Page 6 of A Balm of Healing
He nearly turned around and started in another direction when he caught sight of a familiar green brooch pinned to a woman’s blouse, with a silver, decorative edge around the shiny oval pendant.
“Where did you get that?” he asked the woman, who sat on a crate while her husband sold wares to several customers.
The woman regarded him cautiously. “It was a gift from my husband. He gave it to me yesterday.”
He ran a hand over his face and pinched the bridge of his nose. Miss Caddell had seemed overly fond of the piece of jewelry during their interview. Why would she sell it?
Begrudgingly, he dug into his pocket and pulled out his money purse. “I’ll buy it from you. Is this enough?”
Instead of rejecting his proposal outright, the woman slinked closer and studied the amount offered. She quickly traded the brooch for the money, and he pocketed the jewelry inside his coat.
The woman said, “The healer traded it for a blanket. Nothing more.”
For a moment, he puzzled over the new information as he left the stalls quickly lest she change her mind. A blanket? Surely, the brooch could get her more than a simple blanket. Why did she—?
The blood drained from his face as he connected the missing pieces. “Oh no.”
Miss Caddell had been desperate for the job because she had nowhere else to stay. He reckoned she’d slept outside somewhere. But where?
“Where are you?” he murmured as he continued on his way down another path, dodging people, carts, and small animals as he searched for a woman with brown hair and olive-green eyes. If he were in her position, he’d find a barn to sleep in. But where were barns located within the city?
His gaze darted about, his fingers growing colder the longer he spent outside. But he refused to give up his search. And when he spotted the silhouette of a barn in the distance, he started toward it while continuing to scan the area around him.
But when he glanced down an alleyway, he froze when he spotted a lump lying on the ground, covered in a fur blanket.
He turned his chair at a sharp angle, the wheels sliding across a patch of ice and nearly making him crash before he managed to gain control of it once more. Beneath the blanket lay a huddled figure, unmoving.
Panic jumped through his chest when he recognized the brunette locks, the long, dark eyelashes, the purple of her dress. Gweneth lay still, frost gathered on her lashes and coat.
Not able to reach her with his arms, he snatched a loose, wooden board leaning against the wall and prodded her in the side.
No response.
“Wake up!” he cried, prodding her hard enough in the stomach for her to emit an “Oof!”
Gweneth bolted upright and glanced blearily at their surroundings before her gaze landed on him. She squinted up at him, and he knew he should have said something, but his heart still ricocheted through his veins, even as relief tried to calm his erratic pulse.
Finally, his tongue worked enough for him to speak. “You said you had a place to stay in town.”
“Blazing crickets,” she croaked under her breath as she scrambled for the spectacles she pulled from her pocket. After placing them over her nose, she ducked her head and blushed, her words having trouble escaping as if her throat and mouth were frozen. “If I’m honest, I had no plan other than to accept the job you extended to me. All the rooms at the inn are full. And…” She rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “I had nowhere else to go.”
Emeric inhaled a long breath and released it slowly before he wheeled himself around and started toward the alley’s exit. He stopped several paces away and glanced back at her. “Well? Are you coming or not?”
The woman inhaled sharply, her eyes wide before she hastily packed her portmanteau and stumbled after him. “Does this mean you are offering me the job after all?”
“It’s temporary,” he clarified, avoiding eye contact. Mother Autumn knew housing a beautiful woman was not going to be easy. “I can’t have you sleeping outside in the snow. You hear?”
From the corner of his eye, he noticed her nodding enthusiastically. “I will be the best caretaker, housekeeper, and healer you’ve ever had. Mark my words.” She paused behind him, but his arms continued forcing his damp, snowy wheels through the infuriating obstacles. “Do you need me to push—”
“No,” he growled. “The answer is always no. I can do it myself.”
“Ah.” She moved into step beside him instead. “That’s good to know, because you look heavy, and I don’t want the added strain.”
Her jest lifted his brows in surprise, and he found himself staring at her twitching mouth, her lips nearly blue from freezing herself overnight. Her face was pale, and he didn’t miss her shivering limbs even as she struggled to keep up with him as if her legs didn’t work properly.
When they reached the short black gate of his home, Miss Caddell appeared as if she might collapse at any moment, and he didn’t think he was in any shape to catch her.
He ushered her up the ramp leading to his front door, and when they entered the structure, he urged her to sit on the sofa in the main room while he proceeded to drape several warm blankets over her shoulders. He disappeared into the kitchen only for a few minutes before he brought back a tray of food and tea, carefully balanced on his lap.
