Loving a Fearless Duchess: A Historical Regency Romance Book(60)

Jamie knelt at the edge and grabbed one of Old Robbie’s hands.

Once over the edge, Old Robbie rested on his hands and knees, breathing as if he just ran ten miles. Jamie and Ned unwrapped Penelope from his back. Will ran to Old Robbie’s saddlebag to grab his flask of whisky.





Chapter 25


When Edward wasn’t sitting on the chair outside Penelope’s door, he was sleeping in front of her door. Cara would come out with things she needed, and he gladly did her bidding.

Sometimes he wondered if Penelope’s maid, Helen, could have completed the task he was asked to do. He concluded Cara was deliberately keeping him busy.

He kept an empty chair next to his for when his mother came out to give him news or to take a moment outside the room. That’s when he would get his information.

“Can I get you tea or something to eat Mother?”

“No, thank you, Edward.”

He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her to him. She closed her eyes, but she was afraid to sleep. What might happen if she slept when Penelope needed her?

“If you rested and something happened, you know you would be up and awake and through that door faster than you could stand up from your bedside chair and look down at her.”

“I’ll just close my eyes for a minute.”

Edward would have held her tight except he was afraid he would wake her, so he left his arm loosely draped around her shoulders and let her sleep.

What a nightmare. If Penelope ever woke and were able to speak of it, she would only confirm what they already knew. Henry pushed her off the side of the cliff.

Henry was acting his usual self, no doubt not losing a bit of sleep over trying to kill Penelope. But Avery was nervous. He had come to ask about Penelope. A lot of people did, but a lot of people didn’t ask if she said anything in her sleep.

Penelope wasn’t awake yet, but Cara said her pulse was stronger. She wasn’t in pain. Cecilia stood next to her while she changed Penelope’s bandages. Cara cut the bloody bandages on the left side of Penelope’s face. When she did, Helen gasped. Cara turned to her and gave her a withering look. Cecilia had a lot of questions but decided to wait until Cara finished her job.

“Cecilia, hold this?” she asked as she wrapped strips of fabric over Penelope’s head, down to her chin, and back up again.

When the wound was cleaned and bandaged, Cecilia pulled Cara aside.

“Will the wound look as large when the stitches come out?”

“Typically, what you see now is what you can expect to see later.”

“Why isn’t she waking up?”

“Lady Balfour. If your daughter woke up this minute, she would be in excruciating pain. I would give her enough laudanum to put her back in a coma again. Her healing is not far enough along for us to pray for her to wake.”

Cecilia nodded. Tears came to her eyes. Excruciating pain. She was a fourteen-year-old girl. Cecilia left the room to see Edward.

During the following week, Cara knew Penelope was coming out of her coma by the movements and sounds she made.

Her hands went back and forth. Her hands lifted up and fell back down. She cried out, and her body seemed agitated.

“Prepare yourself, Lady Balfour. When she wakes up, she will be in too much pain to talk to you. I’ll give her laudanum, and she’ll slowly adjust to being awake with less pain.

Cecilia nodded. Now she was much more alert when she waited. But still, time went by slowly.

Cecilia went to Edward and told him what Cara said. She was going to wake! There were times when neither was sure that that would ever happen. They hugged, but Edward’s voice was too thick in his throat to speak. He rocked his mother in their hug.

Avery stopped when he reached the top step and saw Cecilia hugging Edward.

Cecilia opened her eyes while still hugging Edward. “Avery,” she called. “Come hear the good news.”

“Well, that’s the best greeting I’ve received in a long time. What is the good news?”

When Cecilia told him, he smiled and nodded. “That’s wonderful news. But, she could still never wake, couldn’t she?”

“Pardon, Uncle Avery? What kind of question is that? We just told you she will wake.”

Avery’s colour drained from his face. “Oh, I’m sorry. That didn’t sound right, did it? Apologies. When can we expect this exciting event?”

Cecilia shrugged. “She gets more active every day.”

“Active?” Avery asked.

“Moves her hands, her head, makes noises,” Cecilia said.

“Noise? Does she say anything?”

“Not yet, but she will,” Edward said in an accusatory tone.

*****

Avery summoned Henry into his office. When Henry got there, Avery was looking out the window, drink in hand.

“Shut the door, Henry,” he said without turning.

Henry shut the door and leaned against it, arms crossed.

Avery turned, half leaned, and half sat on his desk. “Sit in a chair, Henry.”

Henry gave an exaggerated sigh and sat. He waited and then got up to leave. “Sit in the chair, Henry, Avery repeated.” Henry sat.

“If you’re trying to train me like a dog, be careful I don’t pee on your carpet.”

“I’m sure you think all of this is very funny, but I don’t. Your cousin is on the verge of waking up. She is no longer on her deathbed; she is in her sickbed. She will be fully awake and talking shortly. Which means we have a problem.”