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"And heUntil her mother said, "But not yet"

Honoria stared at her mother in shock She could not remember the last time she’d heard her speak with such decisiveness When Daniel had fled the country, he’d taken a piece of their mother with him She’d been utterly lost, unable to cohter It was al herself to make any decisions, because to do so would mean that she accepted her life as it noith her only son gone, possibly forever

But maybe all she had needed was a reason to wake up A critical moment

Maybe she’d needed to be needed

"Stand back," Lady Winstead said, pushing up her sleeves

Honoria stepped aside, trying to ignore the tiny pang of jealousy that flared to life within her Hadn’t she needed her mother?

"Honoria?"

She looked at herher with an expectant expression "Sorry," Honoriaout the cloth in her hand "Do you want this?"

"A clean one, please"

"Of course" Honoria rushed to do herMarcus’s supply of underthings

Her mother took the cloth, then looked at it with a confused expression "What is"

"It was all I could find," Honoria explained "And I thought time was of the essence"

"It is," herHonoria’s with grave directness "I have seen this before," she said, her shaky breath the only sign of nerves "Your father On his shoulder It was before you were born"

"What happened?"

Herher eyes as she exaht on this" And then, while Honoria went to the s to pull the curtains fully open, she said, "I don’t even kno he cut himself Just that it became horribly infected" Very softly, she added, "Almost as bad as this"

"But he was fine," Honoria said, returning to herHer father had had two perfectly strong arave a nod "We were very lucky The first doctor wanted to amputate And I – " Her voice broke, and it was a moment before she continued "I would have let him do it I was so concerned for your father’s life" She used the clean cloth to dab at Marcus’s leg, trying to get a better look When she spoke again, her voice was very soft "I would have done anything they told me to"

"Why didn’t they take his arm?" Honoria asked quietly

Hera bad memory "Your father dereed with the first, he would do as they asked But he was not cutting off his arm because one man told him to"

"The second one said they didn’t have to?"

Her rim chuckle "No, he said he almost certainly would have to cut it off But he told your father they could try cleaning the wound first Really cleaning it"