until it’s all over.”
Glad for Poppy’s resilience, Daisy left them and ran down the stairs to the doors of the keep. There, she found two guards on duty, with hundreds of shocked, subdued-looking people milling about in the courtyard.
“Will ye send up any of the healers that come? I need their help with any casualties,” she asked them.
Just then, a middle-aged, matronly woman with a pinched, worried face, black eyes, and a red kerchief tied over her head, hurried up to her and laid a hand on her arm. “Are ye Daisy?” she asked.
“Aye, I am,” Daisy replied, somewhat taken aback.
“I’m Daphne. I’m the healer from the village of Albamurie. I’ve been sent to help ye with the wounded.”
Daisy felt a wave of relief. “Och, I’m pleased to see ye, Daphne. I was worried I might have to manage it all on me own.” She smiled and squeezed the woman’s arm. “D’ye ken if any of the others are coming?”
“Umm, I think I saw Drew somewhere in the crowd just now,” Daphne murmured, looking across the sea of heads. “Ach, there he is. Drew! Drew!” she shouted.
A man whose balding head rose above those surrounding him turned to them. A pair of shrewd brown eyes fixed on Daphne.
“There ye are,” he called, pushing his way through the bodies and finally reaching them.
Introductions were made, and Daisy shook the tall, thin healer’s hand, welcoming him warmly.
“I heard that Maria is stuck with one of her patients in one of the far villages—Cashcallen, I believe. I dinnae ken if she’ll be able to come to help us at all,” Drew told Daisy and Daphne, his lined face showing his concern.
“We’ll have to do our best without her,” Daphne said to him, “but ye ken, Daisy here has a grand reputation as a great healer. ’Tis why the Laird brought her here, to cure Lady Elodie when we couldnae, so her skills will make up for Maria not being here. We must help her all we can.”
She spoke matter-of-factly, without any of the rancor Daisy had been slightly fearful of.
“I hope Maria and her patient will be safe,” she told them. “Shall we go up to the healing room and get things ready for the casualties?”
The pair responded with enthusiasm, and then they all hurried up the stairs to the healing room. Fortunately, both Daphne and Drew were familiar with where everything was kept. Though both were based in nearby villages, both of them often treated patients at the castle, too.
The trio quickly divided up the preparation for the inevitable influx of injured soldiers. Drew handled the heavier tasks, hauling cots from a nearby storeroom and extra bedding into the room and arranging them to accommodate the wounded. Daphne organized piles of clean dressings for bandages and compresses on the countertops while boiling kettle after kettle of water and setting them aside to cool for cleaning wounds and drinking.
Then, both of them came to help Daisy with making up extra salves to prevent wounds from putrefying, tinctures for easing pain, and sleeping draughts for the worst injured. Bottles of fortified wine known for its strengthening properties were set out, as well as flasks of whisky famed for cleaning wounds effectively and for reviving patients in shock.
It was a great relief when Jamie came into the room and told Daisy he was on his way to guard Elodie and Poppy. At least she could be sure they were safe. She sent him off with a blessing, but she could not help being fearful for Bellamy’s safety.
It was not long before they heard the first of the wounded being brought up to them, and from then on, there was no rest for any of them. With each new arrival, news of the progress of the battle was received.
Daisy breathed a silent sigh of relief when she learned that Bellamy’s men were on the attack and that things were not looking good for Lachlan Pearson’s men.
She had never before been forced to work under such shocking and arduous conditions, being confronted by a ceaseless stream of men wounded in battle in varying states of suffering. Some had been stuck by arrows, others had sustained horrible injuries from close combat with swords and dirks, some were screaming or moaning in pain, while others were unconscious or dying.
There was so much blood and noise from the injured soldiers that there were times when she found it hard to think about what she had to do next. But just like Daphne and Drew, she soon became hardened to it and simply kept going, helping them all as best she could.
But despite her intense focus on the needs of the moment, there was a corner of her mind and her heart reserved for only Bellamy and Elodie, and she worried endlessly for their safety.
In truth, the whole night seemed like a nightmare. She could still not believe what Nadia had done and could only conclude that the young woman’s past experiences had somehow warped her thinking and made her susceptible to her brother’s cruel demands. However, that did nothing to excuse her actions.
