Maid for a Duke (A Christmas Novella)

Chapter 5

Elijah let out a long tired breath as he stretched out on the couch. Thank goodness his stab wound wasn't very deep. If he continued to rest, he should be able to leave as soon as the snowstorm stops. He felt a little better after he confided in Katherine about some of the things that were bothering him. He still hasn't mentioned the arranged marriage because, honestly, talking about it seemed to make it more real.

He took comfort in the warmth of the fire when he noticed it was starting to die down. Now that he thought about it, Katherine had been gone for quite a while.

"Katherine?" He called from the couch. Where did she go? Elijah may not have seen the outside of this cabin, but he could tell that it wasn't very big. She should have been back by now.

A bad feeling settled in the pit of his stomach as he got to his feet and slowly limped in the direction that she took. The closer he got to the back of the cabin, he felt a breeze of brisk cold air, and his bad feeling got worse.

"Katherine!" He called louder now. He got to the back door of the cabin and saw that it was opened slightly. He pulled it open and could barely see through the falling snow. He stepped outside, squinting his eyes to try to see the surroundings. Just ahead of few feet was a crate of wood. She must have seen it through the window, and gone to get it, he thought to himself. How had he not heard her go out the back door? She was as quiet and sneaky as a cat.

Overwhelmed with fear for her safety and anger that she risked her life for wood, he stepped outside and searched for her. Not far from the crate of wood, he saw a figure in the snow. When he walked up to it, it confirmed what he already knew.

As much as it pained his fresh wound, he bent down to scoop her up in his arms and take her back inside. He laid her down on the couch and inspected her for injuries. Above her left eye will the small cut with some blood that had dripped down the side of her face. She must have hit her head when she fell.

She also seemed to have lost her bonnet. Because now, what was clearly hidden underneath that piece of cloth, was long thick bright red tresses. He went to get a wet cloth to clean her wound for her. He dabbed it lightly, making sure not to hurt her.

Once he was satisfied that he had cleaned it thoroughly enough, he looked to the fire, which was almost completely dead. Taking a deep breath, he got to his feet and made his way to the crate of what he saw outside. He grabbed just enough logs to keep the fire going until tomorrow morning.

Returning back to the fire, he threw the logs on top and stoked it until it came back to life. He went back over to Katherine, and put his hand to her face. Her skin was ice cold to the touch. He wasn't sure how long she had been out there before he found her, but if she didn't get warm soon, she could get very sick.

He laid out a couple soft blankets right by the fire before he laid her on them. After a few minutes she still felt a little too cold to his liking. Panic flowed through him, so he did the only other thing he knew that would help. Laying down beside her, he pulled her close to him.

"Come on, Katherine. Warm up," he begged as he pulled her tighter in his embrace. He didn't know how long the two of them laid like that. The last thing he remembered before he fell asleep with her in his arms, was the smell of oranges.

Kent Estate

"Your Grace, please take a deep breath. I'm sure he's fine."

William was worried as The Duchess sat down and did as he instructed. She had heard about the snowstorm and went to look out the window, needing to see the confirmation for herself. She got even more worked up since she had no idea where Elijah was, or if he was safe in the storm.

"William, I appreciate you trying to calm me down, but I won't stop worrying until he is here safely."

William understood that, once he saw the snow storm had started he also felt a little worried about his best friend. He knew Elijah had enough sense than to get caught in a snowstorm, he just hoped he was right.

"Your Grace," Will said with a caring voice, "what can I do to--"

"Your Grace! I have urgent news!" A servant exclaimed as he ran to the drawing room. "Lady Elizabeth's carriage just arrived. It seems they started here a day early and almost got caught in the snow storm. They've just arrived and setting her up in a room."

The Duchess looked at Will with a panicked expression. One he had on his face as well.

She looked back to the servant and let out a long breath. "Thank you. Please let her know I'll be coming by her quarters shortly."

Will waited until we were alone before he finally spoke. "What do we do?"

The Duchess seemed to ponder that question for a moment before looking up at Will with determination. "I'm going to check on Lady Elizabeth. I want you to stay here tonight, just in case we need you to pretend to be Elijah a little longer. We can figure that out, if necessary." She started heading for the doors when she called out, " As soon as this snow storm ends, William, you will go find my son and bring him back here."

It wasn't a question. It was a demand. William knew well that you do as the Duchess asks. He just hoped he found Elijah in one piece.