Boyett-Compo Charlotte - Wind Tales 01 Read Online Free PDF Page A

massive paw on Nick's broad shoulder.
    “He's soaked through, Gilly,” Nick said with disgust. “And half-frozen into the bargain.” He shook off
    the dog's paw and shrugged out of his thick coat. After wrapping the heavy wool around the unconscious
    man on the stairs, he thrust his hands beneath the stranger's body and lifted, struggling to his feet as the
    dog reared up on its hind legs. “Get the lantern and let's get him to that room upstairs. We've got to get
    these clothes off him before he freezes to death!"
    Gillian moved almost without thought as she stooped to pick up the lantern Nick had set on the floor.
    She followed her brother up the servants’ stairs. “It must have been him I heard calling for help,” she
    said.
    “Aye,” Nick agreed. He was struggling to make it up the stairs. Lack of food, the cold, and the miles
    they'd walked through the hip-deep snow had all but taken a toll of his strength. By the time he gained the
    landing, he was panting and the dead weight lying in his arms was almost more than he could carry. “Get
    the fire roaring hot, Gilly,” he ordered.
    Gillian moved around her brother and went into the bedchamber out of which he'd come earlier. She
    swept her eyes about the vast chamber, somewhat surprised at the austerity of the place, then placed the
    lantern on the mantle before stooping to add more logs to the fire.
    “We're going to need more wood, Nick,” she said, feeling her brother come into the room. She threw
    the last log on the fire and turned to see Nick depositing the unconscious man on the floor beside the
    bed.
    “Help me strip him,” Nick asked. He flung his own coat away then set to work to pull the sodden
    lightweight jacket from the stranger. “Get his boots.” As he worked to pull the icy material of the man's
    cambric shirt away, he cursed viciously. “What the hell was he doing out in this muck with no more on
    than this?"
    “Maybe it's all he has,” Gillian remarked as she shook her head at the rundown condition of the
    stranger's boots. The heels were worn down; there were patched places on the leather soles and paper
    had been stuffed down inside the boot itself. She frowned when she noticed the holes in his socks.
    “By the gods,” Nick snarled. “The man's a gods-be-damned icicle!” He clucked at the mottled blue
    condition of the stranger's flesh. “How's his toes?"
    Gillian pulled the wet socks away then cupped the man's feet in her hand. “There doesn't appear to be
    any frostbite but they're like ice."
    “Heat some water,” Nick ordered. “We've got to bathe him. He's got pond scum all over him.” His
    hands went to the man's belt and he made quick work of the buckle and the buttons holding a pair of
    patched breeches in place.
    “He must have fallen in,” Gilly said as she set about to do as her brother asked, filling a cast iron kettle
    with water from the barrel, then placing it in the fire to heat.
    “He's alive only by the grace of Alel,” Nick growled as he tugged the breeches over the stranger's lean
    hips. His heart ached when he saw the hipbones sticking up through the taut flesh. “When was the last
    time you ate, my friend?” he whispered.
    Gillian looked around, then blushed as she saw that her brother was pulling the man's breeches off.
    Quickly, she averted her gaze. “You want me to see if I can find something to make broth from, Nicky?”
    she asked.
    “Aye, that would help,” her brother agreed. “If we're to save this one, he'll need more nourishment than
    he's been getting of late.” He glanced over at his sister. “He's fair starved, Gilly."
    Spying another lantern, Gillian retrieved it, lit the wick, then told her brother she was going down to the
    kitchen. “I'll bring in some more wood, too.” She saw Nick nod absently.
    Brownie had been sitting in the doorway of the bedchamber, avidly watching her master being cared for.
    At the female's approach, she stood up, wagged her tail once, then