Count Governal#Wattys2016

Chapter 12

One more chapter to go then its over...

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William dropped to his knees, his eyes on Constance. She watched in horror as his shirt began staining red. Her eyes looked ahead to see Jasmine holding his saber. His now lifeless body dropped to the ground, his eyes still open holding that menacing look.

Her mind skipped past him, 'Dorian,' she jumped over his body, ignoring the pain ripping through her body. She ran down the stairs, across the hallway, leaving a trail of blood as her hand slid on the railing, down more stairs and out the front door. It was already open and Cassius was standing with a black horse, trying to calm it down, as if he knew his master had just fallen. She ran past him and found a small path leading behind the manor. His body was laying on the concrete still. A pool of blood gathering around his head, slow and heavy. She dropped beside him pulling away the brocks that had landed on his chest, 'Dorian,' she lifted his head. Dorian please be alive. Please do not die Dorian.' She pushed his hair away from his face. 'Dorian,' she shook him gently.

Jasmine and Cassius came around the corner of the house and stood a fair distance away. Jasmine knew there was now nothing they could do for Dorian. He had died doing the one thing he swore he would always do, protect. William was long dead and she had already sent a message out to reach the Duke by morning. His son had taken too much of the bottle and come to the Governal manor in a stupor and attacked Dorian and Constance. She knew he would send his men to be sure and a dead body and a wounded woman was what they would find.

Constance was now sobbing. Her body shaking underneath the rain cover. Dorian lay limp in her arms. 'Dorian,' she whispered, 'please. I found the man that will keep me safe from William, it's you Dorian. I admit I am afraid of what you become but I love you Dorian. Please do not leave me.'

He stirred in her arms, letting out a soft groan. 'Dorian,' she looked at Jasmine, 'Jasmine, Cassius. He is alive, come quickly, let us get him inside

They moved the bricks laying over his legs and Cassius lifted him up with Jasmine's help. They were all soaking leaving a trail of water behind them as they entered the manor. The rain was falling hard and hitting the concrete outside with a force, thunder was rolling across the skies and the lightning lighting up the night.

They reached the doors of Dorian's chambers and Constance tried with all her might to push them open but she couldn't. 'Is William asleep?

'Yes, Miss,' Jasmine spoke under the weight of Dorian on her shoulder, 'he is in my quarters. I heard the fuss and moved him.

'Let us take him to my chambers. Jasmine we shall need some hot water and towels, many towels.' They set Dorian onto her bed and Jasmine left with Cassius to fetch water and towels. Constance climbed onto the bed beside Dorian and began pulling away his clothes not caring about propriety. She unbuttoned his shirt, pulling it off as carefully as she could.

She saw the lash of William's sword on his chest, it had blood pasted around it, she inspected it closer and was glad it was not too deep a wound. She turned him over so he was on his side to check for any other wounds, the hair on the back of his head was coated with blood. She touched it and felt the skin underneath move beneath her fingers. 'No,' she breathed.

Jasmine and Cassius came back in with a pot of hot water and towels. Constance immediately got to work. She had helped her son when he was unwell or hurt, she knew what to do. She dipped the corner of the towel into the water and passed it over the wound on his chest, cleaning the blood around it before placing the steaming cloth on top of the wound itself. Dorian stirred again, his brows creased like he was in pain but he did not wake up. She repeated her action on the wound three times until she was confident it was clean, she then moved onto his head she wiped away the blood on his hair, 'Is there a razor close by?'

'Excuse me Miss?'

'A razor. I need to shave his hair, there is a wound underneath.'

Miss,' Jasmine spoke quietly, 'there is no helping master Dorian.'

Constance stopped what she was doing, 'why ever would you say that?'

'Miss, his grandfather died the same way.'

'He fell from that height?'

'Yes Miss, that is why the top level of the house is sealed off. The Countess wanted no one to go up there.'

'Then why did you entertain Dorian's presence there?' her panicked voice rang with anger

'He felt it safer to be away from us when he turned.'

She looked at him, his face so peaceful and handsome, 'No, he is not dead.'

'Miss,'

'Jasmine, if you are not going to help I suggest you leave us, Cassius get me a razor, I need to shave this hair now.' Cassius looked at his mother then back at Constance, she shot the boy a glare that sent him running from the room.

He returned with a razor and a burning candle. 'Here,'

'Heat the razor and give it to me,' he did as he told. Constance turned Dorian's head slightly so she was able to shave off his hair careful not to dislodge the loose skin. When she had shaved off enough to see, his skin was folded and dislodged from the rest of it she wiped it slowly with the hot cloth. 'Do you have any thread, we need to right this wound and seal it so it may heal,' the room was silent. 'Do we?' Constance yelled.

'Yes Miss,' Jasmine spoke.

'Go get them, hurry. Cassius hold that lamp closer so I can see.'

He picked up the lamp and held it closer to her and gasped, 'Miss you are bleeding.'

'I will be fine for now we need to focus on your master.'

'But Miss,'

'If he dies Cassius you will be out of work. William lost his life in this household no one will hire you or your mother. So hold the lamp and pray he is still alive.'

Jasmine returned thread and a needle and strips of cloth, 'here Miss.'

She watched Constance work. She threaded the needle and carefully set the piece of loose skin right before she started stitching. When Dorian would stir under her touch she would stop, but only for a moment before she resumed her work. When she was done and satisfied it would hold tied she took the strips of cloth Jasmine had brought for her and tied one around his abdomen with the help of Cassius and secured it in a knot. She moved to his head, first folding pieces of cloth and held them in place then took a longer strip and tied it around his head.

She took the towel and began wiping away the mud from his face. She cleaned his hands and the exposed skin on his chest. 'Cassius, remove his trousers please and put him into something dry. If he survives the fall we do not want him to die from a cold.

She left the room with Jasmine only to feel pain wash over her. She collapsed against the railing.

'Miss, you too need help.'

'Dorian first Jasmine, then me.'

'If my master survives Miss only to discover I let you die,'

'I am fine Jasmine.'

'No you are not, let us help you up,' she helped Constance to her feet and led her down the hallway. She seated her on the stairs and took a look at her wound. Unlike Dorian's hers was a hole in her side, 'it's not too deep Miss. I will call for the doctor in the morning. What you need is a little whiskey.'

'Excuse me?'

'To clean out the wound.'

'Of course,' Constance shot up, 'bring some whiskey for Dorian.'

'My oh my, these children.'