Steen gently lowered Hepsie to the floor, supporting her as her injured ankle buckled slightly beneath her weight. She whimpered in pain.

“Are you alright me little pudding?”, Steen asked gently unable to keep the concern from his voice which was trembling slightly, “Are you hurt real bad?”.

She carefully shifted her weight so that her other leg was supporting it and tried to smile at him.

“No, no me loverly… don’t you be frettin’ yourself now… I’ll be just fine I will. She may have knocked me about a bit but you know yer old girl and I’m tough as nails I am”.

Steen looked at her with an expression that told her he did not believe what she was saying but was willing to pretend for her sake.

He reached up and tenderly stroked her face, being careful to avoid the dark bruises that were forming there.

“Now me love aren’t you a brave lass then aren’t you. Will you be okay then if I leave you here and go and tell the menfolk what has happened to that nun in there?”.

Hepsie could not keep a momentary look of fear from flitting across her face but she replaced it with the most realistic smile she could muster.

Steen did not fail to notice this and quickly added, “Now don’t yer be worrying that pretty head of yours… I locked the door to Mella’s room good and tight so she’ll not be going nowhere”.

“And I will be as fast as fast can be”, he added with a tentative grin.

He leant in and softly kissed her swollen mouth, and walked out of the room closing the door behind him.

Hepsie slowly undressed herself whincing in pain when the dress caught on her bruised body. She reached up to feel the swelling on her face.

She stood before the mirror gazing at her battered face.

“Now look what she’s done to you then… what a mess”, she chided.

She began to bathe her face and body, washing away the blood and tears. Then stepped on her sore ankle, but almost shrieked in pain as it gave way beneath her.

“Well… I won’t be doing that again now will I”.

She hobbled over to the bed, peering down at her ankle which looked distended and purple in the candlelight.

“Oh dear… that’s going to be nasty in the morning”.

She gingerly got into bed, the weight of the blankets causing a firey tongue of pain to shoot up her leg. She pulled the blankets up all the way to her chin shivering and abandoned herself to sleep.

Steen quietly walked into the room, so as not to wake his sleeping wife, who was softly whimpering in her sleep.

He knew it was wrong to feel angry at a nun, but he could not help it whether she had lost her mind or not. She had hurt his dear, sweet Hepsie and that was an unforgivable thing.

He looked down now at the dark bruises surrounding her eyes, the grimace of pain that she bore despite being in the throes of sleep.

He lowered himself onto the bed, pulling up his long legs and carefully wiggling under the covers. He could feel her shudder as he accidently bumped her injured ankle. He had barely touched him and it disturbed him that she reacted so strongly, but at least she did not awaken.

He eased himself over to her and pressed himself against her back, trying to ease her shivering with his warmth. He would not let her come to harm again.