A Servant's Security

Chapter 14

(John's POV) 

"Bailiff Richard, I don't like the way you are harassing my servant." John gave Richard his most serious glare. "You are never to touch her again. Is that understood?"

"Yes, my lord. But her family-"

"I am well aware of what they did. She has accepted the punishment of her entire family, and I don't want you to harass her about it."

"Her brother promised her to me. If she were the submissive sister she ought to be-"

"Not only do I never want to see you touching my servant again, I don't want you to go near her. Have I made myself clear?"

"Perfectly, my lord. Forgive me. I swear it will never be a problem again." The bailiff's gaze turned to the floor, but John caught the defiance in Richard's eye.

"You may go, unless you have something else to say to me." John fought the urge to fire him right then and there. The sight of him touching Isabel, and her cringing, was still branded on his mind.

"No, my lord." He bowed and left.

John reflected over what the bailiff had said about the girl that she was not to be trusted. He realized his bailiff was a liar. But that wasn't the only reason he didn't believe what the bailiff said. After seeing how kind Isabel was, John couldn't help but think he had misjudged her.

He groaned. The last thing he wanted to do was think well of this girl. It seemed that he was seeing her, hearing her, and saving her, everywhere he went. She was on his mind all the time.

But eventually this girl would show her share of faults, right? Then he would cease to think of her at all. 

(Isabel's POV)

Isabel woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of muffled yells from outside. She sat up in bed. What could be happening in the middle of the night to cause such a commotion?

The door flew open, revealing a man. His shoulders heaved up and down as he gasped for breath.

"Fire! Come and help us!"

Then he disappeared. Frightened squeals and gasps filled the room as several girls scrambled out of bed. Isabel jumped out of bed and ran outside with bare feet.

Bright red-orange sparks shot into the front from the barn roof. Men ran back and forth carrying buckets of water. A line began forming between the well and the barn. Isabel ran towards it and filled a space between two men, passing buckets from one side to the other. A worker named Dustin dashed from the front to the end of the line, carrying empty buckets with determination.

The group's efforts to put out the flames seemed hopeless. The roof was completely covered, and the inside of the barn was being completely destroyed.

Dustin came to a stop near Isabel and Bailiff Richard, who stood nearby. With labored breath, Dustin said, "Many of the beams have given way. I don't think we could save anything inside."

"Is everyone out?" Bailiff Richard stared at the burning building. The enormous barn not only held the sheep and the barley harvest, but many of the workers Lord Goodwin hired to build his house, who slept at the opposite end from the animals. 

"Everyone's out," a man told Bailiff Richard, "except Lord Goodwin. I haven't seen him since I first grabbed a bucket."

Dustin yelled. "Has anyone seen Lord Goodwin?"

"No," one man said.

"He went to go save the sheep." another man said.

Dustin's eyes darted to the barn. He ran and soon disappeared around the other side of the building.

Isabel left the line of men, who were still passing the buckets from hand to hand, and followed the path Dustin had taken. 

She came around the back side of the back side of the barn and nearly ran into Lord Goodwin and Dustin. Lord Goodwin's arm was around Dustin's shoulders as he seemed barely able to stay on his feet. Her lord looked at her alarmed. "Isabel! What are you doing? Where are you going?"

"I was looking for you." Her mouth fell open as she got a better look at him. "Are you hurt?"

His hair stuck out in all directions, and his face was streaked with soot and sweat. He looked as if he went into the fire.

"I am well. The sheep are all safe."

Isabel's gaze traveled down from his head and stopped at his arm. His sleeve, most of it burned away, hung from his elbow. His left forearm was covered with blisters. A lump formed in her throat as she imagined the pain she was feeling.

She tried to look into his face, to see his expression. Just then he swayed.

"We must get you back to the house and tend your burns at once."

He swayed again as he and Dustin started forward, walking slowly, making their way to the house.

Several men hurried towards them, asking questions.

"Leave me be." The lord's harsh tone stopped them cold.

Isabel remembered what her mother had done when Adam had badly burned his hand. "He needs water," she told Dustin. "At least two buckets."

"I'll go get the water." Dustin said. "You help Lord Goodwin into the house." He lifted the lord's good arm from his shoulders and placed it on Isabel's. Then he hurried away towards the well.

Lord Goodwin leaned heavily on Isabel as they walked. Neither of them said a word. She suspected the lord was silent because of the pain, and she was concentrating on getting him to the house. He was quite heavy, and she stumbled a couple of times in the dark, but she was thankful he seemed to grow a bit steadier as they moved along.

When they reached the steps of the house, which were two narrow to hold two people side by side, Lord Goodwin stepped away from her.

"I shall go first," he said, "unless you're afraid I might fall backward and crush you."

The glow of the fire illuminated his face enough that she could see the corner of his mouth turned up, showing that he was joking.

"Perhaps I will be able to step aside in time to avoid being crushed." She lifted her eyebrows.

"Shouldn't you have said, 'It would be a privilege to break the fall, my lord'?"

A strange time for a sense of humor, but perhaps it took his mind off the pain. "Yes, my lord. Now hurry. We must get you arm in cool water."

"As you wish." he started up the steps.

She followed his slow progress.

"Lord Goodwin!"

Isabel and the lord stopped and looked behind them. Miss Elizabeth came panting across the yard with a pitcher in her hand.

"Is that water from the well?" he asked her.

"Yes, my lord." Isabel went down the steps and took the pitcher from Miss Elizabeth, whose eyes were full of tears.

"Dustin is bringing two more buckets. Do you know what to do for a bad burn?" Miss Elizabeth asked Isabel.

Isabel nodded. "We'll need some clean bandages."

"I'll get them right away."