Page 56 of A Wife for the Highland Villain
Lily pressed down hard on the soldier’s chest. Her palms ached with the effort, but she would not stop. She counted the rhythm in her head and kept pushing.
His lips were blue, and his chest did not rise. They were all signs. Signs that she needed to stop. That she needed to leave him alone and just declare him dead.
The two men who had helped her carry him outside stood by the hall’s entrance and watched her with interest. Even Daisy kneeled beside her on the grass as she pressed harder, feeling the soldiers’ cracked ribs beneath her palm.
Daisy’s voice broke through the silence. “Me Lady… maybe it is over. He doesnae look like he is breathing anymore. He is gone.”
Lily shook her head frantically, panting hard. “Nay, he isnae gone. I can feel it.”
“Me Lady?—”
“Ye daenae understand, Daisy. I ken when someone is beyond saving. And I ken this soldier still has life in him. I am never wrong about this,” Lily insisted.
She wasn’t sure who she was reassuring, Daisy or herself.
The young maid wrung her hands. “Look at him, me Lady. His skin is turning more blue; there is nothing left to do. Please, ye must stop before ye break his ribs any further.”
Lily pressed down harder, sweat rolling down her temple. “I said nay, Daisy. I willnae give up on him. Nae now.”
“He looks as if the ocean itself has swallowed him,” Daisy whispered, her voice trembling.
Lily ignored her and pushed again. Then again. And again.
On the next push, the soldier jerked under her hands. His mouth fell open, and he sucked in a jagged breath. His chest rose once, then he shook with a violent cough. His hands twitched weakly by his sides as she grabbed onto him, feeling the relief settle in her spine.
“Good lad,” she called, her voice soft. “Breathe. It is fine. Ye are fine.”
The maids nearby gasped, and the tension in the hall broke. She could even hear some people whispering prayers of thanks.
She beckoned the two men over. “Help me. Lift him carefully. Slowly now.”
They obeyed at once, and Lily followed right behind as they carried him back into the hall. The smell of herbs and sweat was thick in the air. When he was laid on his cot, Lily bent down to his ear.
“Ye gave us all a fright, lad,” she said gently. “For a moment, we thought ye were gone. Daenae do that to us again.”
The soldier coughed weakly, then his eyes fluttered open.
Lily turned around. “Sorcha, please fetch tormentil root. It will clear his chest.”
Sorcha froze, and her eyes lowered. “We have none left, me Lady. The last was used at dawn.”
Lily’s heart sank. “None? Are ye certain?”
Sorcha nodded. “None. But daenae worry, the roots grow just beyond the gates, by the edge of the forest. I can send a maid to fetch some.”
Lily shook her head. “Nay. The maids wouldnae ken which one to pull. A mistake could kill him.”
“Then I will go,” Sorcha declared firmly, reaching for her cloak.
Again, Lily stopped her. “Nay, the people need ye here. Ye cannae leave them. I can fetch it meself. I ken the root.”
Sorcha frowned. “Are ye sure, me Lady? The sky is darkening, and ye shouldnae walk through the woods alone. Let someone go with ye, at least.”
“They are needed here more,” Lily said. “Besides, ye said it grows beyond the gates. I willnae stray far.”
The hall fell silent, except for the occasional groan. Sorcha’s lips pressed together as if she wanted to argue, but at last she nodded.
Lily cast a last look at the soldier, then at Daisy, who seemed pale and shaken. “Watch him until I return.”
