The Tarnished Necklace. Trish Inc. DuffinЧитать онлайн книгу.
They headed towards Peter’s place to see if he had heard anything. At one point they stopped. Two near empty whisky bottles were lying on the ground, the dust still damp from the contents being spilled. A squashed hat lay to one side.
Susan spied a blue cotton shirt and gasped before sliding down the small bank to the unconscious form of Peter. She recognised the shirt from the one she had mended for him earlier in the week. Andrew came skidding down close beside her with Maria following. One word sprang to her lips, “Peter!”
He was unconscious, his shirt badly torn and heavily stained with blood and dirt. Blood was oozing through his scalp and trickling down over his ears before dripping onto the ground. Andrew ripped part of the shirt off to make a temporary bandage over the scalp wound. A large gash could be seen on Peter’s side and blood was everywhere, its deep crimson colour oozing through his clothes and falling to the ground.
Andrew turned to his wife. “Stay here. I’m going to fetch the wagon and a board.” Peter was a big man, there was no way they were going to be able to safely carry him home. He doubled back to his house, running faster than he ever had in his life. Once home he shouted out to Joanne to grab some blankets and help him.
He quickly harnessed a horse to the wagon and put a wide plank into it before scooping up his three girls and piling them in as well, suddenly fearing for their safety as well. He arrived back, relieved to see his wife and daughter safe. They pulled the plank off the wagon and gently rolled Peter onto it. Andrew tied him in place and everyone lifted him up. They struggled up the small bank, fingers slipping on the wood and carefully slid him onto the boards. Alice had been given the job of holding the horse, but even from her angle she could see her adopted big brother was in a bad shape. Grace stuck her thumb in her mouth and just stared before snuggling into Joanne’s lap.
It was a quiet ride back to the house, everyone concerned about the still unconscious patient lying on the wagon floor. Susan and Maria rushed inside to prepare a bed for him. Alice’s straw tick was removed and laid down in the family room along with her bedding. Susan got extra sheeting and Joanne was given the job to tear up the oldest sheets for bandages. They carefully brought Peter in and gently manoeuvred him onto the bed. His unconscious body was a dead weight.
The girls were all sent out of the room while Susan and Andrew gently removed his curiously wet boots and clothing. The majority of damage was in his upper body. Livid bruising was coming through, the skin was ripped across his back and a large gash was on his shoulder. His face was torn, puffed and bloody from his scalp down to his chin. Most concerning was the massive bruise forming under his left arm and the blood that was continuing to flow from the numerous gashes on his torso.
Andrew muttered, “I reckon he was kicked in the ribs.”
Susan looked at this lovely young man. “Who would do this to him and why?” she asked.
Andrew just shook his head. “It doesn’t make sense.......I’m going to see if I can find the doctor. I’ll get Maria to give you a hand.” He went outside and looked over to his daughters. They were all sitting there quietly, holding each other’s hands and all a little glassy-eyed, silent in shock. “Maria, you need to give your mother a hand. I am going to find the doctor. Just pray that he is in.” He then unharnessed the horse before lifting the saddle on, his fingers shaking as everything was tightened. He climbed on and put the horse into a canter before nudging it further into a gallop.
Maria didn’t watch her father go, as she had immediately slipped inside to be with her mother. Susan was staunching the bleeding and was thankful he was still unconscious. Together the two women stopped the profuse bleeding and cleaned him, ever so gently rolling him side to side to make sure his body was clean and no dirt was caught in the torn skin. The water in the basin had to be emptied several times until Peter looked more presentable. Maria gently wiped the grime off his face and flinched when wiping around his mouth. Those lips had been kissing hers just a few minutes ago and now they were a puffed mangled mess. Without thinking she planted a tender kiss on them, barely brushing the surface and a tear dropped from her eye onto his cheek. Susan put her hand on Maria’s shoulder. “He’ll be all right my dear.” Maria turned and sobbed into her mother’s shoulder and Susan hugged her tight. That soft kiss that Maria had planted on his lips confirmed what she had already suspected and she felt her daughter’s pain.
Chapter 13 At The Doctor’s
Andrew pushed his horse until it could go no faster but still the ride into the small town seemed to take an age. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the doctor’s buggy outside the doctor’s residence. Alongside it was the wagon that he had glimpsed rushing down the road. Throwing the reins over the hitching post he burst through the doors and went on into the surgery. He threw those doors open to reveal the doctor bent over Damien. His face was a ghastly shade of white and sweat was pouring off it as the doctor was working on his leg. Ezra, Jasper and John were gathered around the bed with Jasper’s father Stanley to one side. The young men looked up in surprise, but Jasper gasped when he saw Andrew’s abrupt arrival. Like the others he was dishevelled and bloodied. His nose was swollen and disfigured with dried blood smearing his face.
Andrew’s eyes narrowed. He knew of Jasper’s affection for Maria and had witnessed the terse exchange at the church last month with Peter. He had just seen Jasper’s panicked run from where Peter had been beaten. The coincidence of timing, the state of these four young men and Jasper’s face spoke volumes. He may as well have had the word ‘guilty’ written on his face. With a roar of rage Andrew lunged across the narrow space and grabbed Jasper’s lapels before spinning him around and slamming him against the wall. “You scum! You piece of utter filth!” he yelled. Hands grabbed his arms and tried to pull him back but Andrew held on grimly. He glared into the young man’s face. “So help me, if Peter dies you will wish you had never lived,” and with disgust he threw this vile piece of humanity aside. Jasper stumbled to the side and on recovering his balance tried to head towards the door but his father yanked him back.
“Sit down son and tell me exactly what happened.”
All attention was off Damien, with the exception of the doctor who was focussed on one of the worst breaks he had ever seen. Jasper sat there, mouth tightly shut.
Andrew stared at him and then, with a look of utter disdain turned to Jasper’s father. His voice was hoarse and the words struggled to come out. “In my house...right now, Peter. He’s unconscious and so badly beaten I can barely recognise him...I saw your son...he did it, he and those contemptible friends of his...If he has killed him I am going to ensure your boy is charged with murder and swings from the gallows.”
The doctor turned away from his patient and looked over to Andrew. “How bad is he?” he asked.
Andrew looked directly at Jasper and his voice was thick with anger. “He’s badly hurt, unconscious with a large scalp wound, I suspect broken ribs, and his skin’s torn. He’s bleeding like a stuck pig and his body is doubtless going to be black and blue by tomorrow.”
Stanley turned to his son, his voice brittle. “That doesn’t quite match the story you told me.” He turned to Andrew. “With your permission may I take my son home and try to get to the bottom of this? If you want to bring in the law I won’t prevent you.”
Andrew quietly answered, all his rage spent. “Come to my house later and see the evidence for yourself.” He then coolly looked over at Ezra and John. “I will be speaking to your parents soon boys. You just better start praying you haven’t killed my neighbour.” He then turned back to the doctor. “Please come as soon as you can,” he beseeched.
The doctor looked up, torn with competing priorities. “Keep his head up a bit and make sure there is always someone with him. He may vomit or choke, watch out for that. I will leave once I have splinted this leg.”
With that Andrew turned sharply and left. His ride home was fast with the doctor’s advice ringing in his ears. On arrival he saw Grace, Alice and Joanne were still sitting on the porch and he gave them a very quick kiss before heading inside.
Peter was now semi-conscious and suffering the effects