“Do ye have any rosemary down here?” she asked, glancing up from her task. The healer wagged his finger and moved swiftly to his workstation.
“Aye, I believe I do,” he said.
“I need the rosemary and basil leaves if ye have it,” she said. “It’ll help wit’ the infection.”
“And how is it ye ken so much?” he asked as he passed along the stalks of rosemary for her to pull the needles off and the basil to place on top of the wound.
“I read,” Elena said as she finished covering the wound. Her mind shifted through all the books she had read on the subject of poisons and knew she would be right on her concoction. All she could do now was pray that it worked.
“If ye want, ye can go and sleep,” Elena said, turning her attention to the healer, “I’ll stay wit’ him tonight.”
“I cannae allow that,” he said.
“I’m certain ye have had less sleep than I,” she stated as she smiled briefly at him. “Go. I’ll stay.”
The healer pulled in a long deep breath as he stretched his arms to the sky. “Aye. I think I’ll go to the library and see what I may find there. If ye daenae mind, of course.”
“Nae at all, go.”
Elena pulled a chair up next to her uncle and sat down. Her eyes were fixated on his wounded shoulder as the healer left. The moment he was gone, the room felt different. Calmer almost.
Leaning closer to her uncle, Elena stared at his features. “Yer goin’ to pull through this. Ye cannae leave the family now. We need ye to get better, do ye understand me? Please, get better.”
The night drifted on and the day swiftly came. Although Elena’s eyes were heavy, she knew she had to stay awake.
A low moan rumbled from her uncle’s lips causing her to shoot up in her chair. Her eyes widened as she watched him draw in a long deep breath. As hope filled her, she moved to the wound and began picking at the pieces of basil she had placed on him last night. The red angry streaks coursing down his arm were gone as were the black veins. Her heart skipped as she jumped up.
“Praise God,” she said, clapping her hands.
“What is it?”
Elena’s eyes shot to the doorway as Anna stepped into the room.
“Anna, what are ye doin’ here?”
“Come to check on uncle, same as ye,” she answered. “How is he?”
“I think he’ll be fine,” Elena said. “The concoction I made seems to be drawin’ the poison out. How long have ye been waitin’ by the door?”
“I came in last night,” Anna said. “I saw ye in here tendin’ to him and I ken he couldnae be in better hands. So, I waited by the door, just in case ye needed anythin’.”
“Thank ye,” Elena said as she moved around the table and drew her sister to her. Although she had her differences with Anna, she was still her sister and after going through every emotion possible, she knew she couldn’t just give up on her either.
“Where is Gabriel? I dinnae see him here?”
“He’ll be comin’ later,” Elena said. “He had a few things to tend to at home. And where is Vincent?”
Anna pulled in a long deep breath and shook her head as she shrugged. “I daenae ken. He said he had business to tend to, but that was a week ago. I have nae seen him since.”
“I came as soon as I heard the news. How is the Laird?” Anna’s frown turned into a grimace the moment Vincent stepped into the room. Elena stepped back from Anna, allowing him access to his wife, but it seemed like Anna didn’t care either way.
“He’s still very ill,” Elena answered. “But wit’ the herbs I’m givin’ him, he just might make it.”
“Of course he will,” Elena thought she heard Vincent mumble as she moved back to her uncle.
“What are ye doin’ here? I thought I told ye to wait at home?” Vincent hissed in such a low tone that Elena could barely hear.
“I’ll nae stay home when my uncle is on death’s door,” Anna answered back as she glanced over her shoulder at Elena.