‘Take Lady Perth home,’ the Earl said, thrusting her forward into the arms of a nearby rider. ‘She was thrown from her horse and I want her examined immediately by a doctor.’
In a jumble of limbs, Lillith found herself sitting in front of the head groom. ‘You are hurt as well, Perth. You need the doctor more than I. Come home.’
Fitch jerked and spun around. He took a step towards the Earl, but when he spoke his voice was calm. ‘She is right, my lord.’
Perth grunted. ‘I will live. I have taken worse. Right now, we must look for those scoundrels or any trace they left.’ His hands fisted. ‘They are not going to get away with this.’
She shivered involuntarily, the cold and his chilling words finally penetrating the numbness that had descended on her. ‘Then do not lay more at their feet by staying and letting your wound worsen.’
‘Take her home, Thomas,’ Perth ordered the groom. To ease the harshness of that order, he crossed over and took Lillith’s hand. ‘I would not stay here if I thought it was endangering my life. Trust me that I know these things.’
She gazed down at him and saw that he meant what he said. It would not be so bad if she had not seen Fitch turn away in disgust. Still, there was nothing she could do.
‘Take care, then,’ she said, leaning down and kissing him lightly. He stepped back in surprise. ‘I will have a doctor in to make sure that neither the babe nor I have taken harm. And I will have him stay to examine you.’
He stared up at her, and she knew that her spontaneous show of affection had startled him. Never before had she kissed him unless it was in passion and after he had already aroused her.
He stepped back. ‘I won’t be long.’
Perth turned away and motioned for Fitch to follow him. ‘The shots came from this direction,’ he said, striding off. As occupied as he was on finding some trace of their attackers, he still listened for the sounds that would tell him Lillith had left.
‘Her ladyship will be all right,’ Fitch said gruffly. ‘She is a strong one.’
Perth moved into a copse of trees and squatted. ‘Bring the light over here.’
Fitch arrived and crouched beside the Earl. He grumbled in disgust. ‘Nothing here but a bunch of dirt that’s been scuffed up.’ He shifted some of the earth through his fingers. ‘And some powder. You will never find them from this.’
Perth stood, frustration in every line of his taut body. ‘I know, but I had to try.’ He pivoted on his heel and grunted in pain. ‘I guess I had better get home and have you look at this.’
‘You should have done that instead of chasing after evidence you won’t find,’ Fitch said sourly.
Perth eased up his pace enough to lessen the pain in his shoulder. ‘I hoped for something.’ He cast a sideways glance at Fitch. ‘Her brother sent her a message asking her to meet him here.’
Fitch’s intake of breath was loud in the cold, silent air. ‘Why would he do a fool thing like that?’
‘We can only guess,’ Perth said, moving more slowly than he liked.
Thirty minutes later, he sat in a chair in his bedroom in front of a roaring fire with just his breeches and stockings on and cursed the doctor examining him. ‘Blast it, man, do you have to prod so deep?’ He ran the fingers of his free hand through his hair. ‘How is my wife? Is the babe all right?’
Doctor Johnson, a young man with sandy brown hair and piercing brown eyes, kept on doing his examination. ‘Your wife is fine and so is the child she carries. They are both resting. She is in better shape than you are. If you had sent for me immediately, I might not have to dig so deeply, but the ball is lodged solidly in muscle, maybe even bone. Fortunately for you, I was a surgeon before becoming a doctor. Still, you will be lucky if you don’t come down with a fever.’
‘I shall be lucky if I am not arrested for your murder,’ Perth muttered. But the relief he felt over Lillith went a long way to making him feel more charitable towards the doctor.
From his position on the other side of the Earl, Fitch said, ‘He has never been a good patient.’
‘That I can believe,’ the doctor muttered. ‘Almost. Now hold still.’
Hold still. Perth saw lights in front of his eyes and bit down hard on the piece of leather Fitch had given him to chew. Then an excruciating wrench and the doctor held the forceps high. Between the tongs was the ball.
‘Whisky,’ Perth demanded.
‘After I am through,’ the doctor said, pouring the contents of a decanter liberally along the wound.
Perth sucked in his breath. ‘You could have told me you were going to do that.’
‘It would not have made it hurt less.’ The doctor handed him the decanter.
Perth took a long swig. ‘No, it would not.’ He sank into the chair.
‘You have an interesting pallor that should rival Byron’s in the drawing room,’ the doctor said drily. ‘I suggest that you stay in bed for quite some time.’
Perth closed his eyes and took another long drink. ‘Thank you, doctor. Please see to my wife before you go.’
The doctor looked over Perth’s head to Fitch.
Fitch shrugged. ‘Best do as he says. Knowing that her ladyship is well cared for will ease him more than anything else.’ He carefully took the decanter from the Earl’s slack fingers. ‘I will watch over his lordship.’
The doctor nodded and left through the door connecting to Lady Perth’s chamber. He had given her a light dose of laudanum to calm her nerves, and she lay quietly on the bed. But he noted that her eyes were open.
‘How is my husband?’ she asked softly before he had taken two steps into the room.
He closed the door behind himself and went to the bed. ‘Your colour is back, and your husband has a strong constitution. I understand he has suffered wounds like this several times. That accounts for the scars on his body.’ He did not mention the scars that criss-crossed the Earl’s back.
She gave him a wan smile. ‘Is that your way of telling me that he will be all right?’
‘That is my way of telling you that he is a fool, but hopefully will take no lasting harm. Although I warned him that he might run a fever. His man says he knows what to do.’ He reached the bed and took her wrist to feel her pulse. ‘Your husband is more concerned about your well-being than his own, and his man says to care for you and the Earl will do fine.’
Her smile widened. Even hurt, Perth was stubborn to a fault.
Shortly after, the doctor pronounced, ‘You are as well as can be expected after what you have been through. I will give you the same advice I gave his lordship: get some rest.’ He frowned at her. ‘I trust you will follow my orders better than he, for you have a child to consider.’
She had intended to defy him and go to sit beside Perth and watch over him, but the doctor’s words chastised her. Today she had not thought much of the life she carried and had consequently endangered the babe.
She nodded. ‘I will do my best, doctor. And thank you.’
‘Thank me by taking care of yourself.’ He packed up his bag and went to the door. ‘I will be back tomorrow to see how you and the Earl are doing. I expect to see improvement.’
She waited until the door closed behind him before getting up. She would rest in a chair beside Perth’s bed. The doctor had said her husband was strong, but she had also seen the anger in the doctor’s eyes. She knew the emotion had been caused by Perth’s disregard for his own safety.
She slipped from the bed and on bare feet went to Perth’s room. She did not knock, not wanting to disturb him if he slept. To her relief he was in bed, but the light of a single candle showed his extreme paleness. Worry quickened her pace.
‘He is sleeping more from the whisky than the wound,’ Fitch said softly.
She had not seen him and his voice surprised her. She whirled around. He sat in a chair by the smouldering fire.
‘You startled me,’ she whispered. She looked back at Perth. ‘The doctor was not happy with him.’
; ‘Neither was I,’ Fitch said, getting up and coming to the bed. ‘But you know how he is.’
‘Yes. Stubborn and arrogant.’ Tentatively, very conscious of the servant beside her, she laid her palm on Perth’s forehead. ‘He feels cool.’
‘Right now,’ Fitch agreed. ‘If he gets a fever it will come later.’
‘Oh. I do not have any experience nursing someone with a wound.’ She took her hand back. ‘My times in the sickroom have been childbirthing and illnesses.’
‘Not much difference when all is said and done,’ Fitch said. ‘I will ring for some tea and biscuits. If you intend to stay, you will need to keep your strength up.’
She was not hungry, but knew he was right. ‘I will be right back.’ She hurried from the room to hers where she grabbed a thick, wool robe and belted it around her waist. She returned in time to see Fitch open the door and a footman carry in a laden tray.
She poured Fitch tea and then herself. She added biscuits. ‘You are undoubtedly tired,’ she said. ‘I can watch him by myself.’
Fitch took a drink before answering. ‘Thank you, my lady, but you have been through nearly as much today as the Earl. It would be better if I watched tonight while you rest. In the morning you can take my place.’
He made sense and she was tired, but she could not bring herself to leave. ‘I am not tired.’
He frowned at her. ‘You are as stubborn as he and for no good reason. If he gets worse, it won’t be for some hours. You will be far more use to him then if you are rested.’
He was irritated with her and rightly so. His words made sense. With as much graciousness as she could muster, she agreed. But before she could leave, she had to check on Perth one last time.
He lay as still as before and just as pale. Unmindful of Fitch who stood behind her now, she gently smoothed the hair from her husband’s face. Then she ran a soft touch over his scar. Even with the white line down his cheek, he looked somehow vulnerable.
She realised with a start that she had never seen him like this before. Every other time she had seen him in bed, he had been awake and making love to her. Now he lay here hurt, and all because of her. She had no illusions. He had taken the bullet when they had run, when his hand had briefly fallen from her back. He had taken a bullet that would have hit her squarely between the shoulder blades.
She squeezed her eyes shut. Please let the wound not fester. Please let him not die. He might not love her, but he cared enough to risk his life for her. That meant a great deal.
More devastating was the certainty that she could not live without him.
The next morning she woke to Agatha moving around the room. ‘My lady, your brother is here to see you.’
‘My brother,’ Lillith murmured, sitting up in bed.
‘He has been here for nigh on an hour, my lady,’ Agatha said, putting down the tray with Lillith’s morning chocolate and toast.
Lillith dragged herself out of bed. She had not slept well with worrying about Perth. But at least she was past the morning sickness. She ate the toast first to insure that her stomach stayed settled, then drank the hot chocolate. Afterwards, Agatha helped her into a loose-fitting morning dress of pale blue kerseymere that was several seasons out of date.
Only then did she go to meet her brother. Even so, she was uncomfortable. Tell herself as she might that he was not involved with what had happened yesterday, she could not get past the fact that he had asked her to meet him in the place where she and Perth were attacked.
Mathias sat in the breakfast room drinking coffee and eating a beefsteak. He appeared perfectly at home. He looked up when she came in. ‘Ordered some food when it became obvious you were not coming down soon.’ He took another bite.
She eased into a chair across the table from him and waved away a footman who offered her more chocolate. ‘Perth is hurt.’
‘That is what the man—Simmons, is it?—mentioned. Dreadful when Hyde Park ain’t safe. And in broad daylight.’ He continued eating.
Lillith watched him. ‘It was not exactly full daylight. The time you set for our meeting was a scant thirty or forty minutes before dusk. Perth came after me…and you never arrived.’
He waved his fork, a piece of meat hanging precariously from the prongs. ‘Got waylaid. Prinny needed my advice on a waistcoat. Could not refuse the Prince of Wales.’
Lillith’s eyes narrowed, but the tale was not far fetched. The Prince of Wales was a notorious dandy, and he was possessive of his friends. He could very easily have commanded her brother’s presence for nothing better than to comment on the fashion of a piece of clothing.
‘So, did you come today to talk to me about what you could not speak about yesterday? Although I find it unusual that you come to our house for the first time after Perth is hurt and confined to his bed.’
Mathias’s mouth thinned. ‘Are you trying to imply something, Lillith? Because if you are, and if it is what I think, then you are beyond the pale. I came because I knew I had been insufferably rude not to have sent a lackey to meet you and tell you that I would not be coming. It slipped my mind.’
She accepted his apology, but did not completely accept his reason. ‘Why did you want to meet with me in the first place?’
‘I want to stay in your town house that de Lisle left you. Rumour says Perth bought it for you and, as his wife, you can well afford to let me use it.’ His blue eyes took on an ugly glint. ‘The man gives you everything and will do nothing for me. ’Tis the least he can do, through you, of course.’
She could hardly believe what he had said. Even for Mathias, the idea was outrageous. Still, he was her brother. Telling him no would be hard. Perhaps too hard.
‘Why do you want to stay in town? Everyone is leaving.’
He finished his beefsteak. ‘The Prince will not be leaving town for several days. He wants me around and I don’t want to stay in rented rooms any longer.’ He wiped his mouth with the napkin. ‘I find myself unable to afford them.’
Lillith’s hands clenched into white fists under cover of the table and her eyes narrowed ever so slightly. He was insufferable. But he was her brother. Much as she wanted to tell him no, absolutely no, the words stuck in her throat.
She took a slow breath and hoped her voice would not show her fury. ‘You may stay there for the present. Perth is sure to find out and he will want you out.’
Mathias stood and an ugly look settled on his face. ‘He has made the house over to you.’
She rose so that he would not be towering over her and shook her head. ‘That is not true. It is in my keeping for our second child or first girl.’
‘The same thing,’ he said pointedly.
She shrugged. ‘Not exactly. And if Perth wants you out when he finds out, then I will be obligated to ask you to leave.’
His mouth thinned and his face reddened. ‘Already he is more important to you than your own flesh and blood. And I thought yours was a marriage of convenience. I see I was mistaken.’ He sneered. ‘He is giving you more gifts than a man gives his mistress.’
She stiffened. ‘I think our conversation has gone on long enough, Mathias. I had hoped for something different from you, but I see it is to be the same as always.’
‘Not quite,’ he said. ‘Normally you pay more regard to what I have to say.’
He pivoted on his heel and left. Lillith watched him, sadness replacing the anger of minutes before. He was still her only living relative. That meant a great deal to her. It hurt greatly that her brother did not have the same feelings of love and commitment. Hard as it was on her, she had to admit that she was nothing but a means to a fortune for Mathias.
She sat back down and rested her head on her hand. She was very tired this morning and Mathias’s visit and the ugly confrontation between them had only exhausted her further. That was the reason tears were so close. Nor did his absence ease the ugly feelings that seemed to permeate the room.
For the first time in her life, she began to truly despair of ev
er having a loving relationship with her brother. All the time before she had been the one to be conciliatory and to do whatever it took to maintain their relationship. Now for the first time, she was not so accommodating and the rift between them widened with every encounter while her relationship with Perth was doing just the opposite.
She took a deep breath and stood back up. It was past time she went to check on her husband. Before coming down to breakfast she had looked in and both he and Fitch had been sleeping, Perth in bed and Fitch in a chair pulled up to the bed. She had left them to come and eat. Now she needed to go and relieve Fitch and she wanted to care for her husband.
Chapter Seventeen
Lillith entered Perth’s room as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake her husband. She realised immediately that she could have entered on a horse and not woken him. Fitch sprawled in a chair not two feet from the bed and snored loudly enough to wake up the dead.
She shook her head in amusement and crossed to the batman. Gently so as not to startle him, she shook one of his shoulders.
‘Wha—?’ He started awake.
‘Shh,’ she said. ‘I have come to relieve you. There are eggs and kidneys downstairs hot from the kitchen. You will feel the better for having them.’
Once awake, wide awake, Fitch stood and stretched. ‘Right, my lady. I will just have some and return.’
She shook her head and put her fists on her hips. ‘You will do more than that. You will eat until you can eat no more and then you will get some rest.’ When his mouth set in a stubborn line, she firmed hers. ‘That was our agreement last night. I kept to my part and went to bed. Now you must keep to your half.’
He looked as though he would argue, and Lillith straightened her shoulders and prepared for battle. He shrank a little bit and a huge yawn caught him.
‘You are right, my lady. I did agree to that and you did do what you said you would do.’ Another yawn took him. ‘And I am tired.’ He gave her a rueful grin. ‘Two hours in a chair don’t do much.’
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