Whirlwind Wedding

Chapter 25

White hot pain ripped through her, so intense, it nauseated her. Warm wetness trickled down her collarbone and she inhaled the metallic smell of blood. Light-headedness swamped her.

The child. Was she all right? Did I move in time?

"Elizabeth!"

Austin's voice seemed to come from far away. An instant later, she felt herself being cradled in strong arms. Forcing her eyelids open, she looked up into Austin's face. Stark fright radiated from his gray eyes.

"Dear God, Elizabeth," he said, his voice a husky rasp.

She had to ask him, had to know, but her tongue was like a piece of thick leather in her mouth. Swallowing, she forced out, "The child."

"She's alive," Austin said, brushing a lock of hair off her brow. "You saved her."

Relief settled over her. She'd saved the child. Thank God. And Austin was all right. That was all that mattered.

She looked at him, confused that he appeared so stricken. He should be happy. The child was alive.

Yet even as relief afforded her some peace, regrets pushed at her. But now it was too late. A wave of dizziness and pain washed over her, forcibly reminding her how precious life is… especially when it's over and there's no time left to correct mistakes. And her biggest mistake had been not giving the gift of life to her daughter… Austin's daughter. They could have made the most of the short time they would have had together as a family, and she would have helped him through the pain. Somehow.

She longed to tell him, to explain, let him know how sorry she was, how much she loved him, but her tongue was too heavy to move and she could barely keep her eyes open.

Sleep. She was so tired. Pain rolled through her, stealing her breath. Everything hurt. So much. Her eyelids drifted shut and blackness engulfed her.

Austin watched her eyes close and sick panic roiled through him. "Elizabeth!"

She remained perfectly still in his arms, her complexion waxy pale.

He had to get that knife out of her. Had to. She had to live. Had to. Had to. But he needed help.

With a herculean effort, he pushed back his terror and laid her gently on her stomach. It cost him to leave her side, but he had no choice. He crossed the room to Claudine. The child had just yanked the rag from her mother's mouth. While they spoke in rapid French to each other, Austin pulled his knife from his boot and quickly cut the ropes binding her.

The instant her arms were free, Claudine gathered the child to her. "Josette, ma petite. Thank God you are all right." With the child clinging to her Claudine raised her eyes to Austin. "How badly is the woman hurt?"

"She's alive, but we need a doctor. Immediately."

Claudine shook her head. "The village is far. But I am a good nurse." She stood and rubbed her stiff arms. "We must hurry to help her. Then we must free William."

"Jesus Christ. Where is he?"

"Locked in a shed hidden in the woods at the rear of the property. I know he is alive and can wait a few more moments. Your wife cannot." Jerking her head toward a metal pail near the fireplace, she said "We need water. There is a stream just behind the house. Go! Rapidement!"

Snatching up the pail, Austin ran outside and quickly returned with the water. When he entered the cottage, Claudine was settling Josette on a pallet in the far corner.

Austin immediately went to Elizabeth and chopped to his knees, fighting back the turmoil that threatened to overwhelm him. If she didn't recover-

He refused to consider such a thing.

Claudine joined him and quickly examined Elizabeth. She then looked at him, her eyes grave. "The wound is severe and she has lost a lot of blood. When we remove the knife, she will lose more."

"She cannot die." If he said it enough, if he thought it enough, surely he could make it a fact.

"I hope not. But we must act quickly. We will need bandages. Remove her petticoat and cut it into strips. Hurry."

Forcing his mind to concentrate on the task at hand, he followed Claudine's terse instructions. His eyes strayed to the knife embedded in Elizabeth's shoulder and his stomach turned over with a combination of stark fear and helpless pain.

"Now I will remove the knife," she said. "Be ready to apply pressure to the wound with the bandages."

Austin nodded once, his eyes riveted on Elizabeth's shoulder. The instant Claudine pulled the weapon free, he began the grim task of staunching the blood flow. He focused on the chore, not allowing his mind to consider that the blood soaked through the bandages almost instantly.

She will not die. Grim, unrelenting determination filled him. He pressed bandage after bandage to her shoulder, applying pressure until his arms shook with the effort of holding back the blood flow.

Finally, after what seemed like hours but was actually less than a quarter hour, the bleeding tapered off to a mere weeping. He helped Claudine wash the wound then wrap the shoulder with a clean bandage.

"How long before she wakes up?"

"I cannot say, monsieur. I can only pray to God that she does."

"She will. She has to." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I cannot live without her."

"We have done all we can for her," Claudine said. "Now 1 must free William." She ran to the mantel and snatched a key from the rough wood surface. "Bertrand kept the key within my sight to taunt me."

"Should I -"

"No, monsieur. You remain here with your wife. I ask that you watch over Josette as well. She is sleeping."

"Of course."

She ran from the cottage. He glanced at Josette and saw she lay on her side, her thumb stuck in her little bow mouth. A shudder passed through him at the thought of the horrors that the child had witnessed. Hopefully she wouldn't remember.

He knew he would never forget.

Turning back to Elizabeth, he gently caressed her face and hair. She was ghostly pale, her lips chalky, her auburn curls matted, her gown splattered with her own blood. She hadn't so much as flickered an eyelid. He would have traded his very soul for her just to open her eyes.

He lost all track of time. Each minute that she remained unconscious seemed like an eternity. He had no idea how much time had passed when he heard voices. The door opened and he stood.

A man entered a man who was immediately, haunt-ingly familiar, yet not at all the same. His face bore lines of suffering and he moved with a decided limp. But the eyes… those gray eyes so like his own. There was no mistaking them, even from across the room.

They stared at each other for an endless, stunned moment, while Austin struggled to draw air into his lungs, to comprehend the living, breathing miracle that stood before him. Even though he'd desperately hoped believed, that William was alive, a grain of doubt had persisted, his logical mind telling him it wasn't really possible. But it was.

Wordlessly, he walked across the room until only a few feet separated them, his heart beating so loudly he wondered if William could hear it.

He watched his brother's eyes fill with tears and a thousand questions.

"Austin?" he whispered.

A sob rose in Austin's throat. Jerking his head in a nod he opened his arms and spoke only one word.

"Brother."