all a wee bit mad?”
She held the slice between clean teeth and closed her bloodshot eyes in delight for a moment. “Aye,” she told him. “We all are.”
He ate his dried meat and washed it down with water. He gave her another thin slice of apple after she was able to chew the first and keep it down. She soon fell back to sleep. Twice, she dreamed of things that made her jump and cry out in her sleep. He didn’t try to comfort her. He wasn’t exactly sure how he could without touching her.
He didn’t leave her through the night but remained quiet when she sounded like she was struggling to breathe. He waited with her in case the angel of death came. She did not want to be alone.
When morning came, she seemed a bit worse. He said a quick prayer for her soul and then left the area to relieve himself and clean up.
He was surprised at how she clung to life. He admired it in her, but she was slowing him down.
He couldn’t stay much longer.
He returned and fed the fire then the horses, and then checked on her. She was still breathing. In fact, she began to cough. Was that a good sign, or bad?
She slept through breakfast, giving him plenty of time to talk himself into leaving.
He made it about a mile before he began imaging her waking up alone, far from any shelter or food. Damn it!
He turned back and grumbled intermittently at his weak fortitude.
When he reached her, he was happy to find her still asleep but breathing. He put more wood on the fire and talked quietly to himself about what the hell was happening to him.
When she finally woke up several hours later, she wasn’t hungry.
“The sick are treated like monsters,” she told him while he poked a stick into the fire. “Not by you. You are very kind.”
He groaned. “Never let that get aboot, lass.”
“Why?” she asked in all innocence.
“Because I’m not a kind man. I’m not a good man.” He thought about telling her. He had never told anyone. Father Timothy didn’t even know. He didn’t mind telling her since she would bring it with her to her…he stopped himself from thinking it. “I kill men fer coin. Verra bad men. Never women or children.”
“Oh.” She looked into his eyes. “That is good news.” She blinked and gave him a half-smile. “That you do not kill women and children—not that you are a killer.”
He had the urge to smile at her. Hell.
“I like how you speak,” she said with a sudden smile before Tristan could tear his gaze away. She closed her eyes. “Aboot.”
He blinked at her. “I dinna sound like that.”
She didn’t open her eyes but laughed and nodded her head. “Aye, you dooo.”
He gave her a short laugh and then thought about what she must be going through and she could still find it in herself to be lighthearted.
He took another sip of his tea, and then cursed himself silently and went to her in the grass.
Crouching behind her, he lifted her hooded head into his lap. “Here now, drink some of this,” he said in a low voice.
She opened her eyes and drank. “Mmm, lemony.”
He nodded, though she couldn’t see him behind her. “Drink.”
He tried to remember what his cousin Elias’ wife, Lily, had told him about the illness when it had attacked her village of Sevenoaks last summer. Most often, people who died, died quickly, sometimes even overnight. On the other hand, some, like Elias, recovered just as quickly. How long had this lass been sick before he found her?
“What…” She sipped. “What are you called?”
No. He didn’t want to tell her his name. He already regretted telling her that he was a killer.
“Lass, d’ye feel better than ye did yesterday, or worse?”
She didn’t answer for a moment, then replied, “I felt worse earlier, but a bit better now.”
Good. Good. He was glad. She would likely live then. How did that change his plans? He could leave her in the night. Hopefully, she’d be better in the morning.
He let her finish the tea and then moved away from her. He thought about why he so foolishly went so close to her without his mask. It wasn’t simply because her gaunt, ashen face was bonny. He was no stranger to beautiful women. He simply thought that if God saw fit to take him when he doing something good for a change then who was he