Page 35 of Snowy and the Seven Doves
Snowy complied.
Do the angels smile uponyou,
When they see your peacefulrest,
Are you smiling back andsleeping,
Sleeping gently on mybreast?
“Here!” The speaker was a footman by his livery, stumbling from the rear of the entry hall to stop at the bottom of the stairs. “Who are you, and what are you doing?”
Stancroft took over. “I am the Earl of Stancroft. When your master returns, let him know that, as requested, we are taking his son for medical attention.”
The footman stood his ground. “I have no orders to let the young master out of his room.”
“Nor do you have either orders or the right to stop two peers of the realm and the son of a duke,” said Stancroft. “Out of the way, man.” He marched past the footman and opened the front door.
Snowy kept singing quietly, his mouth close to Ned’s ear.
Do not fear, the sound the breezemakes
brushing leaves against thedoor;
Drew’s men and Blue entered the house. The footman backed away then tried to run, but one of Drew’s men spun him against the wall and put a dagger to his throat. “Keep still and silent, and you will come to no harm,” the knife wielder said.
“Blue, fetch the carriage that is waiting around the corner,” Snowy ordered. Ned began to struggle. Snowy sang, and he relaxed again.
Do not dread the waves thatmurmur
Lonely waves that wash theshore.
It seemed an age before Snowy was settling into the coach, his brother beside him: Lady Charmain, Stancroft, and Ashby squeezed together on the opposite seat. It must have been only a few minutes, though.
Drew had said goodbye. He was returning to the ball where he would return the key and give Deffew the nod that the rescue had been successful. He would then track down his cousin-in-law, who was a physician.
“Whose place is closest?” Lady Charmain asked. “I need to attend him as soon as possible.”
“I have a house only a few streets away,” Snowy told her. “The coachman has already been given the direction.” Once more, he began to sing to calm his brother.
Sleep my darling, there isnothing,
Nothing here to give youfright;
Holy angels guard yourslumber,
Safe beneath their wings sowhite.
*
Snowy gave Ashhis keys. Margaret followed with her sachet of herbals and bandages as he and Peter carried Mr. Snowden to the door and into the house. The place was sparsely furnished, with no ornaments or artworks. “I just got the keys two days ago,” Snowy explained. “One bed chamber has a bed and a mattress. We’ll take him up there.”
Only one bed? Margaret wondered whether there were linen and blankets. And, too, what about servants? At the very least, she would need water to wash her patient.
They would have to make do. She could not countenance a longer carriage ride without first assessing Mr. Snowden’s health.
Up the stairs they went, following Ash who was carrying one of the carriage lamps. Past one floor and on to the next. She shouldn’t have worried, however; it appeared that Snowy could read her mind.
“It’s this first room,” Snowy instructed. “Ashby can you take the dust cover off one of the chairs, and lay it over the bed to protect the mattress? I can find some sheets while Lady Charmain is assessing poor Ned’s condition.”
