And he did. Tiny puffs of mist from his nose and a sudden indrawn breath reassured her.
Not only did he have a pulse, he groaned at her touch, making her jump back.
“Sir,” she said steadily. “Sir, can you hear me?”
He was silent, his face mostly hidden by the arm he’d flung over his head.
She tried again. “Sir,” laying her hand on his shoulder, she gently rocked him a little. “Sir, let me help you. How badly are you hurt? Can you hear me? Can you move at all?”
“Uhh…yes…”
The groaned whisper was faint and weak, but it made Holly close her eyes and offer up a brief prayer of thanks. He wasn’t going to die on her.
“Good, that’s good.” She eased herself down on the grass next to him, heedless of her clothes. “But you cannot lie here. You are injured and need help. Could you sit up if I help you? Are any bones broken?”
He shifted beneath her hand, and she leaned away from him a little, aware she was taking a risk by being this close to a stranger.
“I don’t think so,” he struggled and groaned again, managing to work himself upright into a sitting position on the bank. “No, nothing broken. But God above, my head…”
He reached his hand to his forehead and his eyes closed as a grimace of pain passed across his face.
“You took a bad blow, sir. And you have some bleeding still…” She bit back a gasp as she first saw the front of his shirt beneath his ripped jacket and the thick cloak.
Holly prided herself on her strength of mind and her scientific powers of observation. She needed the first, but not the second, as the small dagger sticking out of his jacket over his chest was quite clear in the sunlight. “Oh myGod.”
The man winced again. “Damn.” He looked down, glanced at her, then took a breath. “Look away, Miss.”
She didn’t, but couldn’t hold back a squawk as he gripped the hilt and pulled the knife from his body with a sharply indrawn breath.
The world spun for a moment or two, then Holly swallowed down her horror and regained control of herself. Fortunately, the wound was small, and she immediately saw that the blade was a short one, which had left a shallow cut. The thickness of his jacket must have saved the day, since it looked to be made of a substantial woolly fabric and probably deflected the little weapon. The cloak had helped too.
“All right then,” she said, as firmly as possible, her mind now working properly again. “If you are comfortable remaining here, sir, I can fetch help and get you up to the house in no time.”
“The house?”
“Forest Grange. Viscount Trease’s property.” She swallowed. “I am his daughter, Holly, and this is his land.”
The man tilted his head in acknowledgement, his eyes narrowing, and was silent for a moment. “A pleasure to meet you, Miss Trease. And I appreciate your offer, but I would preferto keep this…this incident private. If you know of a safe place to shelter for a few hours, that would serve my purpose much better.” He gave her a half smile, and her heart jumped a little. He was not at all unpleasant to look at, if one ignored the blood marring his forehead.
“I cannot do that,” she argued. “You need medical attention. Although you’re conscious and conversing, there may still be some damage from that violent struggle, not to mention the open wound in your chest.”
“It’s almost stopped bleeding,” he answered cheerfully. “I can barely even feel it. And I’m always being accused of having a hard head.”
“But…”
“Miss Trease,” he interrupted. “I have reason to believe the attack on my person was deliberate.” He looked around and cursed. “My horse is gone. Damnation. My bag was taken, and it contained some very important documents.”
“I’m so sorry,” she began.
“This was not your fault. What I’m trying to say is that the fewer people who know I have survived, the safer I may be at this point.”
She paused, looking at him, evaluating his honesty, as he began to struggle to his feet. Reaching out a hand, she steadied him as he rose, finding him tall enough for her to look up to, and possessed of what appeared to be a quite nice body, if one ignored the blood on his face and the side of his shirt.
For once, Miss Holly Trease made a momentous decision based on a snap judgement, rather than her usual habits of research and careful consideration.
“All right. I’ll take you to Forest Nook.”
*~~*~~*
