Chapter 64

Femme had dimmed the lights, but I could still see how pale Mark’s face was. A blanket covered him from collarbone to his toes, and I moved it carefully. The wound on his arm was neatly bandaged, but his thigh... I shuddered at the blood that oozed through the gauze.

I replaced the blanket, drew a chair close to the stretcher, and sank down on it. Behind us Reuben’s breathing became stentorian, but de Becque could worry about his own lover.

“It took me so long to find you,” I whispered as I laid my head down beside Mark’s shoulder and reached across to hold him, taking care to avoid the injury on his arm. “Don’t make me have to go on without you.”

“M’sieurMann. M’sieurMann, you must wake up. You’re in the way, and I can’t examine M’sieurVincent with you draped all over him.”