—- A Giant Pain in the Neck

He had been riding up and down the cliffs for some time when he passed by the large boulder again. His horse was acting oddly. He whinnied and did not want to continue past the rock. Alexander slid down and walked over to the boulder. As he approached he saw a bit of cloth peeping out from behind. As he looked more closely it became apparent that the cloth was in fact a dress and that the dress adorned the body of one Charlotte Heywood.

He dropped the lead and ran over, falling to his knees next to her. She was curled up on her side, her head at an odd angle pressed against a smaller rock. It looked extremely painful. She had her hat over her face and was rocking a bit back and forth and moaning.

"Charlotte. Miss Heywood." he whispered. " Are you injured? Has someone harmed you?"

She pulled the hat off of her face, squinting as the morning sun hit her eyes. It must have hurt because she slammed the hat back over her face and moaned again, her voice coming out barely a whisper "Why did you of all people have to find me like this? Does God have no mercy?"

"Miss Heywood, you must tell me what is wrong. Have you fallen? Did you hit your head?" He didn't see any blood or signs of injury. This was so odd.

A giant sigh heaved her chest. "It is a sick headache. I often get them when the weather changes too quickly, especially in the spring or fall. This one came on suddenly and now I am nauseous, the right side of my head and neck are excruciating, and the light on my eyes is unbearable. They usually pass quickly so I thought I would lie down and try to rest a bit. I certainly am in no condition to walk home." All of this discourse was produced with great effort, and her words were barely audible. It was clear she was in terrible pain.

He had to get her home. He undid his cravat. "Close your eyes. I am going to cover them so I can move you and keep the light out." She was in no state to argue. He sat her up against the rock and wrapped the cravate gently around her head, covering her eyes three times. He tied and tucked the ends in. "I don't have my carriage, but my horse can carry us both." She looked a bit green in the areas of her face he could see. "My house is closer. I will take you there. Augusta's maid, Beverly, can chaperone. I will send a note to the Parkers so they will not be concerned. I can give you some laudanum and you can sleep a bit. I will send you home later in the carriage."

He swept her up in his arms and carried her to the horse. "I am going to put you on the saddle. You just have to hold on for a moment and I will be right behind you. You can rest then." This was accomplished quickly but all the movement was still causing her to suffer. There was no help for that, but he tried to arrange her in his arms to her greatest comfort. They ended up with her turned sideways and her head tucked into his shoulder. It seemed that this was the position in which she felt the least bad.