A few minutes later the doctor emerged from Luke’s room. “He’s got second-degree burns on both hands,” he reported. “He’s already blistering, and the wounds are seeping. The biggest problem was removing the bits of paper and dirt from the damaged skin. It was a painful process, but I gave him a dose of morphine to make the procedure bearable. I’ve covered the wounds with a salve and bandaged them. Now the best cure is time.”

“Can I see him?” she asked.

The doctor nodded. “He’s in decent spirits, considering. He had Nurse Rumstead laughing, and it takes a lot to crack that old battle-axe.”

That had to be good! Luke’s moods could always turn on a dime, and she prayed he would weather this latest disappointment.

He was sitting up in bed, wearing an awful white smock, with both hands heavily bandaged. Two nurses, a young redhead and an older woman, tidied the room to remove bandage clippings and bottles of antiseptic. Even weak, underweight, and suffering wicked second-degree burns, Luke was flirting with both nurses.

“Look at you,” she said, feigning good cheer. “You’ve got two women dancing attendance. I don’t even know why I’m here.”

“Nellie is only here because she pities me. Isn’t that right, Nellie?”

The younger nurse blushed furiously, while Nurse Rumstead tried to look stern, but her eyes still twinkled in amusement. “I want you to call me when the morphine begins wearing off, do you hear me, young man? No heroics.”

There was a bit more banter as the nurses cleared out, and Caroline lowered herself into a chair at his side, watching his mood carefully.

“How are you feeling?”

“Pretty miserable,” he said, but he still sounded cheerful as he glanced at his hands. “The morphine helps, but it still hurts. The doctor calls them second-degree burns, but I call them first-degree torture.”

It looked like it took all his effort to turn his head on the pillow and manage a weak smile, but it reached all the way to his eyes, and he seemed at peace.

Perhaps it was the medication that had caused his mood change, and she still needed to put his mind at ease. “Nathaniel says he can build a case against Holland even without the papers.”

Luke gave a resigned nod. “I did the best I could. For the past year I’ve prayed, and tried, and prayed some more. It’s been a lesson in patience and humility. It’s in God’s hands now.”

That caught her by surprise. Luke had gone through the motions of being devout while imprisoned, but she had expected it to fade quickly now that he was out. He had always been an irreverent rascal, but he wasn’t pulling her leg. He seemed completely genuine.