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fallen into her lap when she sat up. As she picked it up, she only now
absorbed the fact that her hands and feet had been untied, and the
shirt had been draped over her. Did Hager really try to kill me? she
wondered. Or did he just pretend to? Either way, I ll find them all, no
matter how long it takes, and they ll pay for what they ve done to me.
I swear it.
Bren slipped the shirt on backward, affording her a bit of
modesty. She crawled to where her trousers had been thrown. Every
movement of her legs sent rivers of agony to meet the aches swirling
around her head. She decided to forgo the drawers. Just donning the
trousers would be a struggle. Her mending leg was swollen from the
kick the sergeant had delivered. By God, it hurt enough to be
rebroken. She was astonished that she could isolate one pain from
another.
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THE WAR BETWEEN THE HEARTS
It took a long time to pull on her trousers, and her breath came in
gasps by the time she finished. She gazed around slowly, and her look
fell on the splints that had been cut away. She managed to collect
them and use strips torn from the drawers to tie them back into place.
The rest of the garment she tucked into her waistband, knowing it
would be useful for cleaning herself. A further search of the ground
nearby turned up a fallen branch that could serve as a crude crutch.
Using the branch and a tree to push against for balance, Bren
struggled to her feet, waited for her initial dizziness to diminish, and
took stock of the terrain. From her earlier travels to Cranston, she
remembered a stream just south of this area. She also remembered the
tavern where Leah worked was at the south end of town. Leah might
be willing to help her. It was worth a try. She muttered her mantra, I
can do this, calling upon reserves of strength as she hobbled
painfully toward the stream to wash herself. She could barely hear her
own words. Her right eardrum must have been damaged by the
musket blast.
At the bank of the stream, she sank to her knees and took a good
look at her reflection. Bile rose in her throat, and she gagged.
Quickly, she tore a swatch of cloth from the drawers, folded it, and
slapped it into the water, dispersing the damaged likeness. She bent
over the stream and laid the cloth against the burned area of her head
and face. Moaning with the pain, she held the cloth still, and
eventually its coolness provided a measure of relief. After a while,
she lifted it away, dipped it back into the water, and washed the blood
from her forehead. She wanted to clean her whole body to rid it of the
filth from what they had done. She removed her shirt and laid it
beside her. Her hands shook as she unbuttoned her trousers. With a
weak push, she worked them down to her knees and washed as well
as she could. When she finished and re-dressed, she sat beside the
stream, clasped her arms tightly around her body, and cried. At last,
she forced herself to accept a stark reality. Sarah-Bren Coulter would
never be or look the same again.
Those soldiers would answer for that.
Amy knew she was supposed to stay inside after dark, but Mama
was taking a nap, and she didn t want to wake her. It would take only
a minute to run outside and get her dolly Ree-Ree. Amy felt bad
about leaving Ree-Ree outside, especially because her dolly was
afraid of the dark. She pulled a kitchen chair over to the door,
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NANN DUNNE
climbed up on it, and lifted the latch. After pushing the chair back
into place, she opened the street-level door and looked back and forth.
She didn t see anyone moving in the alley beyond the door, so she
slipped out, leaving the door ajar. She knew exactly where she had
left Ree-Ree. The spot was only a few steps away, and she moved
toward it. Sure enough, the doll was there, and Amy picked her up
and hugged her to her chest.
Amy.
The little girl jumped at the whisper of her name, and her gaze
flitted toward the sound. She backed toward the door, holding Ree-
Ree even more tightly.
Don t be afraid, honey. It s Bren, the soldier. Remember you
gave me some pretend food a long while ago when I was sitting on
the steps with your mama? Go get her, please. Tell her I need her.
Amy remembered the big soldier who had played breakfast
with her, and she took a step forward.
No, Amy, the voice continued. I m hurt. Please, just go get
your mama.
Oh. Amy drew in a quick breath. All right. She turned and
ran through the open door.
A few moments later, Leah came out, straightening the waist of
the blue calico dress she wore. Amy followed until Leah stopped her
and sent her back into the house.
Bren? Leah squinted into the shadows, raking her gaze along
the alley. Where are you?
Over here. I m injured. I need help.
One of the shadows grew taller, and Leah saw someone lurching
toward her. She hurried to Bren s side, slipped Bren s arm over her
own shoulder, and helped her toward the door. Bren leaned on her
heavily while using a branch to balance some of the weight. They
stumbled as far as the kitchen, and Leah eased Bren into one of the
chairs, took the branch from her, and leaned it against a counter.
Bren placed an elbow on the table and rested one side of her
head against her palm. Her hair had fallen forward and partly
obscured her face, but now she lifted her chin, and Leah looked at
her.
One hand flew to Leah s mouth, and she gasped. The woman in
front of her looked hideous. An inch-long wound, still seeping blood,
was evident on the right side of her forehead. Her skin was burned
and blistered from the top curve of her forehead, down along the very
edge of her eye to the bottom of her earlobe. Her right eyebrow and
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THE WAR BETWEEN THE HEARTS
eyelashes were gone, and only charred stubble remained of the hair
bordering the burned skin. Bren wore her shirt backward, and Leah
realized that was because the front of it had been sliced open. There
must be something wrong with her leg, too, since she had such
trouble walking.
Leah sat down beside Bren and rested a hand on her arm. My
God, what happened to you? You need a doctor.
No. No doctor. Please. No one can know I m here. Bren s arm
slipped, and she barely caught herself before her head hit the table.
Leah rose and hurried to grab her. You poor thing, you re
exhausted. Let me help you over to the bed. You can tell me
everything after you get rested up. She handed Bren the branch,
helped her rise, and led her to a narrow bed in a small room off the
kitchen. She sat Bren on the edge of the bed and noticed for the first
time that she wore no shoes and one foot was swollen. Let Amy get
you a nightshirt. You need to sleep, and we can clean you up in the
morning.
As soon as Leah said nightshirt, Amy ran from the room and
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