Page 69 of Unmasked By a Captivating Lady
Miles nodded slowly. The man carefully unwound the bandage. Miles could see by the grim look on his face, and the way that his lips thinned, that it wasn’t pretty.
“You will need to be careful,” said the man, frowning. “There is redness around it, and swelling. It is starting to fester.” He hesitated. “I have seen this happen before with other men. If it is not dealt with quickly, it will make you very sick indeed…”
Miles sighed deeply. Bryson’s words seemed to reach him, from far away. He swayed slightly.
“How do you feel?” barked the man, staring at him closely.
Miles managed to smile. “Like death,” he whispered. “I am sweating, and feel so hot, like there is a fever upon me…”
The man nodded. “They are the first symptoms of it. A fever.” He paused. “I know of a plant that acts like a salve, soothing it. It must be applied to the wound. With your permission, I can search for it and apply it. It is a common enough plant in these parts.”
Miles gritted his teeth again. “There is no time. We must keep moving…”
“With respect, my lord,” said the man slowly, “we will not make it to our destination if you collapse, and we are forced to tend to you.”
Miles battled down another wave of nausea. He knew the man was right. If he could find this plant, and soothe the redness in his wound a little, he could gather his strength again. He would be no use to anyone if he did collapse.
Fear gripped him for a second. He had seen it before, too. Once, when they were boys, Andrew had cut himself. It had seemed mild enough, but within days, it had swollen and reddened, and he had become feverish. Their mother had called for the doctor, but he had shaken his head, saying that if it worsened, his brother might die.
It was only thanks to a local healer, who dealt in herbs, that his brother was saved. The woman had known what to apply to dull the redness. Within hours, the swelling had retreated, and the fever had disappeared.
“Do it, then,” he whispered, as dizziness overcame him. “If you can find the plant quickly, and we can be on our way with little further delay, then I shall thank you kindly.”
Bryson nodded. Miles watched him wander off, disappearing down a track.
He placed a hand on his forehead. It was so hot it was a wonder that his hand wasn’t scalded by the contact.
Fear gripped him again. A vision of Ara drifted into his mind, from the drawing room at Rudwick House, just before he left. Telling him, for the first time, that she loved him. He had almost lost hope that he would ever hear those words, coming from her lips.
His heart seized. Hemustget back to her. He had promised her that he would. And the future glimmered tantalisingly in front of him, just out of reach. A future, with her in it, at long last. He couldn’t die here, out in this wilderness, after just gaining his heart’s desire, could he? God could not be so harsh as to let that happen.
He shifted uneasily on the rock. Itcouldhappen. It could happen quite easily, in the blink of an eye. People had died quicker from festering wounds, after all.
Guilt assailed him. She had begged him not to go, insisting that he needed to rest. He could have listened to her and let Mr. Nott’s men take Edward Stalk to the Watch. He didn’t have to be here, doing this. It had only been his own stubborn determination to see the rogue dealt with himself, once and for all.
My love,he thought desperately, as his teeth shook with the fever. Have I done the right thing? Or have I sabotaged everything, right when it is all finally within my grasp?
***
He shivered, his teeth chattering, watching Edward Stalk through narrowed eyes. The man was sitting down by the stream after drinking, his eyes darting around furtively. Once again, he was reminded of a weasel, despite the man’s large size. A black clothed, stinking weasel, always plotting and scheming.
He swayed slightly, almost slipping off the rock. Where was Bryson? Surely the man should be back by now? They needed to be away. They needed to get the weasel to the Watch, immediately.
He jolted upright, desperately trying to stay awake, his eyes glued on the man.
Abruptly, Edward Stalk stood up, gazing around. The man who was sitting close by him, guarding him, stared up at him with astonished eyes.
“What are ye doin’?” he hissed. “Sit back down!”
“I need to go,” he said, indicating the trees behind them. “I need to relieve myself, this very moment. You wouldn’t want me to wet myself, would you? That would make the journey a bit uncomfortable, wouldn’t you think?”
The man grumbled but got to his feet. “Very well. Behind that tree. I will come with you.”
Miles watched as they walked off, behind a large tree.
Suddenly, there was a loud cry. Miles jumped to his feet. The sudden movement caused his head to spin dangerously, but he ignored it, running towards the tree.
The guard was on the ground, and Edward Stalk was running away, weaving through the trees. The ropes that had bound him were lying discarded on the ground. The guard must have taken them off so that the scoundrel could do his business, and the man had seized his chance.
