Elias heard a small, slight sound and turned to find Lily sniffling. He longed to get up and go to her, but he stayed where he was.
“We must find a remedy for this, Richard,” she told her husband on a shaky voice.
Aye, Elias agreed. Richard Bennett seemed like an intelligent man. Hell, he was an apothecary! If anyone could find a remedy, it was he. “Richard,” he said, turning to him. “How long d’ye think ‘twould take the Black Death to get here?”
The apothecary shook his head. “Who can say? We will hear of it if it hits London, then it could be a matter of days. It depends on many, many things.”
Elias wouldn’t back down from it. “Whatever ye need from me or Simon, simply give the word and we are yers.”
He looked to Simon sitting across the table. His friend nodded in agreement. Elias knew he would or he wouldn’t have volunteered him. If this thing hits London, he will no doubt demand that they leave and return home to Invergarry where Elias would be safe behind the walls of the MacPherson stronghold.
But Simon would never leave him. He had faced death rather than leave Elias’ side plenty of times before. This would be no different. It wasn’t that the brother was fearless, though more times than not Elias believed he was. Simon simply would not leave him in any situation he deemed dangerous. It seemed the annoying habit began when Elias was two and Simon, recently rescued from his torturous English master by Elias’ father, had been asked to keep an eye on Elias for a few moments. Elias had found him at his side often after that, either when fighting a lad who was bigger than he or on a battlefield.
Elias smiled at him and then turned back to Richard.
“All right then, lad,” the apothecary said and patted Elias on the back. “I will put you both to work when we get back home and await our supper.”
“There is nothing more to be discussed here,” said Osbert, pushing his high-backed chair away from the table. “If I hear another word, you can rest assured that I will let you all know.”
They bid one another good eve and left the reeve’s large manor house. Elias turned back when he saw that Lily wasn’t with them. He found her sharing a few last words with Osbert’s wife.
When he turned forward once again, he found Simon watching him, and with him, Richard the apothecary.
Elias didn’t know what to do. He wanted to hang his head. He liked Richard. He didn’t want to do this. He didn’t want to be here. He would help the apothecary move everything, anywhere he wanted it and back again, and then Elias would go home.
“Martin,” Lily called out, catching up with the men. “Did you drink the tea Joan made for you yet?”
“Aye, Lily,” Martin told her. “’Twas foul, indeed.”
She waited a moment, then asked, “How do your bones feel?”
He blinked then twirled his ankle and bent both knees. He smiled and nodded. “Better. They pained me when I left to come here and I forgot all about them until now. My bones feel better.”
Elias couldn’t help but watch her when her husband asked her what she gave him and her wide smile when he nodded and told her she was correct. “You told him to drink it with—”
“—vinegar and water, aye.”
“Aye,” the apothecary smiled proudly at her. She beamed in response.
“Stop smiling, Eli,” Simon said quietly beside him. “We spoke about this on the way to the inn. Have you forgotten already? She is married, little brother. She is bound to someone else whether you like it or not. You will not tease or tempt her to betrayal. That is not the man you are. Aye?”
“She is enchantin’,” Elias whispered, his gaze fastened to her while she offered Martin a handful of dried mint leaves for his next dose of tea.
“Do not put the mint in the tea, Martin. Put some in your mouth and chew it after drinking the tea.”
“Eli.” Simon elbowed him in the ribs. “We shouldn’t stay. If you want to help a village, let us go to the next one.”
Elias swallowed his heart. Would the Black Death come here? Was there still time to go? Mayhap they could outrun this thing and make it back to Invergarry before the pestilence. Mayhap he could take Lily and Richard Bennett home with him. “I need to help them first, and then we will go home, old friend.”
“You want to save her,” Simon said in an accusatory tone.
“Iwillsave her if the Black Death comes here. I will—”
He wasn’t prepared for Simon, older than Elias by eighteen years, to grasp him by the collar of his léine beneath his plaid and drag him away from the others. “You will what? What will you do against a sickness that is killing everyone?”
Elias stared into his friend’s dark green eyes. “I will pray.”
Simon nodded. He said nothing as he let go of Elias’ plaid and stepped back.