Page 3 of The Secret of Drulea Cottage
“Do you truly think so? William would certainly like that, given how attached he is to you.”
Adaira shrugged noncommittally and looked away. The two of them walked to the first open guest room, and Adaira placed two towels on the bed.
Suddenly, the front door wrenched open and slammed against the wall. “Adaira!” a man shouted.
The friends rushed to the foyer, dumping the rest of the towels on the bed as they left.
Gareth Peterson, the son of the vicar, stood at the entrance, his face frantic. His messy brown hair was soaked, and he seemed to barely have enough strength to stand. “Adaira! Do you have any rooms?”
“Aye, Gareth, what is it?”
Gareth panted a few times and leaned against the door to support himself, carelessly dripping water onto the floor. “There are some strangers who just came in! One o’ them is seriously hurt! Doctor Sherwin is with him, but they have to move him inside. I had to see if you had anywhere to put him up!”
“How many—” Adaira started to ask, but Gareth was already pushing himself off from the door and scrambling back outside.
Briony and Adaira hurried after him and peered out the doorway. About a quarter of a mile down the path, a man was being carried on a stretcher by Donal McGuff, Matthew Levins, and Tam McLaren. Dr. Ewan Sherwin walked nearby, keeping a close eye on the men as they moved. They came up the hill slowly, their feet digging into the saturated earth.
When they got closer, Briony examined the injured man. His blond hair was like wet straw, and his beard was neatly trimmed. Coupled with what looked to be high-quality clothing and an impressive stature, Briony surmised he would be very good-looking if his face weren’t contorted in pain.
The man grunted as the villagers stumbled on the path, turning his head in her direction. Briony drew back so that he wouldn’t catch her staring, but the man’s eyes never opened for the entire trip up the hill.
Briony couldn’t see any blood, but the man’s right leg was bent at an odd angle; it had to be broken.How could that have happened?
Briony Fairborn, why would you care more about the cause o’ the man’s circumstances than about his well-being?Briony almost smiled at the thought of her mother’s scolding voice. Bethany had always urged her daughter to be kind above all else, despite Briony’s curious nature. With a twinge of guilt, Briony sent up a prayer for the man’s health and watched as her drenched neighbors carried him inside.
Only after that did Briony become aware of the other two foreigners coming up the path behind them. One was a beautiful young woman in an expensive-looking dress, and the other was a heavily built, bearded man in uniform. The woman looked to be near tears, or perhaps she was already crying, but Briony couldn’t be certain in such heavy rain. Her blond hair was done up in an intricate braid, the likes of which Briony had never seen before.
The man had a grim expression, and his eyes kept shifting warily among the villagers. Something about him sent a shiver down Briony’s spine, though she had no idea why.
“Briony, I need that help you offered!” called Adaira, who had gone into the hallway while Briony was staring.
“Aye, what would you have me do?”
Adaira zoomed back to the linen closet and jerked it open. She thrust some blankets into Briony’s arms. “Put fresh blankets in all the rooms, starting with the injured man’s.”
Without another word, Adaira scurried off to the kitchen. Briony did as her friend wanted, shuffling into the nearest bedroom even though it was already bursting with people.
“Set him down gently now, men. We don’ want to worsen his condition,” Dr. Sherwin urged.
They slowly put the man on the bed and moved back.
“Good,” the doctor said. “Now, you must step out and let me do my job. I can’ work with all o’ you in here.”
The two foreigners nodded, politely stepped around Briony, and walked out in the direction of the sitting room.
Matthew Levins, on the other hand, didn’t possess such manners.
“Get out o’ the way, Fairborn wench! Did you na hear the doctor?” he growled. Donal McGuff and Tam McLaren stood behind him, not as vicious with their gazes but unable to leave with Matthew blocking them.
“I have blankets from Mistress Stubbins. Do you need them, Dr. Sherwin?” she asked, not budging from her place.
Dr. Sherwin looked up, only then noticing her presence. At first, he scowled, but then his countenance became pensive. “Actually, I may need you, Briony Fairborn.”
“Dr. Sherwin, you can’ seriously want help from her?!” Matthew looked at the doctor as though he was insane.
But Dr. Sherwin sent him a condescending glare. “You mean theonlyperson in the whole village with a wee bit o’ medical knowledge besides myself? Nay, why would I possibly want her help? I may na like the woman, but she’s my only option, so unless you want to tell that distraught lass outside that this man died because we were busy arguing, I suggest you get out!”
Matthew reddened and clamped his mouth shut. He and the other men bustled out, all giving Briony dirty looks, which she easily returned.
