Startled, her eyes shot back up to his own. “You mean you’re going to climb down there? Are you insane?”
“It’s not that far down, I’ll be on the other side and dig up the plants within minutes. Here.” He shoved his wet jacket at her and picked up the sacking and spade he’d brought with them. Alice continued protesting, but he tuned her out, looking for the best path down.
Almost instantly, Ethan knew his stubborn persistence was a bad idea. From the moment he placed his foot on the slope, he could feel it was too slippery from the storm to hold him well. Within and instant, he lost his footing and began to slide down the side of the crag.
“God damn it,” he cursed, his tumble coming to an abrupt halt as his left side met the bottom of the small ravine with a jolt.
Ethan tentatively rolled to his back and stretched out the leg that was twisted beneath him. Taking a moment to allow his temper to cool, he simply lay there while regaining his breath, gaze unfocused on the branches above him. Wiping the rain out of his eyes, he noticed a worried face appear over the edge of the ravine, lips trembling.
“I’m so sorry, Ethan,” Alice called. “Are you hurt?”
All he could do was grunt as he gradually moved his extremities, but nothing appeared broken or badly injured. However, once he went to stand, his left ankle buckled under the weight, sending him back to the ground.
“You’re hurt,” came Alice’s voice from behind him. Whipping his head around, he saw her standing less than a foot away.
“How did you get down here?”
“Carefully,” she replied, tentatively making her way across the rocky ground. “If you’d been patient enough to look around you a bit longer, you would have seen there’s a path cut into the slope only a few meters ahead of where you attempted to come down. Can you get up?”
“Yes,” he answered curtly, frustrated by the entire situation. “But I think I’ve twisted my ankle. I might need help walking out of here.” It was more painful to admit he needed her assistance than to put pressure on the offending ankle.
Thankfully, Alice didn’t say a word as she came up and placed his left arm around her shoulders, her body tucking into his side to brace him as he tentatively stepped forward. After a few stumbles, they haltingly made their way back up the incline and onto the path. Pausing against a tree, both out of breath, Ethan weighed their options.
They were near the edge of the estate property, but with his injury and the poor conditions, it would likely take them hours to return to the main house.
Ethan looked over at Alice. She was leaning against a tree beside him, eyes closed and chest heaving from the exertion of hauling him up the steep slope. There was no possibility she could support him all the way back, especially not in the wet and cold.
“We need to find a place to take shelter. We can’t stay out here in the rain, and I’ll never make it back without additional assistance.” Her eyes sprang open at his announcement, and it looked suspiciously like she might begin to cry.
“I’m so sorry I made you come out here, Ethan.”
“Enough of that,” he snapped. “What’s done is done. Now we need to deal with where we find ourselves. The cabin we’veprepared for Mr. Johanssen is close by. I’ve fully stocked it with basic food supplies, and we can start a fire there and get warm. We should be able to reach it in about fifteen minutes, but I’ll need your help. Are you ready?”
She nodded with an unyielding resolve in her eyes and a strength he hadn’t witnessed before. Ethan knew he was completely gone for her.
CHAPTER 16
When they finally stumbled across the threshold of the steward’s cottage, Alice nearly collapsed from supporting Ethan’s bulk for the past half mile. She had never felt so exhausted or foolish in her life.
Rallying, she led Ethan to one of the stuffed chairs by the fireplace and helped him sit. Alice fell into the other chair and yanked at her sodden ribbons, desperate to get the wet monstrosity that used to be a bonnet off her head. After a minute of increasing frustration and a few uttered curses, she flung the offending object away from her. It landed on the hearth with a resounding plop as she tilted her head back and attempted to regain her breath.
“I’m going to have to reupholster these chairs for Johanssen,” Ethan said, breaking the silence. “We’re soaked through and making a mess.”
“How are you?” Alice asked, her eyes raking his form for a thorough assessment. She’d not had time to see what injuries he may have sustained other than his ankle.
“A little beat up, but nothing that won’t mend on its own in a few days’ time. More importantly, we need to get warm. Do you know how to start a fire?”
Alice scowled. “Yes, of course. I may come from the privileged class, but I’m not helpless you know, I can start a fire.” Rallying her exhausted body, she forced herself up from the chair and approached the fireplace.
Saying she knew how to start a fire might have been a bit of an exaggeration, but she certainly wasn’t about to let Mr. Beaumont know that. While she’d never started a fire herself, she’d watched staff do so countless times. It couldn’t be that hard, could it?
Gathering several split logs from the stack piled beside the stone fireplace, Alice carefully arranged them on the grate, mimicking what she’d seen her lady’s maid do in her rooms. Ethan must have approved, as he watched silently from his seat, simply observing her actions. But the trickier part was lighting the logs now that they were in place. She grabbed the flint box from atop the hearth and slid it open, looking critically at the tools.
Sinking to the rug before the fireplace, Alice struck the two pieces against each other, delighted when they sparked. But try as she might, no matter how many times she struck or how many sparks she created, the logs would not catch.
Hearing a shuffling behind her, Alice turned to see Ethan limping toward her, holding a few sheets of newspaper that lay on a table beside the chairs. Leaning on her shoulder with a heavy hand, he crumpled the papers and tossed them onto the pile before settling back in the chair.
This time when she struck the flint, the paper caught the sparks and formed a small flame. Alice watched with bated breath as the corner of a log began to blacken, and she exhaled in relief when it started smoking, then caught and kept the flame. Standing, she couldn’t help but shiver as the air disturbed by her ascent combined with her soaked clothing, creating an icy effect against her skin.
