Page 49 of Touched By a Traitor
“He’s been to see you already. Your nose and cheekbones are broken, so he set them as well as he could. He left you laudanum for the pain. Naught to be done other than waiting, the doc said.”
Despite the amount of laudanum he had been given, it wasn’t enough. His face hurt like the devil himself had taken up residence there; but he wasn’t a stranger to pain, having sustained several broken bones and various injuries at the docks.
“Give me… laudanum. Where’s… Miss Morton?” Andrew’s words slurred.
“I believe the lady has left with the Duke of Chatham, my lord.”
A pitiful whimper escaped Andrew’s throat. The sound was foreign to his own ears.
“Get… me… Cooper.”
“Yes, sir.” David poured a small amount of laudanum into his master’s mouth before limping away on his crutch.
Andrew breathed a sigh of relief at the descending silence, but his solitude was short-lived. The door opened, and Cooper’s soprano voice pierced his skull like a hot knife. He placed a finger over his lips, and the secretary lowered his voice, approaching gingerly on his toes.
When Cooper leaned in, Andrew whispered through clenched teeth, “Find Miss… Morton’s lodging in… Bankside. Get me… the address.”
“The lady may have gone to the Duke of Chatham’s residence with Lady Gloria,” Cooper said.
Andrew frowned, then grimaced as pain shot through his face. “Find out.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Cooper bowed and left the room, leaving Andrew alone with his thoughts. He closed his eyes, trying to will away the throbbing pain in his skull. Time seemed to stretch on endlessly as he lay there, every minute feeling like an eternity.
Just as he was about to drift off into a restless sleep, a knock at the door jolted him back to awareness. His valet entered,followed by a group of visitors. Andrew growled as he turned his head to see who had arrived, causing a rush of agony to envelop his skull. He groaned, the action sending shockwaves of pain through his jaws.
“You look ghastly,” Rogers said, his tone more amused than sympathetic.
“You really are hideous. Try not to scare any children,” Wilson added with a laugh.
“Never mind children. He would scare even the bravest of men!” Murphy exclaimed, eliciting a collective burst of laughter from the group.
Andrew snarled, the laudanum helping to dull the pain, but turning his brain to mush in the process.
“Come, come, gentlemen. Let us show some compassion to this man who must loathe himself for making a proper hash of Lady Daisy’s birthday,” Collins said with a chuckle, his charm ever-present.
“So, was it love that drove you to madness?” Rogers asked with gusto, clearly relishing in Andrew’s misfortune.
“Love? Not a chance. It was lust. She does get my bollocks tingling,” Wilson said, his voice dripping with crude innuendo.
“Watch… your… mouth,” Andrew hissed.
“You’ve got it all wrong, gentlemen. Don’t you see? It was all part of his plan,” Collins said jovially. “It’s always been his plan to ruin the woman and her career.”
“What a relief! The board unanimously opposes your involvement. We were prepared to send you off on a long holiday if you insisted on marrying the chit,” Murphy said, his tone a mix of relief and disdain.
“Gentlemen, we haven’t confirmed Carlisle’s intention. Let him speak,” Wilson said with a hint of strain in his voice.
“Drink,” Andrew croaked, his throat as dry as sandpaper.
Collins swiftly stuck his head out and summoned a footman. When he returned, Andrew spoke. “I will… marry her.”
“What?” Murphy barked, his eyes wide.
“I warned you, gentlemen. He has affections for the woman,” Wilson said, relief and smugness staining his tone.
“What is your plan, Carlisle? I do not believe you’d throw away your control over the company for the sake of a woman. Unless…” Collins paused, his expression pensive. “Unless you did it to control Morton and keep her away from Chatham’s influence. You’re brilliant! This way, Chatham would be forced to sever his ties with her after such a scandal. And as her husband, you’d have complete control over her actions.”
