The Sapphire Broach

Chapter 22 (rough draft)

Kenric held onto Ivy's arm, even though he knew he was too weak to stop her if she refused to listen to him—again. He had to make her see that keeping Carl from imprisonment wasn't worth risking her own life. Those soldiers might not know that she was a wanted woman now, but they would find out soon enough once they had her. It did not seem likely, either, that she would have any way of stopping Carl's arrest anyway. If she opened her mouth, there would be two people—or even three when they found him in the bed too—imprisoned instead of just one.

Ivy let out a tormented huff of air, then leaned against him, as though holding her tongue was the hardest thing she had ever done. And it might have been.

"Carl!" Bonnie's cry brought a small sob from Ivy.

Kenric rubbed her arm.

"Papa!" Tommy must have come from the field at some point. His call for his father nearly did Ivy in. Kenric felt her shudder against him and she nuzzled her head through the pillows until it came to rest on his shoulder.

He nearly jumped from the bed at that point, too, except he knew he couldn't. His strength was spent and even then he felt himself drift between sleep and wakefulness even though he knew the dangers of the situation.

"Take care of your mother, Tommy!" Carl's voice faded. The soldiers must have dragged him away.

"No!" Ivy threw herself from the bed, and Kenric was powerless to stop her. Her movement shifted the pillows off his face, yet he could hardly keep his eyes open to see what happened to her.

He saw Bonnie, with tears streaming down her cheeks run to the door and slam it shut before Ivy could reach it.

"Bonnie, no!" Ivy tried to open the door. "We have to stop them! They cannot take Carl!"

"Ivy!" Bonnie shook Ivy's shoulders. "You are the only one who can save him, but not like this!"

Ivy was the only one who could save Carl? That made no sense. How could Ivy save—? He was asleep before he could think on it any more.

***

Kenric awoke several hours later and found Ivy, Bonnie, and Tommy eating at the table in silence.

"Forgive me for not being stronger, Bonnie," he said. They all turned toward him.

"Oh, Kenric, no. You would not have been able to stop them even if you were well." She sniffled and looked away. "What is done is done. He will be free again soon enough." She glanced at Ivy, and Kenric remembered her words to Ivy before he passed out.

"What did you mean that Ivy could save him?" he asked.

The women looked at each other and something passed between them.

"I am not sure what you mean, Kenric," Bonnie said. "I was rather upset when they took him and I am not entirely sure what I may have said."

Kenric frowned. He had not imagined those words . . . or had he?

"Here." Ivy ladled soup into a bowl and brought it to him. Bonnie helped prop him up, then he joined their silent meal.

Darkness closed in and Ivy lit a lantern. Still no one spoke. With nothing else to do, Kenric let himself fall back asleep and awoke feeling stronger in the morning.

That day he finally sat up on his own with only a minor amount of wincing. He even shaved for the first time in over a week, but could still not managed to get out of bed. He felt ridiculous sitting there in Bonnie and Carl's bed while everyone else worked harder to compensate for the loss of Carl.