Chapter 9 - The Rescue in the Nursery
Lily was coughing uncontrollably, her small face streaked with soot, but her wide, terrified eyes locked instantly onto Arthur as he burst through the haze.
“Daddy!” she cried out, holding her gray bunny up like a shield against the heat and smoke.
Arthur didn’t waste a single second. He ripped the heavy wool blanket off the bed, wrapped it securely around Lily’s small body, and scooped her up into his arms, pressing her face tightly against his chest to protect her lungs from the toxic air.
“Hold onto your bunny, sweetheart. Don’t let go,” Arthur gasped, his own breathing ragged and shallow as the heat in the room reached critical levels.
He turned toward the nursery door, but the hallway outside had transformed into a tunnel of solid fire. The ceiling beams had sagged even further during the few seconds he was inside, cutting off the main route back to the grand staircase. The only alternative was the large stained-glass window at the end of the nursery hall, which opened out onto the flat roof of the veranda directly above the back gardens.
Arthur kicked out with his dress shoe, shattering the remaining glass of the nursery window into a glittering cascade of colorful shards. The rush of fresh outdoor air hit them like a physical blow, feeding the fire behind them but giving them a fighting chance to breathe.
He stepped out onto the narrow stone ledge of the veranda, balancing precariously above the burning patio below. The rain had finally stopped, leaving the autumn air biting and sharp. Below them, in the safety of the lawn, a few dinner guests stood huddled together, their elegant evening wear ruined by mud and soot, staring up in horror at the blazing mansion.
“Catch her!” Arthur shouted down into the darkness, identifying the silhouette of one of the estate groundskeepers standing near the edge of the terrace.
Without waiting for a response, Arthur lowered Lily over the edge of the stone railing as far as he could reach, trusting a stranger with the most precious thing he had left in the world. The groundskeeper scrambled forward, reaching up with steady, calloused hands and catching Lily safely against his chest just as a tremendous crash echoed from inside the house—the roof of the east wing finally caving in.
“Mr. Arthur! Jump!” the man yelled up, swinging Lily away from the falling debris.
Arthur looked back one last time into the smoke-filled maw of the burning hallway. He could see Elena and Julian emerging from the grand staircase further down the wing, coughing and covered in soot, staring up at him with expressions of sheer terror and desperate realization.
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Arthur didn’t hesitate. He leaped off the ledge into the cold autumn night.
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