Page 24 of Caroline Saves the Blacksmith
“I had some friends … but I made a horrible mistake and lost them. I have learned to be self-reliant.”
“And count your blessings?”
She chuckled, and William observed a flash of her usual optimism return. “And count my blessings.”
“What blessings do you count tonight, Caroline?”
She inhaled a deep breath and thought.
“I have my own shop. I live in a lovely town and work with wonderful women. I must be viewed favorably because the doctor entrusted you to my care. I was to spend Christmas alone, but instead I am spending it … with you.”
“I am a blessing?”
She cocked her head to the side, regarding him with a serious expression. “You are a good man who climbs his neighbor’s roof on Christmas Eve to undertake secret repairs at his own expense. You are not … not a blessing.”
It was William’s turn to chuckle. “Thank you.”
“You seem more cheerful than before?”
“Before?”
“Forgive me. You appeared to be a rather grim man. Tonight you seem … different.”
“I have had time to reflect this evening, and it has me aware that I may need to change my ways. My mood. It might be time for me to embrace life more fully than I have done.”
“To build a better future?”
He bobbed his head. “The future is vast uncharted land, and it might be time to explore it with a mind to make some changes.”
“I find when the present is difficult, planning for the future can assist one through trying times,” agreed Caroline.
William turned his head and contemplated her across the table. She truly was an intelligent and remarkable woman. One had to wonder why such a fine young woman was all alone in the world. Caroline should be married to someone kind, and be increasing with child.
She deserved to have all that she desired. Her business, a family to replace the one she had lost, and many wonderful friends.
Here she was, taking care of him on the eve of Christmas and risking her reputation in order to be kind. He had no intention of ever growing as close to someone as he had been to Charles, whose absence was still a physical ache. Otherwise, he would pursue this fine woman for himself.
William shook his head slightly. A woman like Caroline would mean falling in love, and he could not bear another loss, such as Charles. Nay, he would need to stay away from her once this holiday was over, but he appreciated that she had shown him the error of his ways.
He could build a better future, allow for closer connections than he had these last few years. Appreciate the community he lived in and allow some emotions back into his life. This evening had changed him for the better, and he looked forward to the days ahead, now that he had time to think about the revelations of the evening. It was high time he took some time to visit his uncle and aunt at their seaside cottage. As soon as his injury improved, he would do so.
Caroline shifted and sat on the table. She felt his leg with gentle fingers.
“I am going to apply a fresh poultice. Would you like anything?”
“Warm water and cloths? Perhaps you could collect my nightshirt?”
“You would like to wash up?”
He nodded. “I was working in this shirt all day.”
Caroline made a sound of assent, taking up things from the table and leaving for the kitchen. Soon she returned with the bowl of warm water and cloths, laying them out on the table. Once she left the room, he pulled his shirt off and took up one of the cloths to bathe himself.
The fresh, clean water was refreshing, and he felt considerably more comfortable when she came back in with his nightshirt, careful to avert her eyes from his naked torso as she handed it over.
Quickly, she cleared the table once more, and he could hear her tidying up in the kitchen while he pulled his nightshirt on. Leaving his buckskins on, he straightened up the settee pillows to settle back into a reclining position. This brief interlude of domestic bliss was a pleasant change in routine, especially given the time of the year. He was fortunate the doctor had found such an excellent companion to nurse him back to health. Spending the night with the wrong person would have been torturous, and Caroline’s presence had brought much-needed respite through his dreams. For the first time in years, he had slept without dreaming of war and bloodshed, a minor miracle in itself. All in all, this Christmas Eve had been something of a success despite the swollen, bruised appendage.
Caroline returned to apply a fresh poultice, quietly tying it to his leg with a bandage. Then she cleared the room, and once again could be heard moving around the kitchen.
