Page 71 of The Rebellious Countess
Máira looked up from Simon’s unconscious body.“He’s got a broken arm, fingers, possibly some ribs. He has head and facial injuries and more that I cannot discover without him being conscious.”
“They beat him daily, until they all began to get sick.”
Máira winced at the boy’s words, wondering what he had witnessed but continued, “He is also gravely ill.”
“I’ve been sneaking him what the women in the kitchen have been giving the soldiers, but he can’t keep it down.”
Máira studied the expression on the boy’s face. “You have done a wonderful job of caring for him. I suspect he would not be alive if it weren’t for your care.” She dug in her bag and took out a small sample of the herbs and root she had collected along the river. “Give this to the women. Tell them these herbs are from Dinan?—”
“Marseille,” Elias interrupted. “We were in Marseille when you collected those.”
The intensity of his gaze told her not to argue. He did not want the boy or anyone else to know where they had been, so despite not knowing if the flowers grew in Marseille or not, she agreed. “Of course, my mistake. It…it was Marseille. How silly of me. The innkeeper’s wife asked us to check on her family in Dinan, but we never made it.”
The boy shook his head and looked at Elias. “She is a terrible spy.”
Elias winked at the boy. “Sébastien, go show the women what to look for and where to get it. The innkeeper’s wife in Marseille said to mix it in wine and give it to the sick. But then come back here. We will need your help getting out of here.”
The boy nodded and took off with her mixture of herbs and plants that would hopefully help heal the sick.
“You’re helping the men who did this to Astley,” he informed her.
“Not all of them are guilty.”
“Not all of them are innocent.”
“We will never know which ones did this to Simon. I do know I cannot leave without offering a bit of aid, but I did not mix the herbs with wine. I mixed them with water from the river.”
“We don’t know if the water supply on the island isn’t the problem.”
She agreed and then turned back to Astley. “How do you suggest we get him out of here?”
“Since he can’t walk, I’ll carry him.”
“But his ribs—if they’re broken it could kill him.”
He nodded in agreement as he stood watch at the door for any soldiers coming their way. “And if I don’t carry him, he will most definitely die. I didn’t come here to recover his body. I came to give the man a fighting chance at survival. Wrap his mid-section as best as possible. When the boy returns, we leave.”
She knew he was right. At most, she would give Simon a thirty percent chance of living.
Sébastien returned a few minutes later, his mood anxious as his gaze darted back at the door.
“What’s wrong?” Elias asked.
“There are new soldiers coming to get the earl.”
“When?”
“I don’t know. I overheard the women talking, but then the cook saw me and slapped me for eavesdropping. I told her I was just waiting for them to finish talking, but I don’t think she believed me. I told her one of the monks gave me the herbs to heal the sick and after a bit of grumbling, she told me to go collect the plants.”
Elias frowned. “When did she expect you to return?”
“She wanted me to get a couple guards from Chapel Saint Aubert. That is where the healthy guards are staying. I’m to return at the next low tide.”
Máira breathed a sigh of relief. That would give them several hours before the boy was expected to return. They could drop him off at the mill, provided Father Charles made it back?—
“Bloody hell.” Elias cursed, not even sparing a look at the boy. “The damn fool is going into a den of angry men.”
“Who?” The boy asked.
