Page 76 of The Lord's Compass
She looked up, almost surprised to see Cassandra there. Her friend had entered the carriage without her even noticing, so distracted was she.
She nodded woodenly, not wanting to consider any alternative.
Faith turned to her friend, surprised at the hot wetness flowing down her own face.
“I was so guarded, Cassandra. I was so worried that I would end up hurt, and now…” She choked on the word, and Cassandra shook her head and drew Faith toward her.
“He will get through this. I am sure of it,” she said, and Faith shook her head into Cassandra’s shoulder, unable to say anything else as she let her emotions release.
Finally, she pushed away, her fingers gripping Cassandra’s upper arms.
“Oh, Cassandra, there is so much to tell you. I must go to Eric, but there is danger. Spaniards shot Eric and then these other men came and saved us but I don’t know where they are now, and you have your baby here when who knows— oh, goodness, I sound like my mother rambling on.”
Cassandra took her arm and patted her hand.
“Come, we’ll get it all sorted.”
Cassandra led her into Castleton, which truly felt like a warm embrace. It had seen better days, that was for certain, but it was comfortable, and loving care had been given to it. Faith noted the concerned faces she passed, including Cassandra’s mother and Lord Covington, Cassandra’s husband, but greeting them would have to wait.
She soon found herself in the bedroom where Eric had been placed, and true to his word, Lord Ashford had called the physician. When he arrived, he allowed Faith to stay in the room, but he provided his opinions to Lord Ashford.
“The bullet went through the side of his leg. Took out a chunk of the muscle but didn’t hit the bone from what I can tell. The main thing is that the bleeding stops soon and the wound doesn’t fester.”
“Thank you, doctor,” Lord Ashford said, but Faith was not accepting his answer. She jumped out of her chair and stood in front of the door to block the physician’s exit.
“Can you not stop the bleeding, then? And what do we do if itdoesfester?” she asked.
“That all must happen on its own,” he said without much concern. “If you will excuse me.”
Realizing she could not force the man to do anything further, she stepped to the side. As he passed, she watched him leave with despair. Lord Ashford walked over and awkwardly patted her shoulder.
“Ferrington’s a strong one,” he said. “He’ll come through this.”
Faith nodded woodenly. “Lord Ashford?” she said, remembering the entire reason they were here. Her words were dull, her interest numb, “I shall tell you the full story later, but you have to know… we found a map, but it was stolen, by the same men who came after us and shot Eric. Then we were stopped by highwaymen, who allowed me to go free, while they remained with our attackers. I know it all sounds so fanciful, but the thing is, the map is gone. I am so sorry. I?—”
“It is fine.”
“But—”
“Lady Ferrington,” he said, stopping her with a hand and staring at her. “You have gone through a great ordeal today, but I do not want you to worry. As it happens, I have the map.”
“You—did you say you had the map?”
He nodded. “Shortly before you arrived, one of my servants found a rolled painting in front of the main doorway. Imagine our surprise when we opened it up and I couldn’t help but notice its resemblance to the terrain around Castleton.”
“But how…”
“Then my butler told me that he had seen a man from a distance, who called out and told him to prepare for an injured man. That is how I knew to call for the physician.”
Faith’s jaw dropped. “That sounds nearly as incredulous as my story. Who would do such a thing? Or know even where to bring the painting?”
“Perhaps they assumed you would be travelling to Castleton. I am not entirely sure. We can speak more of it later, but for now, I want you to know that you are safe and no one is going to be coming after us.”
She nodded, trying to take in all that Lord Ashford had told her before she returned to the room.
There was so much more to share, so many questions to ask and answers to provide.
But first, Eric had to come back to her.
