Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 98745 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 395(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98745 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 494(@200wpm)___ 395(@250wpm)___ 329(@300wpm)
Leora took a deep breath before saying. “I am not one to say please often or to plead, so I strongly request that you allow me to help Mother Abbess.”
“After we see to cleaning your hands,” he said, realizing Mother Abbess was allowing time for Leora to calm from the shock of finding the young woman.
Leora nodded, knowing her husband would have it no other way and at least he was not refusing her.
Mother Abbess hurried her steps inside the barn, two of Noble’s warriors waiting outside, having signaled to him that there was no worry for anyone to enter.
People started gathering to see what was going on.
“Penn,” Noble called out, and Penn hurried to him. “See that our warriors keep everyone at a distance.”
Penn nodded and began issuing orders to the other warriors, who quickly formed a line to keep people from coming any closer.
Noble took his wife to the rain barrel that sat at the corner of the barn, Chief following close to Leora. He reluctantly released her to scoop up one of the few buckets sitting around the barrel and filled it with the rainwater that had accumulated there. He held the full bucket in front of his wife, and she hurried her hands into the water, scrubbing the blood off them.
Tears threatened her eyes, her heart aching for Adele. “This is my fault. Someone was after me and got the wrong woman.”
“It is not your fault,” Noble commanded firmly.
“Trouble and death follow me,” Leora said, upset and fighting to keep her tears from falling.
“Trouble and death follow the fool who thinks to take you from me. Something that will never happen.”
Chief yapped as if in agreement with him.
Her husband spoke with such confidence, and the way the little pup stood ready to protect her eased Leora’s worry some.
“Besides, we have no idea why Adele was left bloodied. She could have been providing someone with information about you or the clan and the person decided she was no longer needed. We cannot jump to conclusions.”
Leora dried her clean hands on her tunic as her husband tossed the dirty water away and as soon as he dropped the empty bucket to the ground, she reached out for his hand.
Noble’s hands took hold of both of her hands, and he glanced over her palms, then turned her hands over and glanced at the back of them as well. Satisfied and relieved they showed no signs of harm, he released them, then took one of her hands in his and curled his hand firmly around it, needing to keep hold of her.
“Are you sure you want to help Mother Abbess?” he asked, thinking death may have claimed Adele by now and though he doubted death was a stranger to Leora, it being part of life in any clan, it still was a disturbing and sorrowful part.
“Aye, I want to do all I can to help her,” she said, unable to stop feeling responsible for what happened to Adele no matter what her husband said.
Noble leaned down and scooped Chief up to hand to Leora. “He will not leave your side and I do not want him getting in the way.”
Leora tucked Chief in the crook of her arm, and he settled content against her. She remained close to her husband’s side as they entered the barn and her stomach roiled seeing the blood on Mother Abbess’s hands as she tended to Adele. Novice Angelica had joined her, and they both worked feverishly over the young woman.
“Move out of what little light we have,” Mother Abbess ordered. “I will need her moved as soon as I make sure the bleeding has stopped.”
“When you are ready let me know and I will see it done,” Noble said, as he eased his wife out of the way and studied the scene as he stood there watching.
He was glad Novice Angelica had joined Mother Abbess, no doubt a relief to Finley, and his wife’s help wasn’t needed. He disliked seeing a tear roll down his wife’s cheek, but Chief’s small tongue was quick to lick it away, though there was something in her eyes that made him think she was not looking at this scene but a memory of another. And it made him think she had not shared all of what she had gone through after her escape from Dundren Abbey.
He felt she needed rescuing now from whatever memory had control of her and he leaned his head down toward hers and whispered, “Tell me what happened here.”
She shook her head briefly before she recalled the incident. “I told Chief we would go and find you and he took off and something brought him here. I didn’t see Adele at first, and then the door shut suddenly, and I thought someone might have entered, but someone could have left,” Leora said, just realizing it. “I tripped over her in the dark when I went to search for Chief, worried something might have happened to him since he whined then howled.”