Page 44 of The Heir and Spare
She did not respond, and his heart nearly stopped. “Elizabeth. Can you hear me?”
He lifted her body in his arms just to hold her close. Her heart beat. She felt warm, though wet. “Let’s get you dry. I’ll hold you, darling. You are going to be well.” He prayed his words would somehow come true simply by being spoken. He moved her to the least wet part of their hole and leaned her up against the wall of dirt. Then he shined the light on her, looking for cuts or bleeding or anything broken. She seemed to be free of anything obviously wrong. He cleared the hair from her face and placed the palm of his hand on her cheek. “Elizabeth, can you hear me?” He gave her shoulders a gentle shake. “Elizabeth, wake up. Come back. We have more work to do, don’t you know?” His voice caught. The longer she remained unresponsive, the more his heart pounded. “Please.” His throat tightened. He wiped some moisture from his eyes.
Then he ran hands down her arms, trying to keep her warm. He lifted her again and sat with her on his lap. “There. At least you’ll be warm.”
He cradled her close to his chest and rested his chin on the top of her head. It wouldn’t be long. Then they could get her to safety and get her warm and the doctor would come and she would be fine. He hoped.
But time passed. More time than he thought should have.
Then drips of water started falling onto him. He held out a hand. “Rain?” He leaned his head back against the dirt wall. “No.” He swallowed.
Elizabeth shifted against him. “Did you just say no?”
His mouth twitched. “Are you well? Elizabeth, are you awake?”
She nodded. “Barely.” She shifted. “Am I… Am I sitting on your lap?” She lifted her head off his chest and then groaned and lay it back against him. “I’m sorry. I can’t move. Not yet.”
“Stay still as long as you need. If I wasn’t so frantically worried about you waking up, I would have enjoyed this situation above any other in my life.”
She chuckled against him and then groaned again.
“What hurts?”
“My head. My…my side.”
That didn’t sound good. But at least she was speaking. “You fell. I think the ground just opened up?”
“It did. It felt like the ground just moved beneath me.” She went still.
“Elizabeth?”
She didn’t respond. “Elizabeth. Stay with me. Help is coming. Elizabeth. Keep talking.”
She took a deep breath. “All right.” She rubbed her nose. “I think there’s someone else.”
He lifted the lantern, looking around their space as best he could. “I don’t see…wait. There is something.”
“I heard scratching. I think I landed on him.”
Darcy did not want to move, but he held up his lantern to try and get a better look. “Looks like perhaps there is something over there. When help comes, we will take a look.”
The raindrops became larger and more frequent. Somewhere in the pit the sound of actual falling water became a stream, pouring in.
“That doesn’t bode well.” He squinted up into the darkness. Their heads and upper bodies were somewhat shielded by a clump of dirt above them. But he was not unaware of the precarious situation. The pit could fill. A clump of dirt fell from the ledge above, landing on their feet. The whole thing could cave in on them, covering them.
“I knew you would come.” Her soft voice warmed him to his toes. “I fell, but I knew it would be all right. You would come. You would find a way. You’re like that.”
He hugged her tighter against him. “I would do anything to keep you safe.”
She snuggled in closer. “I know.”
Her soft words, her confidence in him, the tenderness between them was the sweetest thing he’d ever experienced. It was as if a circle of love enveloped them, holding them close and warm even with the wet and cold all around them.
In that moment, he didn’t think he could ever lose her. Here was the woman of his life, the mother of his children, the mistress of his estate, his partner and love. He swallowed. If he didn’t love her yet, he knew it would be very easy to do so. He’d never met anyone of her caliber. The sincerity alone was enough to make him want to pursue her. She’d openly disliked and disapproved of him. His fingers cradled around her arms, gently holding her as best as he could. He hoped she was truly well. He would do all in his power to help her be so.
Chapter 24
Elizabeth
