by Dawn Brower
“Yes,” another male said. “The chlorine gas will give us the advantage we need at Ypres. They won’t know what hit them.”
Ash swallowed hard. They already had one devastating battle at Ypres. He hated to think about what would happen if they suffered even more. If he heard correctly, that very thing would occur unless he could do something about it. “Where is this ambulance?”
“It’s in front of the field hospital they have set up.” She pointed at the tent in the distance. The ambulance in question was a few feet away. “We need to ride in the back as patients so he can get by unnoticed.”
“Lead the way, my lady,” he said then followed as she headed toward it.
His heart beat heavily in his chest. There didn’t seem to be anyone around, but he kept jerking his head back and forth at every shadow. Ash stepped on a branch, and he nearly jumped at the sound of it cracking. If they took one wrong turn or something went sideways, protecting Catherine would become difficult. They had no time to lose. A man came out from behind the ambulance. Ash froze, momentarily unable to figure out what he should do. He couldn’t move fast and favored his left side. Ash stopped suddenly and then smiled. “Julian,” he said excitedly. “Where have you been hiding yourself?”
“I told you we could trust him.” She grinned. “He is a distant cousin of yours, is he not?”
Julian Kendall was indeed a distant relation. He was the second son of the Duke of Weston, and as much of a secret agent as Asher. The last Ash had heard, he’d been fully entrenched in the enemy camp and serving as a German soldier. “I owe Lady Catherine my life.
“I did my job,” she said with a wave of her hand. “Any nurse would have dressed your wounds as well as I did.”
Julian frowned and glanced between the two of them. “I won’t debate it with you. I’d have died if you hadn’t irrigated my wounds. As it is, I’m barely functioning. We have to leave now. Once I help the two of you, I can’t come back. We have to go to Ypres as fast as possible.” Julian’s hand shook a little as he gestured them to the ambulance.
“So you know what they have planned?” Asher asked.
“About the gas?” Julian lifted a brow. “We might arrive too late as it is. We don’t have a moment to waste. Please hurry.”
Asher frowned. “Are you sure you can manage driving this thing?”
Julian nodded. “I don’t have a choice. Please don’t argue, cousin. There is no time to convince you.”
He didn’t want to fight with him about it, so he did as Julian demanded. Asher climbed into the ambulance and helped Catherine in. He pulled everything closed and sat on the floor with her. The engine roared to life and the autocar started moving. Shouts echoed in the distance, as well as a series of rapid gunfire. Ash shielded Catherine and prayed they made it out alive.
Chapter 12
One month later
Catherine stood by the ambulance waiting for Julian and Asher to finish repairing it. They had made it out of Belgium alive, but hadn’t arrived in time to stop the Germans from using the chlorine gas. A lot of men had suffered horribly from the use, and Ypres had been the disaster they all had feared it would be. All the pain emanating from the field had nearly decimated her. It had taken every ounce of her strength to push it away from her.
“What are you thinking about?” Asher asked as he came to stand beside her.
“Nothing that can be changed.” It still hurt her to think of all the soldiers that died that day and the ones that died every day of the useless war. “Is the ambulance fixed?”
The ambulance had broken down several miles from the Belgium border—they weren’t far from Paris, but the distance seemed insurmountable. If it wasn’t repaired, they’d be forced to use their own two feet the rest of the way through France. Catherine didn’t particularly desire to hike her way back. She’d walked more over the past several months then she ever wanted to do again. If she had to, she would though. She’d been away from the infirmary for longer than she’d planned. There were a lot of reasons for her to return. Merlin was at the hospital in Paris, and she hadn’t seen her beloved cat in months, and she hoped the other nurses had taken care of him in her absence. She wanted to return—she honestly did, but the idea of leaving Ash terrified her. He was alive and well; however, she couldn’t shake the feeling that, if they separated, he might die. She glanced at him and nibbled on her lip.
“Stop worrying,” he said and hugged her. “I’ll keep you safe.”
But who would protect him? “I’m fine.” She pressed her lips to his. The vision she’d had of Ash dying hadn’t happened, and she was starting to doubt it. Whenever she’d had a vision, it had come into being—in some fashion. Asher might still be in danger. They’d both been prisoners in that camp, and they should have died there. She didn’t understand how it had turned out all right. Their escape had not been as easy as it should have been. Some of the soldiers had noticed them leaving, but luckily their aim had fallen short and no bullets had hit anyone. A couple had managed to lodge into the side of the ambulance, but nothing that would have harmed it overall.
That didn’t mean they were out of danger though. Something could happen at any time—they were in the middle of a war, after all. “But we might not be if we don’t start moving soon.”
“Well, Lady Catherine,” Julian said as he came around to the side of the car. “I’m happy to alleviate your concerns. I think it’s ready to roll.”
Catherine stared at the car. “Are you going to start it?” She wouldn’t believe it ran until she heard the engine roaring. The new ambulances were helpful, but also notorious for failing. They were constantly in need of repairs. Some hospitals preferred horse-drawn ambulances to autocars.
“I can see the doubt still etched on your face. We all have our skills, and lucky for you I have several.” He went over to the car and turned the engine until it roared to life. “My lady.” Julian bowed. “Your chariot awaits.”
Asher rolled his eyes. “Stop trying to charm her.”
“Hey, some blokes have it—I can’t help that you’re lacking it.” Julian winked. “You can’t harness a natural ability.”
“Oh, be quiet,” Asher said. He held out his hand to Catherine. “Come, let me help you inside.”
Catherine grinned. They were more alike than they realized. The relatives they shared clearly shined through in the two of them. The bloodline might have been spliced several times, but the resemblance was there. “Ash has plenty of appealing attributes.” Ash took the driver’s seat, with Julian in the passenger seat. She was kind of squished between them, but it was better than being stuck in the back. Catherine turned to Julian. “You don’t need to worry about him.”
“I never said I did.”
“Julian is all talk, Cat dear.” He kept his gaze focused on driving through the French countryside. The ambulance should be relatively safe. As medics, they shouldn’t get shot at from either side, but accidents happened. “He’s ribbing us both. It’s all good natured I promise.”
“It’s nice to see the two of you together. It gives me a glimpse into another side of you.”
They rode in silence after that, long into the dark. They stopped in a town about one hundred kilometers from Paris to fill the tank. They were lucky to find the necessary fuel to keep going. Then they drove straight through until they reached the outskirts of Paris—Asher had made it clear he ensured she would make it back to the hospital safely. The autocar made it possible for him to take her there in one piece.
Julian had taken his turn at driving after they refueled. He drove quietly through the streets of Paris and parked in front of the hospital. He killed the engine and turned to them. “We’ve finally made it.”
None of them moved. They’d been traveling together for a month. Julian had continued to heal under Catherine’s care. Asher hadn’t developed trench foot as he’d feared. Time away from the wetness and mud had done wonders to help him restore his health. Now that they had made it to Pa
ris, she had to prepare for them to go their separate ways. “I don’t want you to leave again.”
“You know I have to,” Asher said quietly.
“Doesn’t mean I have to like it.” Catherine sighed. “Let me out.”
Asher opened the door then reached in to assist her. Then he walked her to the front of the hospital, and they stopped by the door. She threw her arms around his neck and let the tears fall. “Please don’t go. I had this vision, and if it happens…”
“Shh,” he said. “The vision wasn’t real. It was nothing more than a nightmare.”
“You don’t understand,” she insisted. “My family has…”
“Cat.” He ran his hands over her hair. “I’ll be fine. Whatever you think you saw—it won’t happen. I’ll come back to you. Don’t you know how much I love you?”
“I love you too.” Her sobs were nearly uncontrollable. “I can’t lose you. Listen to me…”
Why was he being so difficult? She had to make him see the truth. She should have been honest with him sooner. Maybe if she’d explained her gifts he would have believed her and not tossed her concerns aside so flippantly. She had a lot of trouble trusting, and it showed.
“I believe you think what you saw will happen.” He kissed her lightly. “I promise I’ll be as careful as I can. I have Julian with me now. He’s a professional, and we’ll be able to fight better together.”
He didn’t stop long enough to let her speak again. Ash—the love of her life—ignored her. Catherine wanted to strangle him for being so obstinate.
He left her. Again.
August 1915
Asher had hated leaving Catherine. When he arrived back at the hospital, she’d be angry with him. Julian had been by his side for the past couple of months, and they’d managed to aid the allies in defeating the Germans in several battles. The war was far from over though. Catherine remained his one constant, and he had to see her. Without her, he didn’t have a reason to keep fighting. She was his heart—his everything.
No one knew what had befallen Private James. Ash hadn’t seen him since they’d separated in the battle where he’d found Catherine. The hope was he’d escaped, but there was no way of knowing for certain. Somehow, he’d figure it out, but Ash had other things on his mind. He hoped Private James lived, but expected the worst.
He would figure out what happened. The man had done his best to protect Ash, and he owed him a lot. If not for the private, he might have died. Ash hated that he might have failed him. The sad part of war was that there was always something else that needed his attention. One person couldn’t be his priority. Otherwise he’d have stayed with Catherine.
He wandered into the hospital and headed to the main hall. There was one person he wished to see. Once he found her, everything else would cease to exist. A cat’s meow echoed through the room as he scanned for the first sight of Catherine. Purrs vibrated against his leg as that same cat rubbed up against him. He laughed and picked up the furry creature. “Hello, Merlin. Have you missed me?”
“Someone has to,” Catherine said as she stepped into the room. “Your ego must be fed somehow.”
It was just him, her, and the cat in the room. Ash hugged Merlin for both comfort and courage. He’d need it…she was definitely angry… “Hello, darling…”
“Don’t even attempt to talk sweetly to me. I won’t have it.”
He didn’t know what to say to that. How could he make it better for her? Ash wanted to stay with her and never leave her heartbroken. If the war had ended, he’d willingly drop to his knees and beg her to marry him and spend the rest of her life with him. He loved her, and as time went by, he grew to love her more. She was it for him. “Cat…” He met her gaze. She wasn’t going to make this easy. “Please.”
“Oh, you want me to listen to you? The same way you listened to me before you left?”
Was that what had her all tight and unwelcoming. “If I stayed, I never would have left.”
“I fail to see how that is a problem?” She crossed her arms and tapped her foot repeatedly. “I tried to tell you something important.”
Asher blew out a breath and prayed for patience. If she thought it was imperative to tell him about this supposed vision, then he felt obligated to listen. He shouldn’t have pushed her away the last time. “All right. I’m ready for what you have to tell me.”
“My family has these…” She paused and then started to pace. After several moments and even more laps in front of him, she stopped. “I guess for lack of a better word—gifts. It spans several generations, and I don’t even know how many family members. In sixteenth century Scotland, some of my ancestors were burnt at the stake after they were accused of being witches. I’m named after one of them—Caitrìona Dalais-Guaire. She had visions, but she was never a witch.”
This was an interesting history lesson on her family; however, he didn’t understand why she believed all the nonsense about visions. “Why do you think you have the same gift as this ancestor of yours?”
“I don’t have her gift—I have them all. It’s rare, but some of us do manage to have some version of each. I can experience what someone is feeling, and if I try hard enough, I can see their aura. Those things I can control, but the visions happen without warning.”
Ash frowned. “Explain what happens when these premonitions of yours visit you.” All of it sounded—surreal. He wanted to believe her because she believed it; however, none of what she told him was normal. People didn’t have any other sort of psychic phenomenon, and if she did… He’d have to rethink everything he understood about the world, and then he’d have to wonder how much of him she actually saw. He hated himself for every thought that rolled through his mind. Ash didn’t want to doubt her. He loved her…
“I…” She didn’t say more than that before her eyes rolled back and she fell backward. Asher rushed forward and caught her before she hit the ground. Her eyelids fluttered several times and she went limp.
“Cat…” He stroked her hair, more to calm his own racing heart than to comfort her, but he hoped it helped her too. What was wrong with her? “Someone come help!” He couldn’t lose her. The whole time they’d fought to get back, he’d worried the war would take her from him. Never had he considered something else might happen.
“Ash.”
He glanced down into her beautiful green eyes. “Oh, thank God.”
She reached out and placed her hand on his arm. “You have to help me stop it. She’s going to die.”
“You’re all right.” He held her in his arms, rocking back and forth. He’d come close to tears at the thought something grave had happened to her. “Don’t scare me like that again.”
“Sometimes the visions do this. If we’re going to be together, you should accept this will happen more often than you’d like.”
Visions? Now he had to add that to the aura thing she mentioned. Ash didn’t know how much of this he could handle. Catherine was the love of his life. Somehow, he’d have to work his way through it. He’d do anything for her. She had visions… Did that really matter?
Catherine would always be the most important person in his life. She had taken a risk explaining all of it to him. Ash would take it on faith that everything she said was the absolute truth. There was no reason she’d lie to him. Ash would suspend his disbelief for her. She deserved his absolute faith and trust. If he couldn’t give that to her, then they didn’t stand a chance at a future together. He met her gaze and asked, “Is this what you’ve been trying to tell me. That you faint often, and I should be prepared to catch you?”
“That’s one way of considering it.”
Asher didn’t know if his heart could take any more surprises like this one. He was glad she was all right, but visions were still hard for him to swallow. “I’m ready to listen now. Who do you think is going to die?”
“A woman is accused of being a spy, and I think she really is one. I don’t know when or where, but they will kill her.”
/> That wasn’t a lot for him to go on. She believed she’d seen something, and he would do his best to help this mystery woman. If it made Catherine happy, then he’d do just about anything. He kissed her and held her close. Merlin rubbed against both them repeatedly. He didn’t have long with her, but he fully intended on taking advantage of it. After this visit, he didn’t know when he’d see her next.
Chapter 13
December 1915
Christmas was days away, and some of the staff thought decorating the hospital would help cheer some of the patients. Catherine stared at the tree in the main hall. She didn’t feel anything resembling joy. It was hard to get into the spirit of the holiday with so much death surrounding her. She missed Asher and was growing desperate with each passing day. His inability to correspond on a regular basis irritated her. He couldn’t be that deep undercover. Asher and Julian were working exclusively together, of that much she was certain. He’d sent one letter since he left—one. It wasn’t nearly enough to ease the constant worry that lodged itself inside her heart. She needed him to be all right.
“Nurse Langdon,” a female said.
Catherine turned around and met the gaze of another nurse. She was new to the hospital and oh, so young. Nurse Noelle Marchand—barely eighteen and still had stars in her eyes. She hadn’t seen all the horrors war brought. She’d been at the hospital less than a month and had yet to see soldiers brought in after a battle to the death. Many of those men didn’t survive, and the ones who did were scarred for life. Soon, she too would understand how awful it all could be. When it ended, no one would be untouched by the ravages it had brought, especially Catherine. “How can I help you, Nurse Marchand.”
“I don’t mean to interrupt…”
Catherine sighed. She didn’t want to be difficult, but she was in a mood. Not depressed or even grumpy—just not herself, and she was low on patience. “Please,” she said with an edge of irritation. “Quit the pretense and tell me what you need.”