by Dawn Brower
“One of the soldiers is requesting you specifically. I didn’t want to disturb you, but…” She nibbled on her bottom lip. “He was insistent.” Noelle glanced over her shoulder and back at her. “He came in with another soldier. They’re not injured too badly. Some abrasions, and the one has a large gash on his right shoulder.”
God save her from new nurses who didn’t appear to have the mental capacity for handling a medical emergency without asking for assistance. Noelle should have been able to take care of the two soldiers on her own—even if they requested her. The soldiers should know better than to request specific nurses. They all had jobs to see to—perhaps she was becoming a little to desensitized to the war and the soldiers that bravely fought in it. As far as she could ascertain, the men were not gravely injured and required some stitches and a few bandages. They probably could be sent back to the front too. She rubbed her temples to ease the ache that had settled there, then glanced up at Nurse Marchand. “I’ll check on them in a moment. Please gather the supplies I’ll need to treat them.”
Some days, Catherine wished she could lie down and give up. Her life might be a little easier. Her gifts were not always so great. They never allowed her to let anyone suffer. It wasn’t in her to turn her back on an individual in need. At least she hadn’t had any visions of Asher lately. She hoped that was a good sign and that he still lived. The last one she had must not have come to pass, or perhaps her involvement had somehow prevented it. “I suppose I should check on the injured soldiers,” she muttered to herself, then spun on her heels to head to the infirmary wing.
When she reached the entrance, she stopped a moment to gain her bearings. It wasn’t the soldiers’ fault that melancholy had settled inside her soul. They didn’t deserve her animosity. She pushed open the doors and pasted a smile on her face. Yes, it was entirely fake, but they didn’t need to know that. “Nurse Marchand tells me you’ve requested my aid.”
Catherine halted immediately. Her mouth fell open as it registered who awaited her. She didn’t think or even stop to react. She ran into his arms and threw her arms around his neck. “Thank God, it’s you.” Now she felt even more foolish for her earlier assumptions. She’d have to apologize to Noelle later for her brusqueness.
“Hello, Darling,” Asher said as he wrapped his arms around her waist. He winced from the moment. “Sorry.” He pushed away from her. “I want to hold you, but I also don’t want to bleed all over you.”
She glanced down at the wound on his shoulder. “How long has this been open like this?” He would be lucky if an infection hadn’t grown inside of it. “It looks horrid.”
“You know how he is,” Julian said. He hadn’t spoken since Catherine entered the room. He lounged on a bed with his arms behind his head. His eyes were closed, and he was probably on his way to falling asleep. “Stubborn idiot didn’t want to stop to have it treated. He wanted to see you, and nothing could prevent that.”
“That’s, uh, sweet,” she said. “But I could have waited another couple of hours for you to have this properly looked at.” It killed her to say that. She’d been longing for him to come back to Paris, but she didn’t want him to die in the process. “Why do you keep putting yourself at risk?
“I wanted to be here for Christmas.”
“Nothing special is happening, and I’d rather you both were safe and sound.” Catherine sighed. “I realize that is almost like asking for the impossible, but I wish it nonetheless.”
“Don’t worry, princess,” Julian said. His tone was light and almost jovial. “I won’t let him die on you.”
For the first time in days, she smiled for real. They were there, and both were safe. An injury could be healed, and she’d do her best to treat them properly. She turned her attention to Julian and asked, “Are you hurt as bad as Ash is?”
“Nah,” he said. “It’s mostly scrapes.”
She nodded. “Good, then I’ll allow Nurse Marchand to tend to you. She can handle washing a few abrasions.”
“Fine by me,” he said. “I’ll rest here while she attends to me. Make sure she has a gentle touch. I have a delicate disposition.”
Catherine rolled her eyes. She’d thought Ash was a charmer when she’d first met him. Julian took his roguish behavior to an entirely different level. “I’ll convey your request. It’s all I can do.” Then she turned to Ash and asked, “How long are you staying this time.”
“I can’t make any promises.” He wrapped his uninjured arm around her waist and kissed her lightly. “I’ve missed you. I wish I could stay with you forever, but I have to leave sooner rather than later. There is a possibility that Private James is alive. I had assumed he’d died in the battle where we were captured, but I came across some intelligence that suggested he’d been taken to a different camp. I need to try to rescue him. If not for him, I’d have died a long time ago.”
Catherine was grateful to Private James. If not for his tenacity, she would have lost Asher. She did want him to be all right. “Where is he being held?”
He shook his head. “That’s part of the problem. They keep moving him, so it might take a while to find him.”
Nurse Marchand came in, carrying supplies Catherine had sent her for. She set them down on a table and left again. After a few moments she came back, carrying a bowl. She tripped over her own feet and it went flying, landing on Julian. His groans echoed through the room. The bowl had been filled with soapy water, leaving Julian soaked from his stomach down to his legs. “Bloody Hell,” he cursed. Julian rolled off the bed and pushed everything off of him in one fell swoop, then met Noelle’s gaze. “Sweetheart, you do know how to make an entrance.”
Noelle turned on the waterworks and pressed her hands on her face. “I’m a bumbling fool. I can’t do anything right.”
Julian was on his knees staring up at her, then shook his head briefly. He looked at her like she was a foreign specimen. “Let me help you clean this up.” Catherine had to hold back a laugh. Julian carefully helped Noelle collect all the items she’d dropped and put them into a neat pile.
Noelle stopped crying and sat on the bed. “Thank you so much. You’re too kind.”
Asher leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I think Julian may have found a woman he doesn’t know how to handle.”
“Can’t handle tears?” He really was flummoxed, and Catherine couldn’t be more amused. “Serves him right—Noelle is a lovely young woman, and quite innocent. That might appeal to him.”
“Perhaps,” he said. “Though I think it’s more than that. Some of us fall in love in an instant. Julian’s side of the family is known for it.”
“But not yours?” She lifted a brow.
“I admit to nothing.” He kissed her forehead.
Catherine decided to let that go for now. There were other things they had to take care of anyway. She pressed her lips to his and then said, “Come with me. I’ll sew your wound closed, and if you’re nice I’ll even kiss it all better.”
“I love you,” he said and leaned down to steal a kiss. Her heart beat heavily inside her chest. Every time he kissed her, the whole world turned upside down. Hell, anything involving him managed to do that. He stepped back. “I needed my kiss first. It’ll help with the pain.”
She smiled. “I promise to be gentle.” Catherine nodded toward Julian and Noelle. “Let’s leave them alone. She’ll calm down in a bit, and he does need his wounds attended to.”
Catherine led him to a small room and had him sit on a chair. Then she unbuttoned his shirt and pushed it off his shoulders. “Does your coat look this bad?” She held up his ruined shirt and shook her head. “There are more tears in it than anything I’ve ever seen. It belongs in a rag heap.”
“No,” he answered. “I wasn’t wearing a coat when I was hit. Actually, I don’t even know what happened to it. I had to commandeer a new one—which thankfully was warm and hole-free.”
She washed the wound on his shoulder and then started to apply the stitches. Afte
r the cleaning, the gash didn’t appear nearly as bad as she thought. It didn’t take her long to sew it closed. She placed a bandage over it and secured it. “Try to keep this clean. You couldn’t have been far from here when this happened. The wound looks fresher than you implied.”
“I don’t want to get into the details.” He placed his hands at her waist and pulled her close until she was sitting in his lap. She stared down into his blue eyes, so happy he was there. “I’d rather spend what time I have here with you doing much more pleasant activities.”
“I’d like that,” she said. Little moments such as this one would sustain her through the hard days to come. It gave her hope that, at the end of it all, they would have a future. He loved her, and she was finally allowing herself to love him back—or at least admit she did to herself. She had trouble voicing the words aloud though. “I missed you.”
“Not nearly as much as I missed you.” She laid her head on his bare uninjured shoulder. “One day soon I won’t have to leave you, and then we can have whatever we want. Our future is with each other, of that I’m certain.”
Catherine didn’t bother replying. She wanted to believe in their future—craved what it would bring. Her life had been so full of turmoil that she had trouble accepting that she could have anything remotely like he described. She didn’t think she would be able to acknowledge what she had with Asher until they were free of their obligations in the war. Until then, she’d hold on as tight as she could and pray they both made it out alive.
January 1916
The cold settled into his bones and took root. For the most part, he’d become numb to the discomfort, but every now and then his whole body erupted in uncontrollable shivers. Ash supposed it was his body’s way of alerting him that he still lived. He’d been searching for Private James for a month and hadn’t been able to determine his location. A part of him wondered if his information had been correct to begin with. Maybe someone was trying to lure him into a trap of some sort, or maybe he’d been a spy for so long he was seeing conspiracies where there were none.
“Stop thinking so hard,” Julian accused. “You’re making my own brain hurt.”
Asher really missed Private James. At least he knew when to keep his mouth closed. His cousin on the other hand… “Quit pretending you have anything inside you head that can be hurt in such a manner.”
“You’re a right arse.” Julian smacked him in the head. “We’ll find your pet private, but it is going to take longer than we thought.”
They were currently in the camp of Major Richard Bruce. How had he managed to climb to the rank of major? Not that he didn’t have any intelligence, but he dangerously lacked in strategy and military maneuvering. It had to be sheer luck that most of his men were still alive. At some point, his fortune would pass and they’d all end up dead or severely maimed.
“Lord Seabrook,” a soldier called.
Asher glanced up and met his gaze. “Hello, Sergeant Barnes,” he greeted him. “What is it?
The man had pulled his hat off his head and started to fidget with it. Asher came to his feet, anxiety suddenly spreading through him. Whatever the sergeant had to say couldn’t be good if he acted so fretfully. “Well,” he began. “There’s been an incident in Paris.”
His heart raced in his chest. He had to get to Paris—to Catherine, but he had to know what transpired first. “Tell me everything.”
“I don’t have much information…”
“Don’t stall,” he commanded, then turned to Julian. “Gather our things. We’re leaving immediately.” Julian had paled considerably. He’d grown close to Nurse Marchand. In the little time they’d been there, Julian had managed to fall in love. That still baffled Asher. He met Sergeant Barnes’ gaze. “Now finish telling me what you’ve heard.”
“A German Zeppelin bombed the city,” he said. “There were some injured and killed, but I don’t know how extensive the losses were.”
He cursed silently. At least they were not far from the city limits. He’d grown so accustomed to the sounds of bombs exploding he hadn’t registered what direction the thuds were coming from. As long as they were some distance away he’d started to ignore them. They should be in the city within an hour. Luckily, they had horses to travel with now.
“Everything is ready,” Julian said. He had the reins of both horses in each of his hands. “Let’s go.”
Asher nodded and hopped on his horse. Julian followed shortly after that, then they both kneed their respective mounts into a canter. They had no time to lose. If something had happened to Catherine… He wouldn’t think about it because he refused to believe she was injured or worse.
They traveled in silence for the entire trip to Paris. They kept the horses at a steady pace, but not too fast as to tire them out. When they entered the city, it wasn’t as chaotic as he’d expected from a bombing. The Zeppelin must not have been too effective. There was some smoke billowing in a poor part of Paris, but for the most part the city seemed intact. “They’ll both be all right,” Julian said. “It doesn’t look like the bomb hit anywhere near the hospital.”
She’d be busy though… If there were injured to attend to, Catherine would be working. He shouldn’t disturb her, but he had to know she was fine. “We’re still going to see them.”
“I didn’t suggest otherwise,” Julian answered.
They rode the rest of the way to the hospital, then dismounted. Once the horses were tied to a nearby post, they both practically ran into the hospital. Chaos commenced inside the walls as injured were moved from bed to surgery, and vise versa. Asher scanned the room, desperate to locate Catherine. Finally, he spotted her at the far end of the infirmary. He rushed forward until he stood in front of her. She had a cut on her forehead and a scrape on her left arm. “You were near it,” he accused. “Why were you not in the hospital?”
Her lips trembled, and she couldn’t seem to speak. She practically collapsed in his arms and the tears fell not long after. “Shh.” He tried to soothe her. Even went so far as to brush his hand over her hair—anything to comfort her. It must have been terrible for her to break down as she had. “I have you.”
“Where’s Noelle,” Julian asked.
Catherine glanced at him and shook her head. He backed away and waved his hand frantically. “No,” he nearly yelled. His voice shook with uncontrollable emotion. “Don’t you dare say it.”
“I’m so sorry…” Catherine stepped out of Asher’s arms and headed toward Julian. Sympathy poured out of her as she inched her way closer to him. She pressed her hand on his arm. “It was supposed to be a simple thing. Taking food and supplies to the poor… We do it once a week if we’re able.”
“Stop now,” he ordered. A tear fell from his eye and he wiped it away as quickly as it slipped out. “I’m begging you.”
“She died instantly,” Catherine said. “There was nothing I could do.”
Julian yanked his arm away and turned from them both. He didn’t say a word after that, just kept going until he left the room. Asher couldn’t blame him. If it had been Catherine, he’d be on his knees, raging from the injustice of it all. Poor Julian… He finally fell in love and had her ripped away from him a month later. When would all this suffering end?
Asher reached for Catherine. He needed to hold her and reassure himself that she still lived. The next time she might not be so lucky. He didn’t question how she’d survived the bombing. It was enough that she had. “I love you,” he whispered in her ear.
“I love you too.” His heart nearly burst inside of him. She didn’t say the words as often as he did. Actually, he couldn’t recall a time she had said them. Maybe he assumed she had. It didn’t matter though. It was enough that she said them now when he needed to hear them most.
“I can’t stay,” he said. “Julian needs me, and we have to get back, but I had to make sure…”
“I understand,” she replied. “I’d have done the same in your place.” Catherine tilted her head back to
look up at him. “Kiss me.”
He obliged the request because he needed it as much as she did. It reaffirmed they were both still alive. Celebrating the small victories gave them a reason to keep going when everything told them to give up. Asher leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, and the usual sparks went flying through him. He’d never love another woman the way he did her. She was it for him. After the kiss was over, he brushed his hand through her hair. “Please don’t take any unnecessary risks.”
“I won’t,” she agreed. “I’d ask you the same, but I know your job isn’t quite the same as mine. I’ll be here waiting for you.” Catherine hugged him quickly. “Now go and check on your cousin. He needs you more than I do right now.”
Asher reluctantly let go of her and turned to leave. He didn’t stop to glance back at her. If he did, he might not have left. He made a promise to himself then and there. He would come back to her—always. She was his reason for living, and for her he’d do everything he could to survive.
Chapter 14
April 1916
Another spring at war, and Asher couldn’t be more ready for it to be over. They’d replaced snow for rain. Both were equally miserable in their own ways. Cold, wet, and annoying as hell… Asher had traveled to the ends of France and back and still had not found Private James. The last time he’d seen James, he’d entrusted him with an important missive for Major-General Lewis. That report never made it to him. That information led Asher to believe James had died in that battle. He had hoped his assumption had been wrong, and he’d find him soon. Now he sat huddled under a tree with Julian, wishing he was home and resting in his warm, comfortable bed.
“Quit brooding,” Julian ordered him. “There are worse things in life.”
The rain had been pouring for days. Asher was having difficulty finding something worse at that specific moment. “Bugger off.”