by HELEN HARDT
“I know this is difficult,” the doctor interjected. “But I need all the facts. How far along would she be if she were breeding?”
Silence.
“Your Grace?” the doctor said again.
“I’m sorry,” Daniel said. “Days. Only days.”
“I must try to stop the bleeding. There is no other way. The method I need to use will terminate the pregnancy if there is one. However, it is likely that she has already lost the babe.”
“Just save her, damn it!” Daniel said.
“There is something else.”
“What?” Daniel yelled. “What is it?”
“If I’m unable to stop the bleeding, I’ll have no choice but to remove the womb.”
Lady Ashford gasped. “Then she won’t be able to—”
“No,” the doctor said. “She won’t be able to bear children. I’m sorry.”
“I don’t care,” Daniel said. “I don’t care. Just do what you have to do to save her life. I can’t live without her.”
“I’m sorry, Your Grace, but that decision is not yours to make. You’re not her husband yet.” He turned to the earl. “My lord, may I have your permission for the procedure?”
“Give him permission. Please,” Daniel begged. “I need her. I need her.”
“Of course, do what you must,” the earl agreed.
Lady Ashford turned to a housemaid. “Fetch the duchess at once. Tell her that her son needs her.” She went to Daniel and guided him to his leather chair. “Sit,” she said. “Come on. It will be all right.” She took his hand in hers. “She is strong, so very strong. She will be all right.”
“I can’t live without her. I can’t.”
Daniel sat, his mind numb, as Lily’s mother held his hand, massaging it lightly. Several moments later, his mother and Aunt Lucy entered.
“My God, Flora, I’m so sorry,” the duchess said.
“It’s all right, Maggie,” Lady Ashford said. “I’ll take care of my child. You take care of yours. He needs you.”
“Daniel, my darling, I’m so sorry.” His mother took his hand from Lady Ashford. “Come with me.”
“I can’t leave her,” he said, his voice cracking. “I can’t.”
“Come. The doctor must be able to do his work.”
“Her Grace is correct,” Blake said. “I’m sorry, but you must all leave. I’ll need a few maids to attend me.”
“I shall stay,” Lucy said. “I’ve attended many of the tenants in my day.”
“Lucy will be of great assistance to you,” the duchess said. “She’s had some training in nursing.”
“Thank you. That will be fine. Miss Landon, I’ll need some clean towels and sheets, and have the kitchen send up some boiling water.” He turned to a maid. “Light a fire in the grate, so we can keep water boiling in here while I operate.”
“I don’t want to leave her, Mother,” Daniel said, as the duchess gently pulled him up from the chair. “She needs me. I need her.”
“I know, darling, but you must come with me. You must let the doctor help her.”
His mother nudged him forward, out the door.
Moments later, Daniel sat in his mother’s suite of rooms on the third floor of the west wing. She helped him sit down on a comfortable sofa and rang for some tea.
“My darling boy,” she said. “Can you tell me what happened?’
Daniel raked his fingers through his hair again, disheveling it further. “She fell down the back stairwell, from the third to the second floor. My God, she was probably coming to see me.”
The duchess nodded. “This isn’t your fault, Daniel.”
“It is,” he said. “I believe she was pushed.”
“What? Why would you think that?”
“She regained consciousness for a few moments in my chamber. She said… My God, she said it was Lady Gregory.”
“She actually said that Lady Gregory pushed her?”
“No. Not exactly. She just said ‘It was Amelia.’”
“Why on earth would Lady Gregory push Lily down the stairs?”
“I told you this is all my fault. Damn it all to hell!” He stood and started pacing, his heart thundering.
“Please, my darling, sit.” The duchess patted the sofa beside her. “None of this is your fault.”
“It is. Lady Gregory wants me for herself. She told me so.”
“Surely she wouldn’t…”
“She would. Remember how her husband died?”
“Nothing was ever proven.”
“It doesn’t matter. She pushed him, and now she pushed Lily. And if Lily dies, it will be all my fault. I can’t bear this. I can’t! Just when I thought I had everything.” He sat down and buried his face in his hands.
The duchess put her arms around him. “Daniel, if this is true, we need to summon the authorities.”
“Yes, yes. I want her off this estate. I want to see her rot in Newgate. The hangman’s noose is too good for her!”
“Do sit still for a moment.” The duchess rose and rang for a servant, whispered to him for a few minutes, and returned. “Crawford will summon the authorities, and Lady Gregory will be escorted from the premises.”
“Thank you, Mother.”
“I’m going to take care of you, Daniel, the way I should have taken care of you when you were a boy. There are so many things I’m sorry about. So many things…”
“None of that matters now,” Daniel said, resisting his mother’s embrace. “All that matters is Lily. I don’t know what I’ll do without her.”
“You will go on, of course. But you’re putting the cart before the horse, darling. Lily is young and strong. There is every chance that she will come through this.”
“She changed everything for me. She made me feel alive again. She showed me kindness and tenderness when I needed her. I love her, Mother. I love her.”
“I know you do. I know,” the duchess said, trying again to embrace him. “She will be all right, Daniel, and the two of you will have a long and happy life together.”
A maid brought in a tea tray, and the duchess poured a cup. She held it out to Daniel.
“Drink this. Come on.”
He pushed her hand away.
“Just one sip.”
He obliged her.
“Good boy.” She took a sip of her own tea. “She’s going to come back to you. Just wait and see.”
“It doesn’t matter whether she comes back to me. I just want her to live. She has so much vigor and passion. I love her more than I ever thought I could love anyone. Christ, I never told her.” He shook his head. “I’m going to let her go.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not going to force her to marry me.”
“Daniel…”
“I’ll beg her to. I’ll tell her how much I love her and I’ll give her anything she wants. But in the end, I won’t force her. I was wrong to go behind her back and talk to Ashford. I just couldn’t bear the thought of her refusing me. But I was being selfish. Her happiness means more to me than my own. If, in the end, she wants to leave, I will let her go.”
“She won’t leave you, my darling. She loves you.”
“I don’t know that she does.”
“Of course she does. How could she not?”
“I never dared to hope that she could love me. I’ve made so many mistakes. So many years of wandering aimlessly, engaging in affairs.” He looked at his mother in wonder, his heart full, yet breaking. “But it all led me to her, didn’t it?”
“Yes, it did.”
“I’ll do anything for her. Even if she can’t give me an heir. All I want is her.”
“She will stay with you.”
“God, I hope you’re right.” Daniel rubbed the nape of his neck. “If I lose her, I don’t think I can go on. She seems to know me better than I know myself. I don’t know how, but she can read me like no other. She told me I hadn’t mourned for father and Morgan. How did she know? She offered to hel
p me, to talk to me. I turned her down. If I could take that back I would tell her everything. I would…”
“Come here, my darling.” His mother pulled him close. “It will be all right. It will be all right.”
Daniel resisted at first, but then let his mother cradle his head as if he were a babe. His stomach ached as he trembled, his mother’s caresses doing little to soothe him. His breath came in rapid pants as daggers sliced into his marrow. His stomach churned and his bowels cramped. Fear. Gut-wrenching terror. Sorrow ripping out his soul.
Slowly he breathed. In and out. In and out. Then he did something he hadn’t done in over two decades.
He cried in his mother’s arms.
* * *
Thomas walked around the estate looking for Rose, his heart pounding. If only he had kept a better eye on Lily, kept her out of Lybrook’s bed. But he had failed her. How in the world had Lily managed to fall down the stairs? He spied Rose at the stables, walking with Lord Evan. He ran toward them.
“Rose!” he shouted. “Rose, you need to come quickly!” Thomas caught his breath. “It’s Lily. She’s had an accident.”
Rose gasped. “What happened?”
“She fell down a flight of stairs. She’s…she’s bleeding from her womb. Lybrook’s physician is with her now.”
Rose nearly lost her balance.
Evan steadied her. “Easy, Rose,” he said. “It’s all right.”
“I must go to her at once,” Rose said. “I’m sorry, my lord.”
“Don’t be,” Evan said. “I’ll come as well. Jameson, what is the prognosis?”
“The doctor says he has to stop the bleeding. If he cannot, he’ll remove her womb.”
“No!” Rose cried. “What about the duke’s heir?”
“There won’t be one,” Thomas said. “At least not by Lily.”
Tears formed in Rose’s eyes. “No, no. That’s too horrible to contemplate. Oh, Thomas. What are we going to do?”
“Pray,” Thomas said. “Come on. We’ll go to the manor and wait for word.”
They walked quickly toward the mansion. A constable’s carriage stood out front. Two constables from Bath escorted Lady Gregory out of the house.
“What is going on here?” Thomas demanded.
“We have a warrant for this woman’s arrest,” one of the constables said. “We have reason to believe that she pushed the duke’s betrothed down a flight of stairs.”
“You!” Thomas bellowed at Amelia. “I should have known you were behind this, you conniving little bitch.”
“Thomas!” Rose admonished.
“She pushed Lily, Rose,” Thomas said. Then, to Amelia, “My sister could be dead because of you. She may never be able to bear children!”
“Good riddance, my lord,” Amelia said. “The little fool isn’t fit to be a duchess, much less to bear the next duke.”
“You take that back,” Rose said.
Evan tried to calm her. “It’s all right, Rose.”
“No, it’s not all right.” Rose cocked her head. “Why, that’s Lily’s ring!”
“It’s mine,” Amelia said.
“Thomas, it’s Lily’s,” Rose said. “She showed it to me earlier. The duke gave it to her for their betrothal.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I swear it. I’d recognize it anywhere. It’s a sapphire, not an emerald. It’s a very unique shade of green.”
“Constable,” Thomas said, “you can add theft to your charges. It appears Lady Gregory has stolen my sister’s ring.”
“Give it to me. Now.” Rose held out her hand.
“I’ll do no such thing.” Amelia seethed. “It belongs to me.”
Rage surged through Thomas. “Give that ring to my sister right now, or I swear to you by all I hold dear, I’ll break my cardinal rule of never striking a woman!” He moved toward Amelia, the constables doing little to stop him.
“Are you going to stand there and let him threaten me?”
“You’d best give the ring back, my lady,” one of the men said.
“Now, Amelia,” Rose said. “Lily’s ring, please.”
Amelia took the ring from her finger and dropped it in Rose’s hand. “Take the damn thing. It’s a silly bauble.”
Rose stepped forward and punched Amelia square in the nose.
“You little bitch!” Amelia screamed, tears streaking her face as blood gushed from her nostrils. “You broke my nose!”
“I don’t share your sentiment about never striking a woman, Thomas,” Rose said. “This one had it coming.”
“I don’t disagree,” Thomas said.
“Nice right hook,” Evan added. “When did you learn that?”
“Today,” Rose replied.
* * *
Daniel sat on a bench in the chapel, his head buried in his hands. Please, God, save her. Please, I’ll do anything.
“Your Grace?”
Daniel looked up. “Lady Rose,” he said hoarsely. “Is there any news?”
“No, Your Grace. Not yet. I’m sorry.”
“Oh.” He stood. “Is there something you need?”
“No, Your Grace. I came to…give you this.” She held out the green engagement ring.
“Lily’s ring.” He took it and fingered the green stone. “Where did you find it?”
“It was on Lady Gregory’s finger. Thomas and I saw her as the constables were escorting her out of the house.”
“The ring I found especially for Lily?” He clutched at his hair. “Dear God, what must she have said to her?”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I thought…that you’d like to have the ring.”
“Yes, yes, of course.” Daniel sat back down, his anger at Amelia giving away to fear and grief. “How did you get it back?”
“I made her give it to me,” Rose said. She gave a light smile. “I punched her in the nose.”
“You did?”
“Yes, I did. She had it coming.” Rose sat down beside him. “Your Grace, Lily cares for you very much. I want you to know that.”
Daniel closed his eyes, trembling. How he hoped Lily’s sister was right. “Thank you.”
Rose sat beside him, and he continued to pray silently, until Evan entered.
“Lady Lily’s out of surgery,” he said. “The doctor wants to talk to all of you.”
Chapter 17
“Good, you’re here,” Blake said, when Daniel and Rose entered. “Everything went well. I have stopped the bleeding. It wasn’t necessary to remove the womb.”
“Oh thank God!” Lady Ashford said.
“I want to see her,” Daniel said.
“Of course, in a moment,” Blake said. “I need to explain a few things. She has a concussion. She will drift in and out of consciousness for the next day or two. I have her sedated right now and on morphine for the pain. She may develop a fever. It’s quite common after a surgical procedure.”
“Oh dear,” the countess said.
“She’s young and healthy. We’ll keep her cool as best we can.”
“Is there any risk at this point?” Daniel asked.
“There is always risk after any invasive procedure, Your Grace, but I have every reason to believe that she will recover nicely. May I speak privately to you for a moment?”
“Yes, yes, of course.” Daniel sighed with relief as he moved with Blake to the other end of the room. “What is it?”
“You’ll need to stay away from her, Your Grace. She can’t engage in…intimate relations for about six weeks. She needs time to heal.”
“Will she be able to have children?”
“Assuming everything heals as it should, yes.”
Daniel sighed again. “I want to see her.”
“You may sit with her, but she’ll be unresponsive.”
“I don’t care. I need to be with her.”
“Of course. I will go rest at the bachelor house. I’ll check in on her later. Meanwhile, have a servant fetch me if I’m needed. I
won’t venture off the estate.”
“I’d prefer you stay here in the main house, if you don’t mind. I’ll have a chamber made up for you on this floor and your personals brought over.”
“That’s fine. Just direct me to wherever I’m staying. I’m exhausted.”
Once the others all left, Daniel sat by his bed, Lily’s hand in his. She slept soundly, though a bit fitfully, breathing irregularly with small beads of sweat forming on her forehead. He had dismissed the maids and the housekeeper, preferring to tend to her himself. He rose, dipped a cloth in a basin of cool water, wrung it out, returned, and placed it on Lily’s head. Exhausted, he lay down next to her, clasping her other hand in his, and drifted off.
He awoke to someone nudging him. “Daniel, Daniel.”
Wiping the sleep from his eyes, he recognized his Aunt Lucy.
“It’s time for her morphine.”
“What time is it?” Daniel sat up abruptly.
“It’s one in the morning, dear.”
“I didn’t mean to fall asleep. I need to watch over her.”
“No one expects you to stay up all night after what you’ve been through. She needs her morphine every six hours. Dr. Blake says the pain will be excruciating for the first day.
Daniel hugged Lily’s hand to his chest. “I can’t stand the thought of her being in pain.”
“She’s strong. She’ll be all right. Here, I’ll show you how to give her the medicine, and you can give her another dose in six hours.” Lucy sat down beside Lily and felt on her forehead. “She’s warm. I’m afraid the fever is starting. Let’s give her the medication, and then I’ll show you how to cool her.”
Lucy took a packet of powdered morphine and lifted Lily’s head from the pillow. With her other hand, she opened Lily’s mouth, poured the powder on her tongue, and held a glass of water to her lips. “Come on, sweetheart, take a drink,” she said. Lily’s head shook slightly and her eyes remained closed, but Lucy managed to pour some water down her throat. “Daniel, call for some ice. We need to cool her.”
“Shouldn’t we get Blake?”
