Scandal of the Season (26 page)

“Perhaps it would be best if you let the surgeon do his work without you glaring at him every time she moans,” his mother suggested softly.

“I will not leave her. I promised her.”

She nodded in understanding. “Mr. Michaels, Lord Somerton will stay.”

The surgeon pulled out his tools but shook his head. “Very well, but I did warn you.”

The man set to work on the wound as Anthony clasped Victoria’s hand in his. “Be brave, Victoria,” he murmured. But as she groaned in pain and clutched his hand tighter, he wondered how brave she could be.

“Don’t worry, my lord, the ladies usually faint before I get too far into the process.”

Was that really supposed to make him feel better? Victoria moaned again and tried to twist away.

“Don’t just sit there, man. Hold her down,” Mr. Michaels ordered. “I can’t have her move when I go in for the ball.”

Anthony placed a hand on her chest and shoulder to hold her still. The surgeon took out something from his bag that looked like long tweezers. Anthony glanced away unable to watch the woman he loved going through such pain. He had been shot one time where the ball didn’t exit and the pain had been unbearable.

As the surgeon placed the object into the wound, Victoria screamed and tried to move. Anthony held on to her so the man could work.

“Look at me, Victoria,” he said softly. “Just look at me.”

She did as he suggested but he wondered if she could see through the tears. Her eyes widened slightly. “I love you,” she whispered and fainted again.

“There, it’s so much better when they just give in and faint,” Mr. Michaels commented. “And here we are.” He pulled out the ball and handed it to Anthony.

He wanted to throw the damned thing across the room. Instead, he placed the bloodied object on the bed. He watched as the doctor poured a little whisky into the wound and then stitched it up.

“She was also whipped,” he said once the surgeon had finished dressing the wound.

Mr. Michaels rolled her over onto her side and cleaned the wounds on her back. “Who did this to her?”

“It doesn’t matter. Two are dead and the other will hang for this and other crimes.”

“Good,” the surgeon mumbled. He finished and laid her gently back against the pillows. “You need your wound cleaned, too.”

“Will she live?” he asked, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

Mr. Michaels cleared his throat and cleaned Anthony’s wound. “If she survives the night, she has a chance. She lost a good deal of blood. But if the wound becomes septic, she might not make it.”

“What can I do?”

The surgeon covered Anthony’s shoulder and shook his head. “Pray.”

Anthony prayed all night as Victoria slipped in and out of consciousness. Even when she was awake, she did not appear to notice him sitting by her bed holding her hand. He made every deal he could think of with God just to allow her to live. He promised he would be a much better person. He wouldn’t drink to excess. He would even consider returning to church.

By morning, he was exhausted and she seemed no better. He touched her forehead and found no trace of fever. His mother slipped back into the room and put a hand on his good shoulder.

“How is she?”

“About the same. She wakes but doesn’t seem to realize where she is or that I am even here.”

“But she is still alive, Anthony.”

He nodded, afraid to voice his concerns that she still might not make it. He knew it could take a few days before the fever set in. And once it did, her chance of survival dropped considerably.

God, but he hated the Christmas season. This was just one more example of how bad things always seemed to happen to him in December.

“You need to rest. Go next door and sleep in my room. No one will disturb you.”

“I can’t, Mother.”

She blinked quickly as if trying to combat tears. “Anthony, you were shot, too. You could succumb to a fever just as easily as Victoria. Please just go sleep for two or three hours. I promise if anything changes, I will call for you.”

He knew she was right but couldn’t stand to be so far away. “I will think about it.”

“Please, Anthony.”

“I cannot be so far away from her.”

“Lord Somerton,” Maggie said from the door, “my room is directly above this one. You are welcome to go up there and sleep.”

“There,” his mother said. “Now go get some rest before I send for a doctor to give you some laudanum.”

“Very well, but if she awakens I want to know about it.”

“I will send someone to you.”

Anthony looked back at Victoria’s pale figure once more before taking his mother’s advice. Maggie led him to an even smaller room. She left and he removed his boots.

Before he could lie on the bed, the door squeaked open and his muscles tensed. Victoria could not have taken a turn already. Bronwyn peered around the door.

“Come in, Bronwyn.”

“Why are you here, Lord Somerton?” she asked with only a slight hesitation.

“Miss Seaton was hurt. I brought her back here to recover her strength.” He swallowed down the lump in his throat. “Why are you here?”

“Are you going to take me away from her?” She walked into the room and stood by the end of the bed.

“Why would I do that?”

“Because I keep dreaming that a man who looks like you is going to take me away.”

Anthony closed his eyes. She was dreaming. He understood all too well what that meant. Sophie had told him many times that her abilities were not just from her mother. Sophie had taught him to listen to his intuition and trust it. While Genna had never spoken about any of this, he had a feeling Bronwyn shared some of the same abilities.

He also didn’t know how to reply to her. If Victoria did not live, he would ask his mother if he could care for Bronwyn. If Victoria did recover and agreed to marry him, again, he would request that his sister live with them.

“I will not take you away from here unless you decide you wish to go with me.”

“Are you my father?”

He was so damned tired of the lies. “No, Bronwyn.” He looked directly at the little girl. “I am your brother.”

“Oh,” she gasped. “I didn’t know I had a brother.”

“I didn’t know I had another sister until today.”

Tentatively, she walked closer to him. “What do I call you?”

“Tony.”

She smiled up at him shyly. “It’s nice to meet you, Tony.”

“Yes, it is.” He patted the bed. “Come sit with me for a few minutes.”

She sat down on the bed next to him. “Are you really a lord?”

“Yes, I am a viscount and someday will be an earl.”

“Does that make me a lady?” she asked.

He blew out a long breath. He had no idea how to answer that question. She was the legitimate daughter of an earl. However, since everyone believed her mother was dead, she could not be considered legitimate. What a confusing mess, he thought.

“I am really not certain,” he finally said.

She stared down at her hands. “Oh. I so want to be a lady.”

He tilted her chin upward. “Being a lady is more than just being born to a peer. Take Miss Seaton, she is more of a lady than many of the women in the
ton.
”

“Miss Bronwyn,” Maggie called from the door. “You must leave Lord Somerton alone so he can sleep.”

“We shall talk again, soon,” Anthony said with a smile to the young girl.

As Bronwyn left, he lay on the bed his head spinning. So many things were about to change for him. He only prayed Victoria would be there with him to see them.

By late afternoon, Victoria moaned from the throbbing eating at her shoulder and back. She blinked her eyes briefly but the sunlight was too bright for her to keep them open. The quick look had told her so much. Lady Whitely sat in a chair next to her bed. Maggie was wringing her hands together.

And Somerton was nowhere in the room.

He had promised he wouldn’t leave her.

She fought against the pain, knowing if Lady Whitely saw her discomfiture, she would give her more laudanum. Victoria hated the taste and the way it made her feel. She would rather feel the pain than the strange sensations of the opium.

But Lady Whitely noticed her slight movements. “Victoria, I know you are awake but wonder why you hide it.”

Victoria slowly opened her eyes. Thankfully, the sun had hidden behind a cloud, darkening the room enough for her.

“Should I get him?” Maggie said from the doorway.

“No, he hasn’t slept all night.” Lady Whitely moved to get a bottle from her nightstand.

“No,” Victoria moaned looking at the bottle.

“Shh,” Lady Whitely said in a motherly tone. “Right now, you need to sleep and let your body heal. The laudanum will help you do that.”

“No,” she groaned again, but Lady Whitely was able to get some down her throat. “Somerton…”

“Anthony is sleeping in Maggie’s room. He has been with you all night but will make himself sick if he doesn’t sleep.” Lady Whitely replaced a cool cloth on Victoria’s forehead. “We all want you to rest and recover.”

Victoria had so many questions but her mind whirled from the laudanum.

Several hours later, Anthony felt slightly revived and returned to Victoria’s room. As soon as he entered, he noticed his mother hovering over Victoria and Maggie running from the room.

“What is wrong?” he demanded.

His mother looked back at him and said, “She has a very slight fever. I sent Maggie to get ice and water.”

He sat on the bed and held Victoria’s warm hand. “How long ago?”

“She woke two hours ago, and I gave her more laudanum to make her sleep. She wasn’t warm then.”

Hearing the sound of footsteps, he expected to see Maggie returning with ice. Instead, Sophie stood at the doorway covering her mouth with her hand.

“Sophie,” he whispered.

“Anthony, what happened?” She raced to his side and stared down at Victoria.

“She was shot.” His gaze returned to Victoria’s pale face. “Now a fever has set in. I’m sorry. I should have sent a note to you.”

“I kept waiting for a message from you. The sense of dread I felt continued to grow until I had to find out what happened.”

“Sophie,” his mother whispered as if testing the name.

Anthony blew out a breath as the women looked at each other. “It is her, Mother.”

“Oh,” was all his mother was able to say.

“Lady Whitely,” Sophie said with a quick curtsy. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”

His mother nodded and examined her with a critical eye. “You look very much like your father, young lady.”

“Thank you.” Sophie looked away as if uncomfortable meeting his mother.

“I don’t blame you, Sophie.” His mother looked directly at her. “I never did.”

“Thank you, Lady Whitely.”

Maggie entered the room with a bucket of ice and water. Lady Whitely grabbed the bucket from her and dipped the warm cloth into the water.

“Let me see the wound,” Sophie said to Lady Whitely. “I know a little about healing herbs and might be able to help.”

“You do?” Anthony asked.

She smiled at him. “You do not know everything about me, Anthony.” Lady Whitely moved so Sophie could look at the wound. Sophie slowly removed the dressing and stared at the surgeon’s work.

Anthony clutched Victoria’s hand tighter as he saw the irritated abrasion.

“This actually looks all right,” Sophie said with a frown. “I do not understand why this would give her a fever.”

“Her back,” he and his mother said at the same time.

“What happened to her back?” Sophie demanded as she gently rolled Victoria onto her side.

“She was whipped,” Anthony replied.

“I should never have told you her name.” Sophie looked under the dressing and shook her head. “This one does not look good. I need someone to get a message to the Ladies Selby, Blackburn, and Kendal.”

“I will do it.” Lady Whitely opened the nightstand and pulled out paper and pen. “What do you need me to say?”

“Tell them I need them to go to my house and get my healing book and herbs in my study. Avis will know where they are. Then I need them all here to help out.”

“We are managing just fine without all the extra fuss,” Anthony said.

“Indeed?” Sophie said roughly. “Then why is her back starting to fester? With their help, everyone will get a chance to rest and get a chance to care for her.”

“I will send a footman to Lady Selby’s house,” his mother said, then left the room.

“What happened, Somerton?” Sophie demanded.

He explained everything that had happened regarding Victoria’s kidnapping. “What am I going to do, Sophie?”

She squeezed his shoulder. “I don’t know,” she whispered.

He stared down at Victoria’s pale face. Seeing her like this was killing him. “They can’t lose her, Sophie. Not now. Not right before Christmas.”

“I’ll do everything I can.”

“You don’t understand,” he whispered. “All she wanted to do was give the children a nice Christmas. They can’t lose her now.” He paused as his breath caught in his throat. “I can’t lose her now.”

He glanced back at his half sister and noticed the tears running down her cheeks. Brushing his own tears aside, he rose and embraced Sophie. “Please save her,” he whispered.

“I’ll do my best.”

Within an hour, the three ladies Anthony had helped Sophie match were congregating in Victoria’s entranceway. Thankfully, none had come up the stairs to see her just yet. He refused to leave her bedside. Instead, he kept changing the cloth on her forehead to help keep her cool.

Hearing the murmur of women’s voices, he knew they were coming.

“What exactly happened?” Lady Selby asked.

“Victoria was whipped and shot,” Sophie replied in a quiet tone.

“Who would do such a thing?” Lady Blackburn demanded.

Anthony smiled slightly. Lady Jennette Blackburn was as demanding as her brother Selby. They entered the room and all three women groaned.

“So now we know who shot her,” Jennette remarked.

He turned at her with an icy glare. “Why would you assume I did this to her?”

The Duchess of Kendal walked up to him, and said, “I most certainly do not think you did this, Lord Somerton. But why are you here?”

“He saved her life,” Sophie said with a touch of pride in her voice.

“Sophie,” Anthony said roughly. “Enough of this nonsense. What can you do to help her?”

“Avis, I need you to organize a schedule for when you all can be here to help her.” Sophie paged through her book of herbs. “Here is what I need.”

Anthony glanced over as Sophie mixed a variety of herbs and water into a poultice. “Your Grace, will you help me turn her onto her side?”

Elizabeth glanced back at him with a little frown. “Lord Somerton, it really isn’t appropriate for you to be helping with her. She doesn’t even have a night-rail on.”

“Elizabeth, do as he says,” Sophie said in a commanding voice.

Elizabeth walked over and helped roll Victoria onto her side. Anthony tensed when she moaned again.

“Don’t worry, Somerton,” Sophie said as she applied the poultice. “It still may take a few days, but this will help.”

She leaned closer to his ear and whispered, “I promise.”

He looked over at his sister and wanted to hug her for all her assistance. But he knew she did not want anyone else to learn about their relationship.

Avis, Jennette, and Elizabeth left the room to organize their schedules and make certain Maggie was keeping the children under control. Once they left the room, Anthony gave his sister a hug.

“Is your mother returning?” Sophie asked.

“Not until morning unless we need her. I also thought with the ladies downstairs it might be best if she left.”

“True, but at some point she will wish to check on Victoria,” Sophie said, pulling away. “She cares very deeply for Victoria.”

“Is there anything you don’t know?”

Sophie looked away pensively. “Unfortunately, there are many things I don’t know.” She walked to her herbs and packed things up again.

“I believe it might be best to just say she is a concerned neighbor,” he said.

“Elizabeth will know who she is, Anthony.”

“But they don’t need to know everything,” he retorted.

“Some day it might come out.”

“And some day your secret might be revealed, too.”

Sophie nodded with a sigh. “I realize that.”

Sophie walked back down the stairs and found her friends in Victoria’s study discussing the timing of their visits. With Avis and Jennette nursing their babies, they had limited time to spend here. As soon as she entered the room, their questions started.

“What exactly happened, Sophie?” Avis asked.

“Why is Somerton upstairs with her…alone!” Elizabeth said.

“Victoria was kidnapped after she helped Somerton with a small job. It took longer than expected to find her captors. By the time he arrived, she had been whipped.” Sophie glanced down at the floor. “We don’t know if anything else happened to her.”