He held her hand in both of his, trying to impart his warmth to her. Truly, he could not tell if she was breathing at all.
He suddenly remembered something.
He’d once seen a Saracen healer approach a knight who had stopped breathing after falling from his horse. He pounded his chest, then pinched his nose and blew into his mouth. The knight had suddenly started breathing again.
He could not bear to strike the woman’s chest, but since Ysabeau was speaking to Sir Oswalt behind him, perhaps they would not notice if he followed the Saracen healer’s example and breathed into her mouth.
He bent over Princess Elyce’s still form and started to touch his lips to hers.
But this wasn’t right. He had to pinch her nose first and then blow. That should get some breath into her lungs, shouldn’t it? It had worked with the knight.
Still hearing Ysabeau and Oswalt talking behind him, he pinched the princess’s nostrils closed, then leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers.
Before he could breathe into her mouth, she sucked in an audible breath. He jerked back.
The princess was staring at him with wide, horrified eyes.
Four
Elyce was lying on her back and something, or someone, was pinching her nose.
She opened her eyes to see a man leaning over, his eyes closed, and he looked as if . . . he was about to . . .
Kiss her!
Elyce turned her head and sucked in a horrified breath. Through her mouth, since he was holding her nose closed.
The man drew back, startled.
“What do you think you are doing? Get away.” Her voice was hoarse and her throat hurt.
“Forgive me,” he said.
How dare he touch her! She sputtered, “S-stay away from me. Who are you? Wha— Where is Ysabeau?” And why were her arms so weak? She wanted to hold up her hands to fend him off, lest he come at her again, but she could barely move.
“You’re alive!” Ysabeau rushed to her side as the man moved away.
And then it all came to her. She had drunk the sleeping potion and fallen asleep.
Ysabeau’s smile was as wide as she’d ever seen it. Why was she happy? And she needed water. She was so thirsty.
“How long have I been asleep?”
“Three days. You were supposed to wake up this morning, and I was extremely worried.”
Elyce glanced at the window. By the amount of sunlight coming in, it had to be late afternoon.
“Don’t cry, Ysa.” She tried to reach out and pat her friend’s shoulder, but she could barely lift her arm an inch off the bed. “May I have some water?” Her throat was on fire.
“Of course.” Ysabeau grabbed the water pitcher and poured a cup and held it to Elyce’s lips.
Elyce drank the entire cup.
“I tried to give you water, but I don’t think you were able to swallow much, if any, of it. You did not respond to me at all, not even this morning when you were supposed to wake up.” Ysabeau was crying. Poor girl.
“It’s all right now.”
“But your father’s physician realized you weren’t dead,” Ysabeau whispered. “And King Claude brought in his physicians. They all tried to revive you. They tried to send me out of the room, but I refused to go. I stayed right here the whole time.”
“Thank you, Ysabeau. I am so grateful to you.”
“How do you feel? What do you need?”
“I am very weak, but I suppose that is to be expected. Perhaps I need to eat something.”
“You look a bit feverish. Your cheeks are red.” She felt Elyce’s forehead. “You are warm, much warmer than you were yesterday.”
“I do feel feverish, and I have a tremendous headache. But I think I will be well if I can drink and eat a bit. Will you help me sit up?”
Ysabeau turned and said over her shoulder, “Can you help me lift her?”
The man who had touched his lips to hers came toward her.
“No! Not him!”
He immediately stepped back.
“Who is that?” she demanded of Ysabeau.
“He is a knight, Sir Gerard. He is Delia’s brother.”
“Delia’s brother?” Oh yes. Delia had mentioned something about him. “Why is he here?” She lowered her voice, but she was sure he could hear her.
“He and his fellow knight, Sir Oswalt, came to help you. Delia was very concerned for you after your last letter.”
“But why . . .” She motioned Ysabeau closer. Her friend leaned down to let her whisper in her ear. “Why was he kissing me? Why did you allow him to take advantage of my weak state?”
“Please forgive me, Your Highness,” Sir Gerard said, once again stepping toward her. “Ysabeau was very concerned for you, so I was trying something I saw a Saracen healer do when a knight was knocked off his horse. He wasn’t breathing, so the healer pinched his nose and blew into his mouth—”
“You blew into my mouth?”
“Well, no, not exactly. I—”
“How dare you! You are not a healer. And I don’t know you.”
“I was only trying to help.”
This man should be apologizing, not trying to justify his actions! She had never kissed a man before. She’d always intended her first kiss to be with her husband when their betrothal was arranged. This man had just stolen that from her and all he could do was make excuses.
“I believe he truly was only trying to help,” Ysabeau said quietly.
“Well, he should not have—did not have the right to . . . to be so familiar.”
She glanced back at the man. His jaw twitched and his arms were crossed over his chest.
“Do you want to forget about the plan?” Ysabeau said softly. “The physicians could be back any moment.”
“No.” Elyce had to make this work. “We can still go. Where is Jacob?”
“He is nearby.” Ysabeau glanced over her shoulder.
“Do these knights know everything?”
“I told them. I trusted Sir Gerard because he is your friend’s brother, and I was so distraught.”
“It cannot be helped. We must swear them to secrecy and go.”
“I think it would be better to take them with us,” Ysabeau said. “We will need their protection.”
She saw the reason in Ysabeau’s suggestion, but she didn’t trust the man who had pressed his lips to hers without her permission.
Ysabeau whispered, “We will surely be followed. I know you are angry that he touched you, but he did revive you.”
“Revive me? He pinched my nose! I woke up on my own. And he . . . he violated my dignity. He should not have touched me. He is not a physician, and he had no idea what he was doing.”
“I know he embarrassed you, but since he is your friend’s brother, and since he did come here to help us, I believe we can trust him. Besides, you are weak. I doubt you can even walk. And Jacob cannot carry you far.”
“Of course I can walk. Help me up.”
“Eat something first.” Ysabeau’s expression was pained.
Elyce grabbed a pasty that was on a linen napkin at her bedside and shoved it in her mouth. As soon as she swallowed the bite, she took a drink of water, then a sip of watered-down wine, hoping it would keep her from feeling sick. She took a couple more bites before lifting the four corners of the linen and wrapping the food inside.