Page 26 of For the Love of the Quest

“I’m sorry,” Edith said, twisting her lips to one side. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Thomasin threw up her hands. “What did you think would happen? That it would just heal on its own? Or that you’d die, and I’d just leave your body on the side of the road and say, ‘Oh well, it was fun while it lasted!’ ”

“I don’t know, I guess I didn’t really let myself think too much about it. I just didn’t want to bother you.”

“Botherme?” Thomasin reared back in confusion. “You were actively dying of an infection, and you were worried about how it would affectme?”

Edith shrugged defensively. “I just figured that if I caused problems, I’d be more trouble than I was worth, and then you’d leave.”

Thomasin wondered what in the hell had happened for Edith to get the idea in her head that someone would leave her the second she needed something, even if it was through no fault of her own.

“Edith, you took that arrowforme. Nothing you could have done would have bothered me. Except not telling me!”

“You really care that much?”

Thomasin’s heart sank at the bewildered expression on Edith’s face. “You’re my friend. I don’t want to see you hurt, and I certainly don’t want to see you die.”

A soft smile tipped up the corners of Edith’s mouth. “You’re my friend too.”

The anger inside Thomasin’s stomach deflated, and her shoulders relaxed. She came around to sit on the side of the bed. She took Edith’s hand between her own. “Then promise me that if anything life-threatening happens to you, you’ll let me help.”

The tips of Edith’s finger curled around Thomasin’s hand. Her index finger stroked the side of Thomasin’s thumb. Thomasin pretended the simple touch didn’t send tingles down her spine.

“I promise,” Edith said. “And thank you for taking such good care of me.”

“Any time, you ridiculous girl.”

Edith rolled her eyes but smiled all the same. A moment later, her nose wrinkled, and the smile tightened into a grimace. “Why does it smell like lettuce in here?”

“There’s just no pleasing you,” Thomasin joked.

“I didn’t say it was bad! It’s certainly better than burning flesh.” Edith’s eyes widened as she said it.

“I agree wholeheartedly.” Thomasin rounded the bed and flopped down next to Edith. “Whoops, my bad,” she added when Edith winced, the movement jostling her.

Edith waved away the apology and settled back into the pillow. “We’re still on the quest, right?”

“Of course we are.”

“So, when are we leaving? We have a map to follow.” Her cheeks flushed with excitement, and Thomasin was all too happy to see the color return to her previously deathly pale skin.

“When you’re not on the brink of death anymore.”

Edith dramatically checked her own pulse. “I’m good. Let’s go.”

Thomasin shuffled her shoulders down the headboard until she was lying flat atop the covers. She crossed her arms over her chest and closed her eyes. “We’ll leave whenI’mnot on the brink of death.”

She felt Edith’s hand on her shoulder and ignored her as Edith shook her arm impatiently. “You weren’t even a little injured!”

“Yes, I was.”

The touch disappeared immediately. Thomasin cracked open an eye to see Edith staring down at her, stricken. “You’re hurt? Was it the highwaymen?”

“No, it was a far more cunning enemy.”

Edith’s brow dropped into a flat, scrunched-up line. “What happened? What did I miss?”

Thomasin propped herself up on an elbow and leaned over to Edith’s side of the bed. She pinned her with a severe gaze. “See, this friend of mine was so stupidly reckless with her own life, I nearly had a heart attack from worrying about her.”