Scarlett by Kathleen Ball

Author:Kathleen Ball [Ball, Kathleen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-07-19T04:00:00+00:00

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Mortified was the only word that came to mind as she lay there with her skirts up high on her thighs. Scarlett wanted to hide away from it all. Olga and Elda were useless, and Dillon seemed furious. Her leg had hurt but she didn’t think it was becoming infected. Tears pricked at the back of her eyes. She felt a bit lightheaded and very confused. What had happened to her burgundy dress? Why was the one Elda left for her to wear stained?

It was her own fault. Perhaps she did need to be nicer. But what if she was nice and people still didn’t like her? After all, what was there to like? The parents she had been born to had never paid her any mind. She hadn’t been good enough for them to want to spend time with. Then they went to heaven without her.

Elda brought in the hot water and a cloth. “Well look at you with your skirts up. I always thought you were a light skirt.” She chuckled. “I bet it’ll hurt something awful. I’m glad it’s not me.”

“Elda, that’s enough.” Dillon said sternly. “Please leave us until I ask for the knife. I want to talk to my wife.”

Elda’s expression turned sour before she turned and walked away.

“Dillon?”

“Scarlett, why didn’t you tell me you’re in so much pain? It must hurt dreadfully. Most of your laudanum is gone.” He actually sounded concerned.

“It hurts, but I haven’t been taking laudanum after the first three days. Only when you came home at night. I was afraid of hurting my ankle more if it didn’t pain me. I was afraid I’d forget it was sprained and try to walk on it. It gave me a headache.”

His brow furrowed.

“What’s wrong?”

Dillon pulled a chair up to the bed and looked her leg over again. He dipped the cloth into the steaming water and then set the cloth on the wound.

“Ouch,” Scarlett balled her hands in the bed covers and tried to stay still. Her body began to shake.

“I know it hurts, love. I’m sorry. I should have checked your leg daily. I could have avoided all this pain for you.”

He took the cloth off, rinsed it in the water, and set it on her leg again.

She could hardly catch her breath. “The pain is going to get worse before it gets better, isn’t it?”

“I’m afraid so. Are you sure about the laudanum? I wouldn’t judge you if you’d used it all.”

“I didn’t.”

He nodded. “I believe you.”

Olga came in and handed him a bottle of whiskey and a glass. He didn’t bother to thank her, and she quickly left.

“Don’t go far. I’m going to need someone to hold her down in a bit,” he yelled loud enough to be probably heard throughout the house. He splashed a bit of the dark amber liquid into a glass and put it on the table. Then he put a pillow under Scarlett’s head and handed her the glass. “Drink it down. It’ll help with the pain.

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