The Gilded Fan Part 28

'Have you seen your father?' Midori asked Daniel as she and Nico sat together on a boulder next to him, catching their breaths and eating some dry bread and cheese. It seemed to be the best thing on offer and she didn't care as long as it was edible.

'Not recently. He was over on the western side because some friends of his asked him to join them.'

'I hope he's all right.'

'Yes. I told him there was no need for him to fight, but he's a stubborn old man.' Daniel sounded as if he wasn't sure whether to be annoyed with his father or admiring of the old man's courage.

'I know. I tried to dissuade him as well, but once an idea takes root, there's no turning him, as you well know. Runs in the family, doesn't it?' She punched him lightly on the arm and he retaliated in kind, but with a grin on his face.

'I'm glad you came,' he said, before standing up to stretch. 'But now I must be off. See you both later.'

Nico, who had been silent throughout this exchange, put an arm round Midori. 'Are you all right? Any cuts or bruises that need tending?'

She shook her head. 'Nothing major. You?'

'I'm all right, I think.' He gave her a lopsided smile which melted her insides. 'Although in truth, I'm so tired I'm not sure I'd notice.'

'I know what you mean. Shall we just rest here for now, in case we're needed?'

'Yes. I've promised to take my turn at guard duty. Do you mind not sleeping in a bed?'

His eyes told her he did. Despite the weariness, she knew he desired her and it sent a tingling through her veins. She leaned over to give him a quick kiss. 'Yes, I do mind, actually, but the sensible part of me says I should stay put.'

He sighed. 'Yes, mine, too.' He reached out to smooth away a strand of her hair which had escaped the cord she'd tied it back with. 'When this is all over, we'll spend a week in bed, agreed?'

She nodded, going along with his pretended optimism. 'Absolutely.' And although she noticed that he didn't mention marriage as part of his plans, she was past caring. Besides which, she'd already given herself to him, so she was to all intents and purposes a fallen woman.

The thought didn't worry her in the least.

The fighting continued at daybreak. Midori felt as if she was in the grip of a hideous nightmare, where everything was repeated ad infinitum. The stench, the fear, the noise and gore were all the same as the previous day, the only difference being that Midori's limbs grew more and more reluctant to obey her. Her muscles screamed in protest, but no matter how many men she fought, there were always a hundred more to take their place.

Faces darted in and out of her line of vision in an endless stream; contorted with rage, frowning in concentration, gaping in wide-mouthed pain, triumphant, defeated, frightened. Midori wanted to scream at them to give her some respite, but there was no stopping them. The hours pa.s.sed and she began to ache unbearably in every part of her body. There were bruises and cuts everywhere today; she'd lost count of the number of times she had been hurt. She had to stop repeatedly to wipe the perspiration and grime out of her eyes, and she saw Nico and Daniel do the same. Both men had insisted on flanking her yet again, each obviously determined to protect her, as she was trying to do the same to them. She had to admit she was glad of their presence. It made her feel safer.

The battle raged on. 'Is it never going to end, d.a.m.n it?' she heard Daniel cry out once, but it seemed the answer was no.

Midori's breathing became laboured and her sword arm leaden. I can't go on, but I must, I must ... It was an effort to simply remain upright and she had to pause repeatedly for short rests. It was just after one such break that disaster struck.

A cannon ball thudded into the ground next to them, splintering a small tree nearby and sending up a shower of dirt and debris. A sharp pain tore through Midori's right thigh. She heard Nico and Daniel shout her name in unison as she felt her leg give way. She cried out, the ground hurtled up to meet her and then everything turned black.

'Nooo!' Nico heard himself scream, but it was as if the sound was coming from somewhere else as he watched Midori crumple next to him.

He exchanged glances with Daniel and saw the shock and horror that must be mirrored in his own eyes. Somehow, after her heroic efforts the day before, Nico had convinced himself Midori would be all right and they'd get through this somehow. He'd forgotten about the cannon, the unseen foe that could strike at any moment.

For an instant he froze, unable to make his limbs move in any way, while a cold sweat of fear broke out across his body. Then a cry from Daniel alerted him to the danger of an enemy soldier on his left and with an enormous effort of will he somehow made himself swing around to deal with the man, before turning back to Midori.

She's not dead. She can't be dead. I won't let her, d.a.m.n it!

'Watch my back!' he shouted at Daniel, who nodded and darted forward to shield Nico while he bent to pick her up. He put his ear to her chest briefly and heard the rea.s.suring thud of her heart beat. It was all he needed for now. 'Follow me,' he ordered and set off at a run towards the earthworks. He didn't wait to see if Daniel did as he'd asked; he trusted him.

As soon as they were safely behind cover, he put Midori down on the ground, shrugging out of his jacket to put it under her head. Daniel appeared next to him, silently helping him to lift Midori on to a blanket someone brought.

'She's breathing,' Daniel said.

Nico nodded. 'Yes, but look at her leg. A splinter from the tree, I think. It's got to go.' There was a huge gash in the breeches she'd been wearing and the material was covered in blood, the stain spreading rapidly.

'Her leg?' Daniel blanched under the grime that covered his face and blinked at Nico.

'No, you dolt, the splinter.' Nico tried to make his tone sound light. It wasn't a joking matter, but the last thing he needed was for Daniel to turn faint now. They had to help Midori together. 'Is there a surgeon about?'

'I don't know, I'll ask.'

Daniel hurried off, but came back shaking his head. 'Can't find one, they're probably all busy.' With bleak eyes he surveyed the carnage all around them as everyone seemed to be bringing the wounded back here.

'Then we'll have to extract it ourselves. I've seen it done on board a ship. Hold her for me, will you?'

'Me?' Daniel's voice squeaked slightly, like that of an adolescent, and Nico could feel the fear emanating from him. It was as nothing to the terror he felt himself, but he knew he had to act quickly if Midori was to have any chance of survival at all. He gritted his teeth and fixed Daniel with a stern glare.

'Yes, you. I need you. She needs you. You can do this, all right?'

Daniel nodded and drew in a deep breath and swallowed hard. 'Yes, yes I can,' he said.

'Good man. Oh, look, she's stirring. d.a.m.nation, I was hoping she'd stay unconscious for a while longer, but it can't be helped. Hold her, please.'

Nico took a deep breath himself. This was going to be h.e.l.l.

'Midori! Midori can you hear me?'

She opened her eyes slowly and at first saw nothing but sky, then Nico's face swam into focus at the same time as pain exploded in her leg.

'Nico?'

'Yes, I'm here. You've been hurt and I'm afraid we have to hurt you a bit more, else the risk of infection will be too great. You must be brave now. Do you want something to bite on? Some strong drink?'

'What are you going to do?' She looked from one man to the other, but neither would look her in the eye. 'Tell me! I need to know.'

'You have a piece of wood in your thigh, a giant splinter. It has to come out quickly before it goes in deeper, or you might lose the entire leg. I'm sorry.'

Midori gritted her teeth and nodded. At least they weren't cutting off the whole limb, or at least, not yet. 'Very well. Extract it.'

She could still hear the sounds of battle, although slightly more distant now, and realised she was lying on the hard ground next to a tree with something softer for a pillow.

'I'm going to put a strip of leather in your mouth so you don't bite your tongue,' Nico said. 'All right? Here we go.'

Midori nodded; she'd seen the ship's surgeon do that to his patients and knew it made sense. She bit down on it, trying not to gag at its foul taste.

Nico advanced on her with a small sharp knife and she closed her eyes. Daniel took one of her hands in both of his and squeezed, trying to imbue her with his strength. Then he lay down gently across her torso, pinning her down. 'Sorry,' he murmured. 'Have to do this.'

'Are you ready?' Nico's voice came from the other side of Daniel.

'Mm-hmm.' Midori braced herself. Almost immediately pain sliced through her as Nico began his task and she hissed in a breath through her nose. Her teeth gripped the hard leather strip so tightly she thought they might break. As Nico continued, she couldn't stop a moan from escaping her throat, then the pain became so acute blessed darkness descended on her again and she knew no more.

'Will she live?'

'Yes, I think so. She's a fighter, as we all know.'

The disembodied voice sounded slightly disapproving as it floated into Midori's brain and niggled at her until she struggled to open her eyes. She saw nothing at first except the colour white and wondered if she was still unconscious. Then she realised she was staring at Aunt Hesketh's ap.r.o.n and her aunt was kneeling next to Midori's bed, bandaging her wound, while Temperance hovered nearby.

With an effort she turned her head and saw Nico standing by the door, a worried expression on his face. As her aunt finished the task, the dull fire burning in Midori's leg turned into stabbing pain, and she drew in a sharp breath, which the others heard.

'She's conscious again.'

'Midori, how are you feeling?' Nico came forward, a frown creasing his forehead and his deep-set eyes full of concern.

'A bit ... sore.'

Aunt Hesketh put a hand on Midori's forehead and nodded to herself. 'No fever yet,' she muttered. 'Did you use a knife?'

Nico nodded. 'Yes. My ship surgeon once told me he always cleaned the rust off his knife blades with wine before performing any surgery, but all I could find was someone's flask of strong cider so I used that. And I put it in the fire to cauterize the wound after. Is it still bleeding?'

'A little, but I've put some cobwebs on it, so it's almost stopped. I'll leave it for a while before making a comfrey poultice to stop it festering, but she should have willow bark or feverfew now. I'll go and find some.' She left the room with Temperance, leaving Midori alone with Nico, who sat down gingerly on the edge of Midori's bed.

'You're in good hands with my stepmother,' he said softly, and smiled when he saw the look of scepticism she managed. 'Really. I know you've had your differences, but that's in the past now, and when she takes charge of something, she does it to the best of her ability.'

'I suppose you're right,' Midori reluctantly conceded. 'Are you well? The splinters didn't hit you or Daniel, did they?'

'No, we're both unharmed. Daniel is still fighting; he said he couldn't be spared. I carried you back here, but I'll have to go in a while and ...' He didn't finish the sentence. They both knew what he'd be going back to.

'Of course, I understand.' She tried to smile, but it was beyond her at the moment.

Nico was staring towards the window, so Midori couldn't see his expression, but she heard the catch in his voice as he said, 'I thought I'd lost you, Midori, and I just wanted to die myself.' He turned back to her. 'You must get through this, do you hear me?' Midori was taken aback by the emotion blazing in his eyes, but at the same time it made a warm feeling spread through her veins.

'I will. Just you look after yourself. You can't spend a week in bed with your mistress if you get yourself killed, you know.'

'Mistress? You thought ...? For heaven's sake, Midori, I can't believe you still think me so dishonourable!'

'No! I'm the one who has thrown away my honour. What happened the night before last was ... well, it was my choice and I don't regret it. Really, it's all right.'

Nico took her hands in his and leaned over her so his face was very close to hers. 'No, my love, it's not "all right" at all, if that's how you're thinking. I thought you understood I love you. I want to marry you. But there seemed no point making plans when there is every possibility one or other of us might not live to see the end of this week.'

'You love me? Truly?'

'Of course I do, you goose.' He shook his head. 'Although why, when you persist in thinking the worst of me, I've no idea.'

She raised her hands to pull his face down to punctuate her words with kisses. 'I don't. Think. You. Dishonourable. I love. You. Too. With all my heart.'

He smiled then and kissed her back, but carefully, tenderly, as if she was the most fragile thing on earth. 'So you'll marry me, then?' he whispered.

'Yes, of course. I've never wanted anyone else.'

'Good, then I've got something to look forward to when I come back.'

The thought of him having to return to the battle put a dampener on Midori's joy, but she glanced towards the urns that were still on the little mantelpiece of the bedroom and sent a swift prayer to her ancestors.

'Please, keep him safe for me. He's precious and I can't lose him now!'

Chapter Thirty-Four.

Plymouth continued to hold out and on the fourteenth of September the King's frustration got the better of him and he withdrew to the north the following day, leaving Sir Richard Grenville to blockade the town once again.

'Thank heavens for that! The fighting is over for now,' Daniel exclaimed, barging into Midori's sickroom with barely a knock. He was limping, but it didn't seem to bother him and she couldn't see anything else wrong with him, apart from bruises. Temperance, who was with her, frowned at him and tried to remonstrate, but he was bubbling over with the good news and he wasn't alone. A great cheer went up from the exhausted defenders, which echoed through the town. Midori smiled at Daniel, sharing his joy despite her weariness.

'You can have a well-earned rest now,' she said.

'Yes, the Lord knows we need it. The Royalists must have lost their will to win, else we should have had to give way soon. I've never felt so tired in all my life.'

'Lucky for us they didn't know that,' Midori commented.

As Daniel turned to leave, Nico entered the room, looking as if he'd been running. 'Daniel, Temperance, I'm so sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but ... your father,' he said. 'He collapsed and died. I think it was all too much for him. He should never have fought in the first place.'

'Father? Surely not?' Temperance stared at Nico as if she didn't believe him.

Daniel shook his head. 'What? But the battle is over and ...'

Nico sent his stepcousins a look of deepest sympathy. 'Yes, but he had a seizure of some sort, so I'm told. They'll be bringing him shortly.'

'Oh, no!' Midori felt sadness wash over her and in her weakened state she couldn't stop a few tears from trickling down her cheeks. When is all the dying going to end? I'm so tired of it. She stretched out her arms to Temperance, who broke into noisy crying as she took in the news at last, and collapsed to lean her head on Midori's shoulder. Midori held her close and looked at her other cousin. 'Daniel, I'm so sorry, but at least he died doing what he believed was right,' she said, hoping to comfort him.

Daniel visibly pulled himself together. 'Yes, you're right. When I last saw him he told me it was time for him to make a stand. Everyone was needed and he knew it.'

'It was a desperate situation,' Nico added. 'And he always did what was right. I honestly didn't think the town could withstand the King's forces, but somehow it was accomplished and it was thanks to men like your father.'

Daniel nodded slowly. 'Yes, we have to be grateful for our deliverance, however high a price we've had to pay for it.'

Midori's recovery was slow, even though the dreaded wound fever never set in. Nico waited anxiously for the first few days, sitting by her side as much as he could. She was asleep for the most part, dosed with some concoction of Kate's, and to her obvious sorrow wasn't able to attend Jacob's funeral. But she was clearly in pain. Nico found it hard to see her like that and would have liked to crawl into bed with her to just hold her in his arms. Out of respect for his late stepuncle, however, he did no such thing. For once, he decided, he was going to do things Jacob's way the right way.

Even when she began to heal she looked as weak as a newborn lamb, but her spirit returned and Nico had trouble persuading her to remain in bed for far longer than she would have liked to.

'You'll be up and about soon enough,' he soothed. 'Then we can be married and start our life together.'