Page 14 of Jaxon (Gentlemen of War #4)

Amelia

The door flew open, slamming into one of the animal displays and nearly knocking it sideways. Daisy squealed and I jumped as the three men entered the house. Diggs, who had left us shortly after he brought us inside, carried my driver limply in his arms. I sprang to my feet, throwing the blanket off my shoulders and rushing to his side. “Oh no! Mr. Duncan!”

His eyes remained closed with no response.

“Here.” I pointed to the couch. “Lay him here.” Ennis and Daisy now cleared the way for the men to place Mr. Duncan on the cushioned sofa in front of the fire.

Diggs laid him down while Blue Eyes hovered over him. “I pulled him from the water,” Blue Eyes said between shortened breaths. “But he’s still not breathing! Mrs. Gentry, bring dry towels!” he shouted. He rolled Mr. Duncan onto his side and pounded on his upper back. No sound came forth. I silently prayed for him to breathe. Again, Blue Eyes struck his back with his open hand until, shortly thereafter, water spurt from my driver’s mouth and he began choking and retching. It might possibly be the best sound I had ever heard.

Once Mr. Duncan finished expelling the water and his contents, Blue Eyes began stripping off Mr. Duncan’s wet waistcoat. I joined him and pulled his boots off. The man regarded me briefly, his hair soaked and dripping down his face. “You don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, I do,” I responded and continued.

“Jesse,” he hollered. Another man entered the room.

Just how many men lived here? I silently questioned.

“Get dry clothing from my armoire.” Next, he untied Mr. Duncan’s wet shirtsleeves and tugged it over his head as I laid my blanket over him. “Diggs,” he called, gesturing him to join us. “We need to rub his feet, chest, and hands. If we can warm him up, I believe he will have a fighting chance.”

“Are you a doctor?” I asked, curious as to how he came upon this knowledge.

“No, but I have seen something of a miracle before and know it works.”

I needed to trust him and would certainly accept a miracle at this moment. Anything to save Mr. Duncan. Though I still stood in my own drenched clothing, I quickly pulled my driver’s stockings off and threw a second blanket over him.

“Step back a moment,” the stranger said, then added, “Please?”

I understood why once he lifted the blanket to see where to untie the man’s breeches and remove them. I piled Mr. Duncan’s clothing and boots to the side just as the housekeeper arrived with a stack of dry towels. Without removing the blankets, Blue Eyes laid them underneath and all over his body.

“Now each of you take a hand or a foot,” the stranger directed.

Without hesitation, Diggs and I reached under the blanket for his feet, and I was momentarily stunned at how chilled the man’s skin was. When I studied his face, I shuddered, certain I saw death there. “Please, Mr. Duncan,” I pleaded, rubbing his foot more determinedly. “Please, warm up.”

Blue Eyes glanced in my direction. “You’re doing well, keep going,” he said as Ennis started rubbing one of Mr. Duncan’s arms. “We need to get his blood circulating through his body.”

My fingers ached and truly my whole body smarted from the ordeal, but I could not stop. I would not stop until Mr. Duncan drew steady breath… or not. Daisy stood beside the fire and whimpered while Mrs. Gentry fetched a steaming pot of hot water. O’Keefe entered again from outside, though I had not even noticed that he had ever left us. He sidled up to Blue Eyes and whispered, though not so quiet that we all could not hear.

“Mr. Jack…”

So, our mysterious blue-eyed savior is Mr. Jack.

“We have a—” he stole an exaggerated breath “—significant crisis.”

I tried not to listen but was curious as to what commanded their attention over the life of a man. Mr. Jack did not pause in his efforts but met O’Keefe’s look as if to encourage him to continue.

“The bridge is gone.”

I did not understand the implication of this news at the time but, from Mr. Jack’s expression, it seemed dire. I watched as he peered over at me with the briefest of looks, then resumed his work on Mr. Duncan who had started to breathe more steadily.

“We will deal with that later.”

The man who had been sent upstairs to retrieve clothing appeared with a shirt and some breeches. From the size of them, they certainly did not come from Mr. Jack. While it was apparent Blue Eyes was stoutly fit, the hulking attire showed a width in the waist not particularly suitable for him or Mr. Duncan. But anything dry would do.

“Thank you for your help,” Mr. Jack said in Diggs and my direction. “If you don’t mind stepping back, Miss, we will take it from here.”

For a brief moment, I felt snubbed. I wanted to help.

I didn’t move until Mr. Jack said, “Diggs, please help me put these clothes on him.”

My cheeks warmed. Perceptibly, he would not wish for me to be part of the dressing, and I suddenly felt silly. He attempted to keep me from being humiliated and for the second time today, I failed at using my brain or at the very least… any common sense.

I stepped over to Daisy and Ennis while Diggs did not hesitate to respond. I found the whole subtleties of this home fascinating—a tradesman in an enormous hunting lodge with a staff who responded readily to his requests as if he were their master. The curious side of me wanted answers, but the logical part of me knew that it was none of my business, nor was it a priority.

This man saved our lives, for I could very easily be lying here along with Mr. Duncan if Mr. Jack had not arrived when he did.