Page 77 of Warrior’s Lady

Chapter Twenty-Three

Mistress Faulkner and four other women were in the chamber with Rhiannon when Camden returned. Rhiannon still wore the blue silk gown he had given her only a few hours past. She appeared as lovely as a cornflower in the soft summer sunshine instead of surrounded by a sea of death.

Three pallets lay against the far wall with linen sheets pulled up and over the heads of those who lay dead. On the opposite side of the room, four more pallets had been set up, three occupied by moaning female servants, and one by his steward.

Rhiannon dabbed at the fevered forehead of one of the women. "I am so sorry I called you Mistress Plague," the redheaded maid, Sophia, moaned. "My sharp tongue has brought a curse down upon this household."

"Shh," Rhiannon soothed as she smiled down at the woman. "You did no such thing. God's mercy will see you through this. And I do forgive you for any unkindness."

The woman clutched Rhiannon's hand. "'Tis more than I deserve."

The woman on the opposite pallet reached over and clasped Rhiannon's arm. "Please, you must send for a priest." She closed her eyes tightly for an instant before opening them again. "I'd like to take confession before I die."

Tears shimmered in Rhiannon's eyes as she gently stroked the woman's purple and black spotted flesh with a cool towel she'd dipped in a pail of water near the bedside. "We sent a message on to Glasgow not long ago, asking for someone to come. We've had no response yet."

"No one will come," the woman moaned.

"Even if they don't, I am certain that God will accept you or anyone here without last rites. The Church itself has made such reparations during earlier outbreaks of the plague where priests were not available."

Rhiannon sat back on her heels, wobbling slightly. Camden could see the dark smudges of exhaustion beneath her eyes, and yet she hardly took a moment to rest before rinsing her towel in the bucket and dabbing it over the black suppurations that covered the woman's body.

"Rhiannon," Camden called softly as he moved away from the doorway and into the chamber until he stood by Rhiannon's side.

"Don't come in here," she pleaded.

"I am already at risk." He stood before her, wanting more than anything to wipe the exhaustion from her face.

"Is there no way to stop this tragedy? Three have already died, and many more have fallen. I've had reports of warriors, servants, these women, and their children becoming ill. And that's just here at the castle. We have no idea how far this plague has reached. Can we not use the Stone to save them?"

"The bishop has the Stone."

"What?" Rhiannon gazed at him in shock. "How?"

"There's no time to explain." Camden reached for Rhiannon's hand, for the towel that dabbed futilely at the woman's body. He wanted her to understand what he was saying before he left. He did not want her to think he had abandoned her. "The men and I go to war against the bishop. We will return with all due haste."

"You are leaving?"

"I will return." His tone was fierce.

She nodded. "I understand."

Did she truly understand that he would never run from even this danger if it meant keeping her safe? He frowned at the glazed expression that fell across her face. Numbness had crept into her soul, protecting her mind from the complete horror of death and devastation that surrounded her.

Camden leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "I will be back for you," he whispered with all the passion in his heart.

A spark of animation came back into her face. "I will be here."

He accepted her promise as he bolted out the door, urgency spurring him on. They had to hurry before this devouring beast consumed them all.

Rhiannon pushed past her growing fatigue and carried a tray laden with bread and cheese up the stairs from the kitchen to Violet's room. At the door of the chamber she paused, praying that the sickness had not spread to the young girl's chamber.

After knocking softly, Rhiannon pushed the door open and remained at the entrance. At the sight of Violet playing with her newfound friend, Rhiannon released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

Violet was safe.

Violet glanced up at Rhiannon and smiled before she caught herself and arranged her features into a sour expression. "Why are you here?" she asked.

Undeterred, Rhiannon barely stepped into the room to set the heavy tray on a table near the door. "I brought all of you some food, and I ask a favor."