They stood back and watched the four men surround poor Knightly. The apprentice and the innkeeper holding his arms and shoulders. The doctor with his supplies in his hand, and Mr. Hammond with his large paws on the helmet. Willa covered her mouth.
“Ready?” the doctor asked.
Knightly nodded and murmured something around the leather strap.
“Steady...” Dr. Smith locked eyes with Mr. Hammond and gave the nod.
Mr. Hammond yanked the helmet off.
A scream burst from Willa, utterly uncontrolled. She slapped a hand over her mouth. Her vision blurred as Knightly's form slumped to the side. The men surrounded him, and she lost sight of him. The doctor worked quickly, saying his name over and over.
“Dear God,” Mrs. Davies said beside her. “I thought he took his head clean off.”
Willa’s stomach rolled, and she sank to the floor, searching the room for the chamber pot as her gorge rose.
Mrs. Davies knelt beside her and handed her a handkerchief. “I'm terribly sorry. That was a horrible thing to say out loud. I was just so stunned.”
“I'm fine,” Willa said, taking deep breaths. Her nausea passed quickly, but she remained on the floor where the earth felt steady.
Mr. Davies stepped back, and now Willa could see him. She blinked away the tears in her eyes, focusing on his face, but she could only see half of him. The doctor held a large square of white linen to his head.
“My lady,” the doctor said to her, “we have been blessed this day. Your husband is awake, and the wound is not so putrid as I thought. I'll only need to clean it and bandage him. I am hesitantly confident in his recovery. He lowered the cloth, revealing more of Knightly’s face. The eye closest to his wound was swollen and bruised with shades of purple and blue, but it did not disguise him.
Her heart stopped. The earth tilted.
In all her wildest dreams, when she’d imagined this moment, she never thought the face under the helmet could be one she might have pictured all along. She swayed and Mrs. Davies grabbed her shoulders.
“He’s all right now, you see? And quite handsome too,” Mrs. Davies said, giving her shoulders a little shake.
Willa blinked. “Wesley.” His name fell from her lips in a whisper.
Chapter 21
What… How…
She didn't trust her eyes. She didn't want to believe she knew the man sitting in the chair. How could that be Wesley? Willa staggered to her feet and walked toward him on gelatinous bones to kneel at his side. She took his hand.
“Wesley?” she said again.
His gaze focused on her.
The doctor chuckled. “In a few hours he should be more coherent, my lady. I'm glad we were able to free him today. I'm sure you'll feel like you finally have your husband back.”
Her heart burst into a chaotic rhythm, so fast she saw stars floating, and she swooned. Mrs. Davies was there to catch her again, rubbing her shoulders. Mr. Davies swooped her up and laid her on the bed.
Mrs. Davies patted her cheek. “Drink some water.”
Willa lifted her head and tried to focus on Wesley’s face.
She saw the doctor swiftly sewing up the side of his head.
“Wesley,” she said again. It was the only word she could say. It was like all her faculties abandoned her. Her mind shattered into pieces she couldn't glue back together quickly enough.
Mrs. Davies squeezed her hand and blocked her view of Wesley. Willa arched to see around her. Wesley winced as the doctor poured water over his wound and patted it dry.
“There we are. Now for the bandaging.” He swiftly wound strips of linen around Wesley's head until the top was wrapped in white linen.
“All done. Lord Knightly, how are you doing?”
