Page 24 of Cadell the Dragon

She understood that he wanted to speak alone with her, as he didn’t really need her help for anything.

“Of course,” she agreed, following him back to the place where they had left the two horses.

“What do you think?” Cadell asked as soon as they were out of earshot. “In the state he is in, I am loath to move him but we cannot leave him here, at the risk of seeing the men come back to finish what they have started as soon as we’re gone. We could take him to Bryn Glas but Castell Esgyrn is much closer. Besides, I’d rather see how serious his injuries are before we tell Efa he’s here.”

Johanna nodded her agreement. No point worrying the maid now by bringing a half-dead Richard to her. Much better to tell her when they came back that they had found her man and he was well on the way to recovery.

If, of course, that was the case. She was no healer but it was obvious the beating had been severe and he had lost a lot of blood. Cadell was right. Moving him was risky, but they had no choice.

“Let’s do it this way,” he declared. “I will put Richard on Haearn and walk next to the horse. It will be uncomfortable for him but there is no other way. He cannot hold on to me, much less ride on his own. And you can ride Blossom next to us.”

“No. I will ride ahead, warn everyone at Castell Esgyrn so that the healer is ready by the time you reach the place. It will save⁠—”

“’Tis too dangerous,” Cadell interposed.

“I’ll be fine, it is not so far.”

Though, in truth, she hated the idea of being away from him and alone on the road, she knew she could not think of herself when a man’s life was in danger.

Cadell took a step toward her. Johanna had the impression he was fighting the urge to draw her into his arms. “You are one exceptional woman, you know that?”

No she didn’t know that, as no one had ever told her anything of the sort and besides, she was only doing what needed to be done. But it did feel good to hear that someone thought her exceptional.

“Thank you. Now let’s go see if some of Richard’s cuts need wrapping before we put him on Haearn.”

At the sedate pace they were walking, it took Cadell and Haearn an eternity to reach Castell Esgyrn, or so it seemed. By the time they came in view of the gate, Richard was utterly senseless, probably not a bad thing considering how painful it would be for him to be carried over the horse’s back like a sack of grain. But at least the cut on his arm, which Johanna had bandaged tightly, seemed to have stopped bleeding.

In the bailey, Cadell was met by a worried Lord Sheridan and a relieved Johanna. His own relief at seeing that she had made it safely to the castle was overwhelming. During the interminable ride, he had been plagued by thoughts of her being assaulted on the road, raped and left for dead. It had been brave of her to leave on her own, but he had died a thousand deaths.

Handing the reins to a groom, he hurried over to her. “Are you safe? Nothing happened to you?”

She smiled, as if to indicate that much was obvious. “No, everything went well. How is Richard?”

He shook his head. “Not good, I’m afraid.”

Lord Sheridan glanced over to the Englishman. “Worry not. A room has been made ready and Mistress Ann has been warned of your arrival. She will examine him and determine what is to be done.”

“Thank you.”

It took four men to carry Richard’s limp body to a room in the east tower, where a kind-looking woman was waiting, next to a table covered with all manner of herbs and potions. She nodded when they deposited him on the bed and immediately set about cleaning the blood from his face.

“I will take it from there, my lord,” she said, smiling at Lord Sheridan. She didn’t seem horrified at the sight of the young man, which reassured Cadell somewhat. Apparently, she had seen far worse injuries in her time. With luck and proper care, the man might survive the ordeal and go on to marry the woman of his dreams.

Well, Cadell thought bitterly, someone should.

Lord Sheridan placed a hand on his shoulder. “Come. The ladies are waiting for us and I dare say you will need a drink and something to eat.”

In the great hall he found Johanna with Lady Sheridan sitting at a table that had been laden with food. Connor Hunter sat down next to his wife and Cadell took the seat next to Johanna. His heartbeat increased when he realized they would appear like two married couples to the servants bring in drinks. Or was it just his imagination playing tricks with him? Perhaps. It never missed an opportunity to make him imagine a life where the two of them were allowed to be together. And now that he actually knew Johanna he was certain they could be a good match.

Now he only had to persuade her that was the case.

“I’m glad we could bring young Richard to be looked after, but we had come here with a purpose in mind, I will admit,” Cadell said, once he had eaten and drunk his fill. They still had to discuss the situation at Bryn Glas, which was why they were here.

“Tell us about it.”

“We are looking for a few servants who can speak English and therefore converse with Lady Johanna. At the moment, very few people at Bryn Glas can say more than a dozen words. Not only that, but they are not as well-disposed to the English as they could be and I’m sorry to say that this is affecting the way they behave toward her.”

“Unfortunately, I am not surprised,” Esyllt said, looking ashamed at her countrymen’s reaction. Cadell understood exactly how she felt. He, too, was ill at ease when considering how Johanna was treated. Just because she was English, her accomplishments and personality were not taken into account. It wasn’t fair. “Some people can be very stubborn.”