Kit touched a bruised cheek. “He pledged me as his liege lord. You instantly became the object of his sworn protection, his liege lady if you will. He considered it a sacred duty to die in my service, protecting you.”
Margo swallowed hard. “I see. I …” Her face crumpled. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to snivel. Will he live?”
Kit smiled. “I’d say you earned a sniffle or two. And Rachel doesn’t like losing patients. He has a very good chance, anyway.” Kit dragged a scorched leather bag out of the corner. “I rescued your ATLS and log from the fire, by the way.”
She opened the bag slowly, removing the ATLS, the personal log, even a folded chart.
”What’s that?” Malcolm asked curiously.
”The map Goldie gave me.” She thrust it at Kit. “I don’t want it.”
Kit took it wordlessly and tucked it into his own ATLS bag. “Speaking of Goldie … I think we need to hold a little chat with that avaricious old shark.”
”You’re telling me! She almost got us killed!”
Kit turned a reproachful glance on her.
”Well, all right, I almost got us killed. But she knew I was hopelessly unqualified!”
”Comes with the territory,” Malcolm told her unsympathetically. “It’s too bad her scam will work. She deserves to lose her shirt.”
Margo sniffed. “As much trouble as I had finding that stupid spot on the river, those damned diamonds had better be there. I’d hate to think I put everyone through all this and got poor Mr. van Beek killed, only to find I’d screwed up and stuck them in the wrong place.”
”You had trouble finding the right spot?”