THE HEIRESS (Sample)

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Aidan's lashes fluttered then opened slowly three weeks after Matilda met with him at the pub. He waited till his gaze had adjusted to the rays of sunlight coming through the window. Looking around, he yawned lazily as he stretched his body.

He scratched the stubble on his chin absentmindedly. Sitting up, he swung his feet out of the bed, rested his elbows on his knees and wiped both palms downward over his face. His mouth felt dry but he could still feel the lingering taste of last night’s wine on his tongue.

He glanced at Rob’s empty bed, sighed and managed to get on his feet. Slowly he walked into the short corridor and headed for where he knew Rob would be, his mother’s room.

When he approached the door, what he saw shocked him to the bones and for the first time he felt urgent grief and fear. Rob sat by his mother’s bed silently weeping and muttering a prayer. His mother’s eyes were swollen and almost shut. She was lying very still and breathing hoarsely. She could hardly breathe nor see anymore through the swollen slits her eyes had become.

The stench of the room was eye-watering and when Aidan roved the floor of the room with his eyes, he saw several stained rags of blood and more blood was still dripping from the woman’s nose, mouth and ears. Her dress was almost soaked to the skin on her chest and her fingers trembled which showed that she was in extreme pain.

Unable to take the horror in anymore, Aidan dashed back to the room, grabbed his shirt, slinging it over his shoulder, he hurriedly slipped into his boots while standing, staggering and trying to keep his stance, he stormed out of the house without a word.

He couldn’t watch Robert emotionally and psychologically suffer in frustration and watch his dying mother bleed to death. He had promised Robert he would do anything to save her life but obviously, time was not on their side anymore.

He had to do something, and something fast he must. He didn’t care how he got the money to get that damned drug imported and make the doctor start his treatments on her but he just had to make it happen very soon. He knew where just to go, just to someone who would willingly give him more than enough money he could ever need for his services, he just hoped he wasn’t too late.

He knew he was going to offer the service he would forever regret, a situation he had dreaded, despised and avoided for years but he had to make this sacrifice even if it meant saving a life of the mother of the boy he had grown to love as a family. 

He continued down the deserted bush path and turned into a busy street, heading to the Darthem Inn.