Chapter 9
A mixture of pain and thirst dragged Tessie from the fog. Her eyes heavy and laboured, a sleepy crust held them shut as a muffled croak escaped her throat. Clammy sheets clung to her body and freeing one arm from a heavy blanket, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Thick wood rafters on a pitched roof loomed over her, and make-shift curtains were pulled around the bed sealing in a small chamber. It was not fancy. The material and bedding were rough to the touch and the mattress lumpy and uneven. She could hear a fire crackling and the smell of hay and earth was in the air. "Finn?" she tried to call, but her voice was powerless, and when there was no reply she thought better of it. Where on earth could she be?
Rolling onto her side, a burst of pain erupted through her abdomen. U
