Harry, who had been leaning against the wall, stepped close. He picked up her hand and ran his thumb over her knuckles. Despite her physical misery, tingles ping-ponged inside her every which way.

Scottish Mountain Rescue had arrived shortly after Gilmont’s attack, compliments of Nigel. They had air-lifted Sharidon and Drew Featherstone to a hospital in Glasgow. Nothing could be done for the other three members of Gilmont’s crew.

When Elise and Harry had given their statements, Elise couldn’t bring herself to regret Gilmont’s death.

Sharidon had suffered a compound fracture and had been whisked into surgery. Once they patched up Drew Featherstone, Nigel intended to hold him for questioning. The information gleaned from the interrogation would doubtless round up others in Gilmont’s circle.

Sammy hopped over to the examination room sink and flicked the jar the receptionist had given him for his tadpoles. The pollywogs scattered, flitting around inside the container. They looked much happier now than inside the old bag Sammy had found along the riverbank.

Harry squeezed Elise’s hand. “Thank goodness I came along when I did.”

The image of Harry standing unarmed in front of Gilmont still haunted her.

“I was terrified he was going to . . .” Her eyes darted to Sammy, and she lowered her voice. “Stick you.” Then she cleared her throat. “Sammy, why didn’t you stay where I asked you to?”

Sammy looked up from tormenting his tadpoles. “You took too long. I wanted to see the pollywogs. You said there were some by the river, but I got lost. And those people got me to play Indians with them. They were going to burn me at the stake like your brother, but Dad rescued me and let me catch pollywogs.”

Harry’s eyes brimmed with amusement.

“The two of you are going to be the death of me.” Elise sighed heavily and feigned exasperation. It had been a near thing for all of them.

The doctor bustled back inside the room and handed her a paper. “I’ve a prescription for you to pick up at the chemist’s.”

“What is it?” she asked, trying to read his squiggly writing.

“It’s a low dose of antibiotics. Make sure to keep the wound clean and apply this salve whenever you change the sticking plaster.” He handed her a sample packet of Savlon. “The stitches should come out in fourteen days.”

Sammy grabbed his jar of tadpoles. “Is she going to have a cool scar?”

“Just a small one,” the doctor said. “What have we here?” He looked at Sammy’s pollywogs.

“These are my new pets. When they grow up, they will eat all the bugs where I live. I don’t eat bugs because I’m a person. People shouldn’t eat bugs. They’re disgusting.” Sammy’s eyes slid to Elise’s.

A bubble of laughter welled up inside her, and Elise fought to keep a straight face. Och. She loved that wee laddie.