Page 23 of How to Court a Rake (Wed Within a Year #1)

A ll the life had nearly left the body on the beach. Almost. Ellen Kingsley bent down and unwrapped a bit of polished glass from her apron pocket. She held it in front of the man’s lips. Nothing. She moved it closer. Ah, there it was. A breath strong enough to fog her glass only at the closest of distances. A sign of life and also a sign of how little of that life remained.

‘Is he dead?’ Her sister, Anne, came to stand beside her, all curiosity. ‘I hope not, he’s rather handsome.’

‘No, not yet. But he’s close to it.’ They’d come to the beach in the hopes of scavenging some wreckage. They were in desperate need of supplies. This was not the sort of wreckage she’d thought to find. What could she do for him? Would it even be worthwhile to go to the trouble of hauling him to the cottage? He’d likely die anyway. But her conscience wouldn’t allow it. A life was a life no matter how much of it remained. All life was sacred to Quakers.

‘Annie, run back to the house and have the boys come down, have them bring a quilt so we can carry him in it, then put the pot on, we’ll need hot water.’

Alone on the beach, Ellen ran her hands over the body, searching for other injuries. She unbuttoned his shirt, feeling for broken ribs and found none. That was good. It meant there was unlikely any internal bleeding. There was a gash though, on his arm, not terribly old. It looked as if it hadn’t been treated. A knife wound maybe? Such a wound spoke of violent living. She moved to study it, her fingers gently probing. Not gently enough. The man moaned, a thin, reedy sound escaping those cracked lips. ‘It’s all right, you’re safe,’ she soothed.

His eyelids opened, revealing the most beautiful pair of brown eyes she’d ever seen. They were dark, like melted chocolate she’d tasted once at Christmas. His mouth moved, trying to form words. ‘You mustn’t try to talk. You need water. Help is coming, my brothers will bring something to carry you home on,’ she tried to explain. There was anxiousness and panic in his eyes at the mention of brothers.

‘Don’t worry, we’ll take care of you. There will be time to talk. You’re safe,’ she repeated. ‘You are alive and for now that is enough.’

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