Scarlet Kisses (12 page)

“Of course you didn’t,” Robert muttered as he pulled himself up and stood. He looked over to Alyssum and rubbed his chest where she had shoved.

Lilly chuckled quietly but then stopped and gasped as she saw Alyssum’s hand bleeding. “What happened?” She raced forward to grip Alyssum’s hand and inspect it.

“I nicked my finger with the scissors.”

“Nicked,” Robert scoffed. “She sliced her finger. Make sure she calls the doctor.”

Lilly unwound the handkerchief gently then gasped again as she saw the cut. “Alyssum, this is really deep.”

“I’m fine,” Alyssum snapped and took her hand back. She wound the handkerchief tightly and winced. Blood now seeped through the cloth. She stared at her blood as it came through the material and dripped down onto the grass. She raised her hand then watched as the blood trailed down her arm and seeped into the indent of her elbow.

“Liss, you’re as white as a ghost.” Lilly placed her arm on Alyssum’s shoulder. She then grunted as Alyssum suddenly slumped against her unconscious.

“What did you do?” Violet cried as she saw Alyssum pale, unconscious and in Robert’s arms.

“Me?” Robert snapped. “I didn’t do anything. She sliced her finger while cutting the daisies and fainted at the blood.”

“Blood.” Violet suddenly stopped her approach towards them. She looked to Alyssum’s hand then turned pale.

“Oh, not you, too,” Robert pleaded.

“We…we Rosewoods…we don’t do very well with blood,” Violet said weakly.

“You don’t say?”

“What’s going on?” Harry demanded as he entered the parlor and saw Robert placing Alyssum down on the settee. He reached her side quickly and patted her cheek. “Alyssum?”

“She’s out cold,” Robert told him.

“What did you do?” demanded Harry.

“I didn’t do anything.”

“It wasn’t him. I saw it happen,” Lilly spoke up on the other side of the settee. “She fainted when she saw how much blood there was.” She nodded to Alyssum’s hand.

Harry looked at Alyssum’s hand then blanched. “Violet, call the doctor.”

Violet nodded and ran from the room.

Harry turned back to Alyssum. His gaze lowered to the seeping, red handkerchief around her finger. He took a step back and swallowed visibly.

“
No
,” Robert breathed as he saw Harry going pale. “You’ve dealt with blood before.”

“In fights,” Harry replied. “I’m the one who hits them so I don’t care if they bleed.”

“Are you all right, Harry?” Lilly asked gently and placed a hand on his arm. “Maybe you should wait for the doctor outside?”

Harry nodded, seeming grateful for the escape. He turned and left the room quickly.

“Strange bunch,” Robert said before looking back down to Alyssum. She lay pale as death. And the white settee wasn’t helping her look any healthier.

“You don’t get it do you?”

“What?” Robert looked to Lilly.

“Their father,” she said and realization hit Robert in the chest like a sledge hammer.

The former Earl of Leighton had died in a riding accident. Tenants had found him and brought his body back to the house. He had been broken and bloody. It had been Caroline and Harry who had cleaned his body of the blood, but not before Violet, Alyssum and Jasmine had seen the tenants bringing their dead father up to the house, covered in dirt and blood.

“I didn’t even think about that.”

“Well, they do,” Lilly said quietly.

Robert looked down to Alyssum. He still remembered how he had been the one to find her hiding in the woods after her father’s funeral. He had held her while she cried over his shirt. He had never wanted to see her in such pain again.

Robert cleared his throat loudly. “I’ll go check on Harry. You stay with her.”

“I think that would be proper.” Her lips twitched as though she was remembering the position she had found Alyssum and Robert in out in the garden.

Robert saw her meaning in her smiling eyes. “Not a word,” he whispered and pointed a warning finger at her.

She slashed a cross over her heart, swearing she wouldn’t say anything. Robert then turned and left the parlor.

Alyssum slowly opened her eyes. She looked around in confusion. Where was she?

“Rise and shine, sleepy head.” Lilly’s face appeared above her.

She pulled herself up then held the seat beneath her for balance. “Why am I in the parlor?”

“Because you fainted. Viscount Lambert carried you in.”

Alyssum hid her blush as she looked down at her injured hand. “Urgh.” She looked away from the blood.

“Here.” Lilly stepped around the settee and sat down beside her. She pulled out her own white square handkerchief from the reticule wrapped around her wrist and replaced the bloody one with it. Lilly stood and threw the soiled linen in the fireplace. “Is that a little better?”

Alyssum’s lips pinched as she watched the new handkerchief turn red.

“Don’t let her look at it.”

Lilly and Alyssum turned their gazes to Robert standing in the doorway.

Seeing Alyssum’s pale face, Robert moved forward and came to sit on the other side of Alyssum. She followed his gaze when he looked down at her hand.

“No.” Robert captured her chin in his hand and made her look up at him. “Don’t look down,” he told her. He lowered his gaze
 
while his grip remained on her chin. “Lilly, can you get a maid to get us some bandages and warm water?”

“Of course. I’ll be back soon.” She waggled her fingers and left. As she exited the room, she pulled the door almost closed. Alyssum was thankful Robert kept his back to the door and didn’t see Lilly’s improper behavior.

“How long will the doctor be?” she asked quietly. Her chin tilted as she tried to look down but Robert tightened his grip, keeping her chin up.

His laughing eyes met hers. “I said don’t look down.”

“It’s my hand,” she snapped. “If I want to look at it I will.”

Robert laughed and Alyssum felt her stomach summersault as his thumb brushed over her jaw.

“Just keep your eyes on me,” he instructed. “Most women don’t have a problem with that.” His grin turned into a smile when she rolled her eyes.

Robert turned his head around as he heard footsteps outside the door. He reluctantly let his hand fall from her chin.

Alyssum felt like she could breathe again as his fingers left her skin.

“Alyssum?” They heard Violet’s voice.

“Yes?” she called out.

Violet sighed at Alyssum’s voice. “Are you well?” she asked, still outside the door.

“You can come in.”

“Oh, that’s all right.” Violet waved the invitation away. “Lilly can keep you company while I wait for the doctor.”

Robert turned his gaze back to Alyssum and arched a brow at being called Lilly.

“Oh,” Violet said surprised.

The door then opened and revealed Lilly. She walked in with a maid behind her carrying the bandages and a bowl of warm water. Violet stood just outside the door. Her eyes widened slightly as she saw Robert sitting beside Alyssum quite closely on the settee.

Lilly took her former seat beside Alyssum while the maid placed the bandages and water on the table before them.

“Thank you, that will be all.” Robert nodded to the maid.

She curtsied and left.

“What are you going to do?” Alyssum stared at the water suspiciously.

“The doctor’s taking too long and we have to clean the wound.”

“It is clean.”

Robert smiled and took her injured hand. She snatched it back.

“Alyssum.” He held his hand out, waiting for her to place her fingers in his.

“I think he knows what he’s doing,” Lilly whispered in her ear from behind.

“I do,” he assured them.

Alyssum sighed deeply then gave him her hand. He peeled away the blood-sodden handkerchief. He looked up quickly as she hissed in pain. When she nodded she was fine, he returned to her hand. Placing the linen on the table he picked up the bowl of warm water and sat it on his lap.

Alyssum looked up towards the doorway and found Violet gone. She returned her gaze to her hand and felt herself grow queasy as she saw fresh blood.

“I don’t feel good,” she whispered.

“Lilly, distract her,” Robert muttered while he washed her finger in the warm water. The water turned red.

“How?”

“Talk to her.” He pulled her finger from the water and inspected her wound, making sure no dirt was in the cut.

“Remember Lady Brook’s masquerade,” Lilly said suddenly. Both Robert and Alyssum turned their gazes to her. Robert’s was one of curiosity while Alyssum’s was wide with alarm.

“Remember the dancing?” Lilly asked with a nod.

“You danced?” Robert asked Alyssum. “I thought you didn’t stay long.”

“She stayed for dance or two, especially with all her admirers.” Lilly smiled and Alyssum felt the room spinning around her. She felt herself growing queasier. What was Lilly doing? She wanted to silence her quickly but Robert’s hand held her captive. She couldn’t move while he was touching her gently. She winced and gasped as she felt a pinch of pain on her finger. Turning her gaze downward, she watched Robert wind a strip of cloth around her finger firmly. Through the swirling haze of her dizziness, she heard Lilly still talking.

“Her beautiful blue gown… They flew to her like bees to a honey pot.”

“Really?” Robert drawled.

“Robert,” Alyssum breathed as she swayed on the settee.

She saw Robert’s shocked gaze jump to hers a moment before everything went black.

While Alyssum lay unconscious in his arms for the second time this morning, Robert tied the bandage around her finger.

“Go get Harry. He can take her to her room,” he told her and set the bowl of water on the table.

Lilly nodded and jumped to her feet. Robert watched her leave. Now alone, he turned his gaze down to Alyssum. She had said his name. It had been like a whisper, a caress over his skin. His whole body had reacted to her voice. He missed hearing his name on her lips. He missed her. Raising a hand, he smoothed the back of his fingers down her cheek. “Alyssum,” he said quietly.

He removed his hand as he heard heavy footsteps coming this way. With a sigh, he lifted Alyssum in his arms and rose from the settee. Harry would have punched him if he walked in and had seen Alyssum lying over his lap.

“Is she okay?” Harry asked in a rush as he entered the room.

“She’s fine. She just fainted again.”

Harry nodded then took Alyssum into his arms. He held her high up against his chest.

“I’ll help you take her to her room,” Lilly said.

“Thank you.” He turned and walked from the room with Lilly walking behind him.

Robert remained standing in the parlor. He shook his head, clearing it. “Too much is happening,” he muttered under his breath. First meeting Scarlet, now Alyssum calling him Robert. He looked out the window to check the sky wasn’t falling.

When Alyssum woke it was to find an old man leaning over her. She screamed and sat bolt straight.

“Easy.” He put his hands up, stepped back and chuckled.

“Alyssum, he’s the doctor,” Lilly spoke.

Alyssum turned her gaze towards her window and found Lilly sitting on her window seat.

She sighed. “Apologies,” she told the doctor.

“No problem. Now that was quiet a slice on your finger. You keep it clean and I’ve left ointment for you. I want you to apply it to the cut every night.”

Alyssum nodded and looked down to her bandaged finger.

“All right, you take care next time with those scissors.”

“I will.” She raised her gaze away from her bandaged finger.

The doctor left, taking with him his black case. Lilly stood from her seat on the window and came over to sit on the bed beside Alyssum.

“It has been an eventful morning.”

Alyssum blew out her breath and nodded. She looked down and found herself only garbed in her white shift.

“Do you remember everything?” Lilly tilted her head to the side.

Alyssum nodded.

“Do you remember saying Robert’s name before you fainted for the second time?”

Alyssum gasped. “I didn’t,” she breathed.

“Oh, yes, you did.” Lilly laughed. “You look more shocked than he did.”

“He heard?”

“He heard, and I think he liked it as well.” Lilly waggled her brows.

“Stop it.” Alyssum smacked Lilly’s shoulder and Lilly laughed.

“What I want to know is how you cut your finger?”

“I told you how, with the scissors.”

“But you’re always so careful.”

Alyssum sighed then told her, “He made me mad.”