by Fanny Walsh
Then, Duncan smiled again, and her anger dissipated at once.
“I have a nice day planned. And do not worry, it will not involve a great deal of walking. Perhaps a day in beautiful weather with some homely company will lift your spirits and give your leg a much-needed rest.”
Mary raised a hand to her mouth to hide her grin. Good company, he was. Homely, he certainly was not.
“That sounds absolutely lovely,” she said.
The day was indeed beautiful as they arrived at the park. Mary had been so enamored with the beauty of the park that she had not noticed when Duncan fell silent. She looked at him, and saw he was regarding her intently.
“So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this outing?” she asked.
Duncan feigned perplexity.
“Must I have a reason to invite my favorite patient to a day in the park?”
“Patient is, I believe, the important word in that sentence,” she countered.
Duncan nodded.
“You have seen right through me, I am afraid,” he said.
Mary frowned. She had been afraid that he would ask to court her, but now that it seemed that he was focused on just business, her heart fell a little.
“Oh?” she asked, trying not to sound disappointed.
“I thought that, perhaps if we spoke in a less professional setting, we could get to know each other more and, with luck, you would begin to feel better about the procedure I am proposing.”
Mary felt her heart rise again. He wanted to earn her trust and make her feel comfortable, which meant that he did care, not just about her business as a patient, but as a person.
“You are a very thoughtful doctor,” she said, her blush returning.
“You are a very unique patient.”
“I do hope that is a compliment, my lord,” she teased.
“Most assuredly,” he said.
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his gaze never breaking from Mary’s. Her heart started pounding again.
“Please, my lady. Do not be nervous,” he said, his expression turning kind and reassuring.
“Forgive me. I still find the idea of breaking my leg again to be a bit unsettling. It sounds like it will be miserable,” she said, looking at her hands.
She did not want Duncan to see how apprehensive, the prospect made her. Or how giddy he made her.
“That is a normal feeling, my lady,” he said.
Mary looked up at him, her eyes wide.
“Do you really believe that it will be a success? I mean, will it be worth it?” she asked.
Duncan thought for a moment, and Mary began to think she had insulted his abilities as a doctor.
“I will be candid with you,” he said. “With any sort of procedure, there is always a risk. Any number of things could go wrong, both during and after the procedure.”
Mary blanched, but did not speak. She was determined to hear everything Duncan had to say.
“However, the benefits of rebreaking that bone far outweigh any potential risks,” he continued. “Certainly, breaking and setting the bone is not life-threatening.”
Mary sighed, color returning to her pallid face.
“I fear you speak for yourself, not for me,” she said, thinking of the terrible pain she was sure to experience, unsure if she could, in fact, survive that again.
Duncan laughed, and the sound lifted Mary’s concern.
“There will surely be some pain, but I dare say that it should be much less than that you endured the first time. It will be done skillfully, not harshly by a terrible impact. And I will see to it that you have any remedies you need while you heal.”
His confidence in his abilities gave her renewed hope.
“So, I have pain and terrible tasting medicine to look forward to? How can I say no?” she said, unable to hold back an amused laugh.
Duncan looked pleased that she seemed to be warming up to the idea.
“And do not forget the house calls I am sure to make as you heal.”
“House calls?” she asked, surprised.
“Well, of course,” he said. “You cannot expect to travel while your leg mends, and I must regularly check the progress of your healing.”
“Oh, yes. Of course,” she said. She hated to admit it, even to herself, but she liked the idea of Duncan coming to tend to her, if even just for a short while.
“And, if you decide to proceed, I should like to do it as quickly as possible. You were exceptionally lucky that you did not incur a far more serious injury to that leg the day I met you. You will likely be less fortunate, should anything else happen to that leg in its current condition.”
Duncan grew silent as he studied Mary for a moment. Then, his expression turned serious.
“I have been wanting to speak with you about something, but I fear how you may take the suggestion.”
Mary held her breath, not trusting herself to speak. If he asked to court her, or, goodness forbid, to marry him, she felt her heart might leap out of her chest. She gave him a small smile and nodded her consent.
“The accident that brought you into my office that day… well, it was strange, to be sure. In fact, I cannot say I have ever heard of a carriage driver accidentally losing control of their coach.”
He took a breath, seeming to decide if he should plunge ahead with his idea.
Mary listened intently, now curious.
“Is there a chance that, perhaps, the ‘accident’ was staged intentionally to harm you? Maybe one of the suitors you have rejected?”
His words surprised Mary.
“Why would someone want to do something so terrible on purpose?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“Some men do not take kindly to losing,” he said, his brow furrowing. “They can be quite cruel when they believe they have been robbed of something they think they deserve. Or, even when they simply feel slighted.”
Mary bit her lip. She had lain awake the night of the accident, wondering how something like that could have just happened. She felt a tiny bit of relief that Duncan also questioned the nature of the incident.
She considered what he had said carefully.
“I do not wish to frighten you,” he said.
“You have not,” she said quickly. “I just—” she stopped for a moment, thinking. “Would you ever hate me, if you had made an offer for my hand, and I refused you?” Her words seemed to surprise them both.
“If I proposed marriage to you and you rejected me, I would be disappointed. But I could never bring myself to harm you,” Duncan said.
Mary did not miss that he spoke with certainty, and with no hesitation, and her heart fluttered again. She weighed his words, feeling encouraged. She knew he was speaking the truth, and that his suggestion that the accident was something more came from a place of heartfelt sincerity.
She took a deep breath, staring at her lap.
“I, too, have wondered if someone were not out to purposefully cause me harm, as well,” she said. When she dared to look at Duncan’s face, his eyes were wide, and his jaw clenched. He silently urged her to continue.
“That is not the first time that I have narrowly escaped death under suspicious circumstances,” she said. “Well, under circumstances I believe to be suspicious.”
“Oh?” Duncan said, failing to keep the strain out of his voice.
“Several months ago, I was on the balcony of my bedroom. I thought I was alone in the house, save for the servants, but all at once I was tumbling over the railing. Luckily, I just managed to catch myself and cling on for my life, until a servant, at last, heard my cries for help and came to my rescue. But I did not take a step forward and simply fall over the balcony. I… I thought I felt hands on my back… pushing me.”
She paused, waiting for Duncan’s response. His green eyes darkened; his face expressionless.
“Have you not expressed your concerns with anyone?” he asked.
“Beatrice and I have discussed it. She, too, b
elieves that it cannot all be an unfortunate coincidence. Especially not when all the events, the burning of my family’s home, the balcony incident, and the carriage accident, are considered together.”
She sighed. “My own uncle thought that it was a bout of melancholy that struck me and made me allow myself to fall off the balcony. Even he did not believe that I felt someone push me.” She laughed, embarrassed as she recalled the incident.
“Would he not even entertain the possibility?” he asked, his tone dropping. “If he believed you to be so melancholy, why did he not stay and care for you?”
“Oh, but he did,” Mary said. “Well, that is, he stayed for a few weeks to look after me after the… accident. He never would hear anything further on the subject of someone pushing me over the balcony.”
She smiled fondly as she thought of her uncle.
“I do not blame him, though. I think that the notion of someone bringing me intentional harm would be too much for him to bear. He might even try to lock me in a high tower for my own safety, and his peace of mind. He is quite protective of me.”
Duncan nodded, but his stormy silence lingered.
Chapter 12
Duncan listened to Mary describe the incident in which she was left dangling from the balcony, horrified. He tried to keep his expression blank, but as she continued to explain, his concern grew.
It was hard enough to believe that the carriage incident was an accident. But to convince himself that three incidents, in such a short period of time, could be a coincidence, was utterly impossible.
Whatever the reason, Duncan now felt sure that someone was trying to kill Mary. He only wished he could figure out who it was.
The depth of his emotion about Mary’s life being endangered surprised him, but the knowledge that he would do anything to protect her shocked him more still. Including kill whoever dared attempt to harm her, Duncan thought fiercely.
He did not realize how long he had been in his brooding silence until Mary spoke.
“My lord, are you alright?” she asked.
Duncan was far from alright. He tried to calm himself so as to not frighten or upset Mary. But all the emotions he felt threatened to burst from him.
“Yes, my lady. I am fine.” Those were the only words he could muster just then. He was beginning to feel nothing but utter distrust for the words that were rapidly rolling toward his tongue.
Unfortunately, Mary was every bit as intelligent as he gave her credit for. She stared at him for a long, scrutinizing moment.
For a moment, Duncan feared that Mary was seeing straight into his heart, his soul. And, if he were being honest with himself, he could not say with any degree of certainty if that would be an entirely terrible thing.
“I do apologize if I have said something to disturb you,” she said, her eyes wary and now guarded.
Her apology took away Duncan’s ability to remain quiet.
“Mary,” he said, his intense feelings for her erasing all formalities from his mind. “Why do you apologize to me, when it is your life in danger? How can you be worried about me, at a time like this?”
Duncan wanted to try to carefully choose his next words, but the dam had at last burst. On top of it all, he was caught off guard by how desperately he wanted to keep her safe, and he no longer had the luxury of minding his words.
“Marry me,” he said.
Mary’s face drained of all color. She sat in stunned silence, although Duncan could not stop talking long enough to let her speak, had she been able.
“If you were married, then this killer would no longer have the motivation to persist with attempting to harm you. And, you would have constant protection. I could keep you safe, always, and you would no longer have to live in fear.”
For a long moment, Duncan feared that Mary might swoon. Her already pallid face grew paler still, and her eyes seemed to look through him, not at him.
However, he still could not bring himself to regret his words, although he did instantly regret the effect they were having on her.
“How can you be so certain that marrying would end the attacks?” Mary’s voice was barely above a whisper, but she spoke so suddenly that he started.
“You assume that it is a man full of jealousy, bitter with rejection, that is making such an effort to end my life. What if you are wrong?”
Duncan could not entirely dismiss the minute possibility that the motivation was something other than jealousy. Nor could he explain why he felt so certain that he was not wrong. Not even to himself.
Even if the culprit was not a jealous would-be suitor, it was likely that it was someone who had a husband in mind for Mary, someone who knew she would never entertain the idea.
“What other motive could there be? Surely you do not have a ledger full of enemies who would seek blood,” Duncan said.
“I am heir to a man’s fortune and titles. I suspect that must boil the blood of many,” she replied, still not quite looking at him.
“Sharp tongues and sharp blades are quite different,” Duncan argued. “Dislike does not equate to attempted murder. The jealousy of a slighted, pride-wounded man, does.”
Mary fell silent again.
“Marry me,” Duncan repeated. “Please. Let me take care of you. Let me keep you safe.”
Duncan felt that the silence that followed lasted for an eternity. Worse still, Mary still would not look at his face. He had hoped to interpret something in her eyes that might give him an inkling of what she was thinking. Even her face, although still quite pale, was devoid of emotion.
At last, Mary began to look something like herself again. Her eyes focused on Duncan, and after a moment, she smiled wryly.
“You flatter me, my lord,” she said, “but I am afraid that I must politely decline your proposal.”
Despite Duncan having expected resistance from Mary, her rejection disappointed him. He looked at her intently, unable to keep the wound her refusal had inflicted in his heart out of his eyes.
For a moment, he wanted to continue pressing and asking until she gave in. But he knew that the only thing that would accomplish would be to drive her away forever.
“I see,” he said, his voice full of the hurt he felt.
Mary seemed regretful for hurting Duncan’s feelings. However, she did not speak another word. Instead, she waved to Susan in the other carriage and signaled for the coach to stop.
Once both coaches stopped, she looked at Duncan. He could not read her eyes, but he noted that they were not unkind.
“Thank you, my lord. I had a very lovely morning.”
The warm but detached tone Mary’s voice had adopted hurt Duncan more still. He did his best to reclaim his own professionalism.
“It was most delightful, indeed,” he said. He could not make himself call her ‘my lady’ just then, not when he cared for her so.
“Would you like me to escort you to your carriage?” he asked.
“No, thank you. Susan is waiting to help me inside,” Mary said. With that, she exited Duncan’s coach and boarded her own. The driver did not hesitate a single moment before departing.
With nothing left to do, Duncan ordered his coach to take him to his office. His cold, empty home would do little to soothe his heavy spirits.
Yet, upon arriving at his office and submerging himself in his beloved texts, he found that they offered little solace, as well. Try as he might, he could not bring himself to study any of them, or even to look at his patient files.
The only thing on his mind was Mary, the attempts on her life, and her painful rejection.
Duncan scribbled a letter to Julius, asking him to call on him at his earliest convenience. He needed an advisor because, in an instant, he had made a decision.
Of all the women who would gladly accept an offer of marriage from him, the only one Duncan wanted, or would ever want, was Mary. He made a vow as he sealed his friend’s letter. He would not cease his efforts until Mary at last agreed to marry him.
&n
bsp; And he would do whatever was necessary to see that she did.
Chapter 13
When Mary arrived home, she quickly dismissed Susan and rushed to her study. She had met Susan’s inquiries on the carriage ride with noncommittal remarks and kind but firm silence.
She desperately wanted to confide in someone the events that had taken place during her ride with Duncan, but she could not bring herself to speak about it aloud just then. Her mind was still reeling, and she needed to calm herself and sort through her thoughts before she tried to voice them.
