The River Maid. Dilly CourtЧитать онлайн книгу.
floor, accompanied by the rhythmic snores emanating from her father’s slack lips. He had drunk a copious amount of ale and had taken a hefty dose of laudanum before falling into a stupor. She lit a candle and placed it in the window, but still there was no word from Raven. In an attempt to calm her nerves she opened the front door and stood on the step, but retreated quickly. Late at night it was not a good idea to loiter in the street and she went to sit in the kitchen and wait.
The candle had burned down and Essie was about to go to her room when she heard a scrabbling sound on the front door. ‘Who’s there?’ she demanded nervously.
Essie wrenched the door open and stepped aside as Raven practically fell into the room supported on either side by Lady Alice and Sadie.
‘What happened?’ Essie demanded, closing the door and bolting it. There did not seem to be anyone following them, but she was taking no chances. ‘What happened?’ She picked up the candlestick and in its flickering light she saw a dark stain that look suspiciously like blood on Raven’s jacket. ‘Take him through to the kitchen,’ she said, glancing anxiously at her father, who had slept through everything so far; disturbing him was the last thing she wanted.
‘I’m all right,’ Raven whispered. ‘I can make it on my own.’
‘Stop talking and save your strength.’ Lady Alice steered him towards the kitchen, but Sadie appeared to be flagging and Essie took her place. Together they managed to get him onto a chair at the table and, combining their efforts, they relieved him of his jacket.
‘He’s bleeding to death,’ Sadie cried, collapsing onto another chair. ‘I can’t stand the sight of blood. I’ve come over faint.’
‘Make yourself useful,’ Essie said sharply. ‘There’s a bowl in the cupboard – fill it with water from the kettle and pass me that towel.’
Sadie jumped to her feet, seemingly forgetting that she was about to faint and obeyed Essie’s instructions without another word.
‘It’s just a scratch. Stop fussing.’ Raven tried to get up but sank back on the chair, his face pale beneath his tan.
‘Stop talking,’ Lady Alice said firmly. ‘I’m going to ease your shirt off, Raven. I need to take a look at that wound.’
‘So you’re a nurse now, are you?’ Raven’s lips curved in a wry smile, but he winced as she peeled the blood-soaked cotton away from the gaping hole in his left shoulder.
Essie could see by Lady’s Alice’s expression that she was revolted by the sight of blood, and she stepped forward. ‘I’ve dealt with a good number of injuries. Maybe I can help.’ Essie held the candle closer so that she could examine the wound. ‘He was shot?’ She turned to Lady Alice, eyebrows raised.
‘It’s all right, Essie. I’ll deal with this. It wouldn’t have happened if Raven hadn’t come barging into my house,’ Lady Alice said bitterly. ‘I was dealing with Henry. He’d been drinking and was getting amorous, but Raven had to act like a hero.’
‘He was drunk,’ Raven murmured.
‘I had taken Papa’s duelling pistol from its case, although I had no intention of shooting Bearwood. I just wanted to show him that I meant what I said. Henry tried to take it from me and it went off. Papa always said it had a hair trigger and that proves it.’ Lady Alice took the cloth and bathed the wound, ignoring Raven’s protests. ‘Bearwood was about to leave when you came bursting in like a knight of old, and you took the bullet, which otherwise would have merely made a hole in the door. It serves you right for interfering.’ She frowned anxiously. ‘It’s bleeding faster. What should I do?’
Essie folded the towel and pressed it on the injured shoulder. ‘We have to stop the blood flowing by pressing on the wound.’
‘I am going to faint now,’ Sadie said weakly and collapsed onto the floor.
‘We should fetch a doctor.’ Lady Alice stood back, clasping her blood-stained hands together. ‘Is he going to die?’
‘Not if I can help it.’ Essie jerked her head in the direction of the cupboard. ‘There’s an old sheet that we can tear into strips. We need to bind the wound as tightly as we can.’
Lady Alice stepped over Sadie’s prostrate figure and returned seconds later with the neatly folded sheet. ‘Trust you to complicate things, Raven. Henry would have gone peacefully. Now he’ll tell everyone that you’re in London, if he hasn’t done so already.’
‘I have to get on board ship for all our sakes.’ Raven’s head lolled to one side and his eyes closed.
‘He’s passed out. That’s good because we can bandage his shoulder without him struggling.’ Essie took the strips of cloth from Lady Alice and proceeded to wind them round Raven’s torso. ‘I’m not very good at this, but it will have to do until we can get him to a doctor.’
‘He has to be on the Santa Gabriella tonight.’ Lady Alice sank down on the nearest chair. ‘Sir Henry might notify the authorities and the police will be looking for Raven.’
Sadie scrambled to her feet. ‘What happened?’
‘You fainted,’ Essie said tersely. ‘Sit down and take deep breaths. You’ll be fine and we need your help.’
‘What do you propose?’ Lady Alice demanded warily. ‘We don’t want to involve anyone else.’
‘It’ll be low tide. If we can get Raven down the steps to the foreshore I can row him out to the ship. I’ve done it before and it should be slack water now, so the current will take me downstream. We just have to get him to my boat.’
‘How do we do that without being seen?’ Lady Alice demanded.
‘There are plenty of drunken men staggering around the streets of Limehouse every night,’ Essie said drily. ‘And we haven’t much choice. Help me get his jacket on and we’d better set off as soon as he regains consciousness.’
Raven was weak from loss of blood but he was able to walk, albeit slowly, and Sadie danced on ahead clearing the way and poking fun at Raven, telling the other drunks that he was her dad who had been boozing in the pub all day, and they were taking him home. Essie had been wary about drawing attention to themselves, but oddly enough it seemed to work, and Sadie was in her element. Negotiating the steep, slippery steps proved to be more difficult and it was a considerable drop to the stony foreshore. As they hesitated on the wharf Essie was beginning to think that their efforts had been in vain when she spotted Ben walking towards them. At first she was inclined to hide behind Raven, but she could see the outline of the ship anchored in Limehouse Reach, and she knew it was only a matter of time before the vessel sailed. She left Lady Alice and Sadie supporting Raven, who was drifting in and out of consciousness, and she hurried to meet Ben.
‘I’m glad it’s you,’ she said breathlessly. ‘We’re in desperate need of help.’
He took in the scene with a single glance. ‘Who are these people?’
Essie could see that he was not going to be fobbed off with fairy tales and she gave him a brief outline of the events since she had brought Raven ashore.
‘Well, I’ll be damned. What have you got yourself into, Essie? You could end up in jail for this.’
‘I know that, Ben. I didn’t choose to be involved and I wouldn’t have been if Pa hadn’t had the accident. Anyway, it’s too late now and I simply have to get Raven on board the Santa Gabriella.’
‘What about the woman and the kid? Are they going, too?’
‘No, but we must move quickly. Will you carry him down the steps? It’s our only chance.’
He hesitated, as if weighing