The dim, golden warmth of the bath house was almost painful after their trek. Sarah shooed them towards the mid-heat tubs. “Strip and in.”

Evan was tending the fire. He made a point of turning his back to them and focusing on feeding wood to the flames.

Eleanor was grateful for the courtesy but still quailed. To be naked in front of Cadan? She’d never… she couldn’t… Cadan stumbled again, swaying into her. She looked up at his face and saw pain. Modesty flew out of the window as she steered him to a nearby bench and, once he was seated, undid his belt, then went to pull his tunic up and off. Cadan tried to lift his arms, but they barely moved before he dropped them again with a whimper.

The sound brought Sarah over. “What’s wrong?”

Eleanor gave her an account of Cadan’s injuries, ending with. “And I don’t know how to get these things off without hurting him.”

Sarah went to a cupboard behind the fireplace and returned with a pair of scissors. “If you cut straight, they should be easy enough to repair.”

Cadan tried to smile. “You say that, knowing my sewing?”

Sarah laid a fond hand on his head. “I say that, hoping you will do something very nice for your wife if she decides to do the mending for you.”

With that, she handed Eleanor the scissors and went to meet Matthew at the door.

Eleanor took hold of the bottom of the tunic, found what she hoped was the middle, and began to cut.

Even with the front of both the tunic and shirt open, removal wasn’t easy. The shirt had stuck to Cadan’s skin and Sarah ended up wetting it to coax the fabric off. Finally, though, he was bare from the waist up and Eleanor tried not to look as she helped him out of his boots, then hose. He clambered into the nearest tub with more speed than grace while Eleanor focused on gathering his clothes together.

The bundle was taken out of her hands and Sarah said. “You too.”

Eleanor took stock of her clothes as she removed them. The stockings were ruined, her boots needed repair and her smock and dress would need serious attention, if they could be saved at all.

She slipped into the tub next to Cadan’s and sank into the warm, welcoming water with a sigh, then a yelp, as previously unnoticed grazes on her palms and calves made themselves known. Sarah looked up from Cadan’s back. “You’ll need to wash your hair.”

Tilly appeared at the door. “I’ll help.”

She collected some pots from a shelf and handed Eleanor the cleaning paste. “You do arms and legs and things.”

With that, she unwove Eleanor’s braid, dumped several pots of water over her head and began working a different-smelling ointment into her hair. “This helps with tangles as well as cleaning.”

It was lovely to have someone tend to her, to carefully comb through her hair and ask about her adventures. Eleanor found herself recounting the whole day, with only the occasional comment from Cadan, who was clearly having a harder time of it under the sharp eye of Sarah and her tweezers.

Tilly was squeezing a towel around Eleanor’s hair by the time the story wound to a close and surprised Eleanor with a quick hug around the shoulders. “I’m so glad you’re alright. It was awful realising you were missing and could be lying somewhere hurt, or worse.”

Murmurs from nearby made her start. When had Mathew and Ingrid come in? Where there any other people lurking in the shadows?

Ingrid said. “Sounds like you’re rather taken with the Old Master’s gadgets. Do you think there’s something of value in there?”

Eleanor glanced at Evan’s back, as he continued to poke the fire. “It depends on what you think of as valuable and even if the notes can be understood, I’m sure it’ll take a lot of time and effort, especially from Evan, to get any of the devices working.”

The smith snorted. “And I’ll have precious little of either to offer this winter, the mill’s going to take more fixing than people want to think and Martha checked the castle bridge, it ain’t safe to cross. So we’re going to be dragged into fixing that for the fancy folk as well. And you can be sure they’re going to want it done yesterday.”

Ingrid hummed agreement. “Before Winterfest certainly, it’s the first time in years the Duchess and Duke have been at the Castle for it, and you know they’ll have all sorts of important people invited.”

Eleanor snorted, then bit her lip on a smile when she realised Evan had done the same. She said. “If the people of Gandry are so keen to dance at the castle, I’m sure they can help with the repairs, they’re going to have to do something to cover the mud on the river road anyway.”

Matthew stared at the floor as Tilly handed Eleanor a towel and tucked her into a dark nook to dry and dress.

Clean, dry and warmly clothed, Eleanor checked on Cadan’s back. His skin was more black and purple than pink, with a particularly dark and angry bruise covering the shoulder with the cut.

Sarah glanced across, then smiled. “You look like a bride with your hair all loose.”

Cadan’s head whipped around, his eyes widened as he took her in. “Prettiest bride I’ve ever seen.”

Evan snorted, Eleanor ignored him and ran her fingers across the stubble covering Cadan’s jaw. “I don’t think I said it before, and I should have; thank you for protecting me.”

Cadan smiled, tired but real. “Always, when you’ll let me.”

She smiled back. When had his dark eyes and scruffy cheeks become so handsome?

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