blood stained coat and she felt certain she would vomit.
Jonathon grimaced as he watched Alexandria pale and knew he could nothing to dispel her fear. After a moment’s hesitation he decided to be direct and to dispense with formality.
“He was shot, Alexandria, by robbers; I’m afraid he was gone before we ever made it to town. He’s at the undertaker’s now.”
“No!” Alexandria jerked as though she was the one who had been shot. “No! We were just starting…no,” Alexandria argued; a million thoughts were buzzing through her head at once. Her head was swimming, her ears roaring. She couldn’t breathe.
Jonathon watched as Alexandria began to crumple and stepped forward to swing her into his arms. He entered the house and watched Millie come to the door of the kitchen. Her eyes widened as they passed before she quickly followed.
“What’s happened?” the woman demanded.
“She fainted. Elijah’s dead, Millie,” Jonathon laid Alexandria on the settee and turned to see the house keeper easing into a chair. He was glad; his arm was already hurting and he wasn’t sure he could handle her ample frame.
“Poor, Alexandria, she’s so young to be a widow and after all they had gone through,” the woman pulled a handkerchief from her pocket to wipe away her tears.
Alexandria woke to find Jonathon and Millie leaning over her with identical grim expressions. Her eyes fell to Jonathon’s bloody shirt and she shuddered. She was a widow, a widow before she had ever truly become a wife. She sat up and pushed aside any thoughts of pity for herself. The most immediate feeling was one of guilt. Guilt for having turned her husband away and knowing she could never right it now. Alexandria got to her feet and turned to Millie.
“Would you take Lilly to her room and keep an eye on her please? I need to make some arrangements and see to some things. I’ll speak with her later,” Alexandria requested, there was nothing to be done but move forward.
“Of course,” Millie nodded.
“Thank you. Mr. Stewart, would you follow me to the office please?” she requested. Elijah’s parents would need to be notified, Rusty could do that; he had come to know them well in his years with Elijah. She would have him sent to town to make the call. Her parents needed to know and the pastor…Alexandria penned several notes and gave Jonathon directions on who was to deliver which and to where.
A few minutes later, Jonathon returned to the house to find Alexandria standing in the hallway looking lost.
“Mrs. Morris; is there anything I can do?” Jonathon offered. Alexandria looked at him, blinked, and then seemed to shake her head to clear it.
“I’m not sure,” she admitted. Her gaze fell to his arm and she frowned. “Mr. Stewart, were you hurt?” Alexandria stepped closer; her hand came up to stop just short of touching the fresh blood that had seeped through his coat.
“I’m fine,” he assured her.
“Fine? You’re bleeding! Come on,” this time Alexandria grabbed his uninjured arm and tugged him toward the kitchen.
“Take off your coat and have a seat,” she indicated a chair.
Jonathon obeyed her orders and was seated by the time she lifted a basket off the shelf.
Alexandria surveyed his arm. His shirt was ripped and his arm was definitely bleeding; lifting her when she had gone and fainted like a ninny had likely started it again. Figuring it was ruined anyway; she ripped his shirt sleeve and surveyed his arm.
“If you call this fine I hate to think what you consider a serious injury to be. Brace yourself; this will burn,” she warned as she began cleaning the rather serious flesh wound.
Jonathon sucked in a sharp breath when she doused the wound with lurid yellow liquid and braced himself. He watched her closely as she worked on his arm. She never flinched, not even when her ministrations brought fresh blood pouring down his arm.
“You were shot too?” she asked, though the answer was rather obvious.
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“You went to town with the body?” she paused to meet his gaze.
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“So why didn’t you see the doctor when he came to pronounce…” she stopped and swallowed hard.
“I was so numb at that point and I was already covered in blood…sorry I shouldn’t…”
“Don’t apologize, Mr. Stewart, I assume you tried aiding my husband, which is why you were such a mess too.”
“Yes, Ma’am, and I honestly wasn’t thinking about my arm at the time. I was half way back here before the pain returned.”