Heart of Courage (31 page)

“The ball didn't hit an artery—he'd be dead by now if it had. But we need to find a way to lift him up so we can deal with the other wound as well as the one in his chest.”

“I can rig a sling,” Thor said. “But I will need some help.” He looked over at Tommy, whose eyes were wet and his face the color of ice. Clearly, the young groom had grown to love the stallion as much as they did.

“Get my brother,” Thor instructed. “Tell him what has happened and ask him to hurry.” Thor gave the lad directions to Leif's town house in Berkeley Square and Tommy shot out of the stable, headed in that direction.

Using lengths of heavy rope tossed over the rafters, Thor worked to build a device that would lift the horse enough to sew up the wounds and get a bandage in place. Still, they didn't want to move him so much that the bleeding would increase. They would need to be very careful.

Lindsey watched Thor at work and her heart filled with love for him. She knew the pain he barely held in check. Saber meant so much to him…so very much.

God, if there is anything you can do to help save this beautiful horse…

She could barely finish, though she prayed with all her heart that He would answer her silent prayer. For it was clear to one and all the stallion's fate rested in God's hands.

 

It was well past midnight. Though a lantern burned not far away and another had been lit, only a dim yellow glow warmed the interior of the stable. Thor glanced up at the sound of heavy footfalls, felt something move inside him as he watched his brother approach.

When he walked over to thank him for coming, Leif put an arm around his shoulder and gave him a fierce man-hug. “I am so sorry, brother. What can I do to help?”

Thor released a shaky breath. His brother had always been there when he needed him. He'd had no doubt Leif would come tonight.

And yet it meant so much.

“We need to lift him,” Thor said. “The ball went into his chest and out through his side and we need to tend that wound as well as the first. I have built a sling, but I need your help to make it work.”

Leif just nodded. His jaw worked as he looked down at the beautiful stallion. Thor introduced him to the doctor, Leif spoke a gentle word to Lindsey, then he and his brother set to work.

They lifted Saber carefully, a little at a time, just enough to get the sling beneath his belly, then Leif took hold of the rope while Thor controlled the stallion and they hauled the animal slowly to his feet.

Saber fought, but only for a moment, settling again as Thor spoke to him softly and Leif lowered him until his hooves touched the floor. He tied the rope to a wooden support to hold the sling in place.

As soon as they were finished, the doctor came forward to examine both wounds. “Drawing an imaginary line from entry to exit,” he said, “I would say there is a good chance no internal organs were hit. The bleeding has nearly stopped. The problem now will be putrefaction. With this kind of injury, that, rather than the injury itself, is often the cause of death.”

“Is there any way to prevent it?” Lindsey asked.

“Not that medical science has found thus far.” Working with quiet efficiency, the doctor prepared the needle that would close up the wounds, a larger hole where the ball had torn its way out.

Saber's head hung down and his eyes were glazed and cloudy. He was weak from loss of blood and it was clear the doctor believed that disease was sure to set in.

Thor clenched his jaw against a rush of despair and felt Lindsey's hand searching for his. She laced their fingers together.

“He's going to make it,” she said. “We aren't going to let him die.”

But he knew the stallion was suffering and Thor felt the pain as if it were his own.

“Let's get this done,” the doctor said, “then we'll lower him back down and let him rest for a while, try to recover some of his strength.”

A noise sounded in the doorway. Thor looked up to see Krista sweeping into the stable, the skirt of her simple blue wool gown flaring out as she hurried toward them. “Wait a moment, Doctor!”

Carlson paused.

“What is it?” Thor asked.

Krista cast a pleading look at the doctor, silently begging him to wait. “I went to see Corrie and Gray. I told them Stephen tried to kill Lindsey and that Saber was shot trying to save you. I thought Samir might be able to help.”

And then he saw the others rushing in behind her, the Earl of Tremaine and his wife, Coralee, and with them, the wiry little dark-skinned man from the country called India who was Tremaine's valet.

Thor could read the worry in each of their faces, the concern for him and the horse they knew he loved. He swallowed against the knot that swelled in his throat.

“I am a fortunate man to have such friends,” he said gruffly.

Gray cast him a sympathetic glance, tossed a brief look at the blanket-covered body in the shadows, then urged his wife toward the silver-haired doctor. “How is he, Doctor?”

“Is he going to be all right?” Coralee asked anxiously, her fiery, sleep-tangled hair tucked behind her ears.

“The bleeding has stopped and I am preparing to close the wounds. I've told Mr. Draugr that putrefaction will be a very large obstacle in the animal's recovery.” He turned to Thor. “I'll need you to tend the horse while I sew him up.”

But before he could move, Samir shuffled forward, his shoulders slightly stooped. Garbed in white, his dark, thin body outlined in the glow of the lantern, he paused in front of Thor.

“I have brought a potion. I will need to apply it before the wound is closed.”

The doctor frowned. “What sort of potion? This horse has been gravely injured. I'm doing everything in my power to save him. I won't have him destroyed by some…some foreign witch doctor.”

Thor stepped forward. So did Lindsey, Corrie and Gray.

“Samir is a great healer,” Thor said, remembering how he had once saved Coralee. “He has worked miracles before.”

“If anyone can save this horse,” Corrie added, “it is Samir. Please, Dr. Carlton, you must let him try.”

“She's right, Carlton,” said Gray. “The man can work wonders.”

“Fine,” the doctor said with obvious disapproval. “But I take no responsibility for what happens from here on out.”

Samir shuffled in front of the horse, poured the potion into the wound in his chest, drawing only a soft whinny from Saber, then did the same to the wound in the stallion's side.

“Thank you, my friend,” Thor said to Samir.

The little man bowed. “I will say a prayer for your beautiful horse.”

Thor's eyes burned. “Thank you.”

Vowing to return, the little Hindu disappeared into the shadows as if he had never been there. Meanwhile Thor soothed the stallion while the doctor sewed up the wounds, working with speed and efficiency. He tied bandages in place around the injuries, then went to collect his instruments and the leather satchel he had brought with him.

“I appreciate all you have done,” Thor said, digging into his pockets, hoping he carried enough money with him to pay the man's fee.

“You needn't worry about that tonight. I'll come back tomorrow to check on him.”

Thor just nodded.

“The next few hours are critical,” Dr. Carlton finished. “If he is still alive in the morning…” He let the sentence trail off since no more words were needed.

Carlton left the barn, Saber still in the sling. Thor and Leif untied the rope to release the tension and without the device to help him stand, his legs too weak to hold him up, Saber crumpled onto the bed of straw they had laid down for him. He rolled onto his side and his head went down.

He looked at Thor and his big brown eyes slowly closed.

Thor's heart squeezed.

As if she knew what he was feeling, Lindsey walked toward him. She slid her arms around his neck, pressed her cheek against his, and simply held him.

Thor had never loved her more.

 

As soon as the doctor left, the police arrived—two uniformed officers, one young and fair, the other older and ruddy-complexioned who seemed slightly battle-weary.

“Here, now—what the devil is going on?” The young policeman surveyed the chaos in the barn, his gaze going from the injured horse to the blanket-covered body lying a few feet away.

“I think one of you had better explain,” said the older policeman.

Thor left Saber, walked over and lifted the blanket. “This man is the killer you have been seeking. The Covent Garden Murderer.”

“It's true,” Lindsey confirmed. “His name is Stephen Camden, Viscount Merrick. He killed those three women in the Covent Garden district, as well as a woman in Foxgrove.”

Leif, Gray, Krista and Coralee all came over to verify the story of what had happened in the stable, how the viscount had followed Lindsey and tried to kill her. The older policeman walked over and crouched down beside the body, saw the pitchfork Lindsey had used and one of Stephen's spent pistols.

“I think we'd best get Constable Bertram,” the officer said. “He's the man in charge of the murder investigation.” He tossed the blanket back over Stephen's face. “I'll send a wagon to pick up the body.”

The men left to fetch their superior and didn't return for several hours. After they'd gone, Krista, Leif, Corrie and the earl went home, Krista and Leif promising to stop by Lindsey's to tell her parents what had happened, where she was, and that she was safe.

Lindsey figured they probably hadn't even known she was missing from the house, but they would certainly be happy to learn their son would soon be free.

Stephen was dead, the case of the Covent Garden murders finally solved.

And Simon Beale, Lindsey discovered the following morning, was alive. A message was waiting at the house when she returned to bathe and change into fresh clothes, addressed to her from Mr. Beale. According to the note, Stephen had overheard his conversation with Thor and confronted him. Afraid for his life, Beale had fled the viscount's town house and gone into hiding. She penned a return note, telling him Stephen was dead and that he was safe.

With the statements taken from Lindsey, Thor and Beale, Constable Bertram had no choice but to search Stephen's town house. Simon Beale helpfully showed the police the drawer where Stephen kept his scarves, long pink silk ones that were certainly not the sort a gentleman would wear. And there was blood on one of them.

The scarves by themselves weren't proof enough, but combined with the attack on Lindsey and the information the investigator, Harrison Mansfield, had collected in the disappearance of Penelope Barker, there was sufficient evidence to obtain Rudy's release and the dismissal of charges against him.

The matter of the Covent Garden murders was resolved.

Only the life-and-death struggle of Thor's magnificent stallion remained.

Wearing a drab brown woolen gown, Lindsey settled herself in the straw next to Saber. She hadn't slept in three days, not since the beautiful stallion had been shot. Neither had Thor.

Lindsey looked down at the horse, stroking his long, smooth neck, whispering words of encouragement and trying to will him some of her strength. Saber made a soft rasping sound and his velvet brown eyes slowly closed. A long, deep breath whispered out.

“Saber!” Lindsey's heart constricted. The stallion was so weak and he had been in a great deal of pain. Her hand shook as she reached out to touch him, felt the warmth of his slick black coat beneath her fingers. “It's all right, boy. Everything is going to be all right.” But her chest ached at the thought that the breath he had just released might be his last.

Then the stallion dragged in a lungful of air, and relief washed through her, so potent she felt dizzy. She glanced up at the sound of footsteps and saw Thor striding toward her, his brilliant blue eyes filled with pain and fear. When he looked at her, sitting in the straw with his precious horse, there was something in his face she had never seen before.

“How is he?” Thor asked.

“I don't know. I thought he was…I thought—”

Just then Saber snorted. He looked at Thor, lifted his proud head and began struggling to get to his feet. Thor ran for the rope that controlled the sling, pulled hard enough to give the stallion the help he needed, and Saber managed to unsteadily regain his footing.

“He's standing!” Lindsey cried as Thor secured the rope to the post just tight enough to provide the support the horse needed. “Is he…do you think he's going to be all right?”

Thor hurried back to Saber. He made a quick check of his injuries and examined the pupils in each of his eyes.

“He's better, isn't he?” she asked. “He isn't going to die. He's going to get well.”

Thor smiled so brightly her heart squeezed. “Aye, I think he is.”

And as the animal stood unsteadily but now securely on all four feet, his breathing more even and his eyes no longer glazed, it was almost certain that he was going to live. Saber snorted and blew and tossed his magnificent head, sending his thick black mane into the air. He nickered long and deep, and the sound was so sweet that tears filled Lindsey's eyes.