Louisa sent her a quizzical look.“How about you get down that basin there in the cupboard?”
Violet unwound her scarf and then untied her bonnet.“Can I leave my things here on the table?”
“Oh, surely.Sorry, we never get guests; my manners are rusty.”
Violet smiled at Louisa.Then she peeled her gloves, soiled with blood.Last, she undid the buttons and removed her cape.There, that was better.The fire in the hearth ensured that the kitchen was warm.She crossed to the cupboard and pulled the basin Louisa had pointed to from the shelf.“Shall we bring some extra cloths as well?”
Louisa nodded.“We can stop at the linen closet upstairs.”She hefted the pitcher and headed out of the kitchen.The dog immediately rose and followed her.
Violet eyed the dog as he passed her to trail Louisa.How funny he was.Perhaps he didn’t like to be left alone.When they all made it upstairs, Louisa put a stack of linen towels from the closet into the basin Violet carried and then led the way to the end of the corridor, where a door was ajar.The housekeeper and dog went right inside, but Violet paused in the threshold.Rhys’s bedroom.Her gaze roamed past the big four-poster bed that dominated his room and over to where he sat propped up in a leather chair, his leg out in front of him.
The man tending to him tore the fabric of his trouser leg.He examined the area around the knife carefully.
“What have you done to yourself?”Louisa asked as she bustled across the room.
The dog walked over to Rhys and nudged his hand with a wet nose.Then he lay down next to the chair.“Got into a bit of a scrape, Louisa,” Rhys said.
Violet snorted indelicately.She finally entered the room.“He fought off four men to protect me.”She set the basin down next to the man kneeling in front of Rhys.
“Good, thanks.”The man smiled over at her.“I’m Zeke.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Zeke,” she responded automatically.
Zeke glanced up at Rhys, his eyebrows raised high.
Violet looked back and forth between the men.“What?That was the same look Louisa gave me when we were introduced.”
“It’s nothing,” Rhys said.“Zeke, this is Violet, the Marchioness of Sommerset.Zeke is my right-hand man and has a fair amount of skill with a needle and thread.”
“Nice to meet you.”Zeke nodded his head.Then he concentrated on Rhys’s leg.“Don’t think it’s in the right spot to have hit an artery.I’m going to pull it out, and we’ll see how much it bleeds.”
Rhys nodded.His jaw clenched.
Zeke yanked the knife out in one swift move.The blade was at least four inches long.The wound immediately began to bleed.
Violet handed Zeke a folded piece of linen.
He pressed it to the wound, then looked up at her.“Can you press firmly?”
Violet nodded.Rhys still had his eyes closed, his expression tight.“Sorry, this must hurt,” she said.
A grunt was his only response.Violet bit down on her bottom lip and concentrated on keeping steady pressure on the wound.Blood began to soak the cloth.
Next to her, Zeke pulled out a needle and what looked like black embroidery thread.He gently pulled her hand away.“Hold the basin underneath, please.”
When she had the basin positioned right, Zeke took the pitcher and poured water over the wound.As the blood washed away, she could see the puncture wasn’t as large or as jagged as she’d imagined it would be.It still bled, but not as much as before.Violet rose with the basin of dirty water, and Louisa came to take it from her.The woman crossed to the window, pushed it open, and tossed the water out into the back garden.
Goodness, what a day.A knock echoed up from downstairs.“Oh, that might be my maid.I sent for her.”
Louisa nodded.“Well, let’s go answer it.Zeke, if you need anything else, just holler.”
“Naw, we’ll be fine.Not the first time I’ve had to sew up the boss.”
With a last look at Rhys wincing in pain as Zeke began to stitch him up, Violet followed Louisa downstairs.It was indeed Ginny, eyes wide as saucers as Louisa ushered her into the house.Then the housekeeper promptly turned and headed back to the kitchen.“Never had so many strangers to the house,” she muttered.
“Whose house is this?”Ginny asked.
“Don’t worry about it.Tell me, what’s the news?”Violet replied.
