Page 35 of The Baroness of Sin
As the Earl turned, Benjamin took the older nobleman’s advice and left to go and try and find a moment's peace before they left, but James was suddenly embraced by his young daughter.
“Amanda,” James exclaimed and hugged his daughter. He picked her up with ease, “I thought you were attending your lessons?”
“I was, but all the commotion was too distracting for me and Miss Blake,” Amanda explained.
“And where is Miss Blake?” James wondered while looking around. His daughter could only shrug. “Well, we will have to find her.”
James carried his daughter from the carriages. He continued to speak and explained the situation to his daughter with a gentle and reassuring tone. “Amanda, there has been an accident. Lady Carrington may be hurt, and I need to see to her to ensure she is all right. So, I need to leave and go away for just a little bit. I’ll be back before the end of the day, but if your bedtime comes before I get back, then you are to listen to your governess. No waiting up for me, is that clear?”
Amanda didn’t answer her father’s request. “Martha was hurt? Is she okay?” Amanda’s voice was full of worry, a worry that James himself could understand all too well.
“As far as I know she will be okay, but I need to go and make sure for myself. I promise I will tell you how she is doing as soon as I know,” James continued to reassure his young daughter.
“Will you tell her that I hope she comes back soon?” Amanda said, her eyes welling with tears that threatened to spill over at any moment.
“I will tell her, I promise,” James said and let out a soft “ah” as he spotted Miss Blake watching them from the upper floor.
He climbed the stairs to meet her. “Miss Blake, I must leave Amanda in your care until I return from Slough. It is an emergency, so I cannot say for sure when I will return, but I will as soon as I can. I know you’ll keep a good eye on her.”
“Of course, My Lord,” she told James.
“I am comforted to know that she is in your hands,” James said with a warm smile before he turned to go back downstairs.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The trip was not a long one, not usually. Slough was only a bit more than an hour away, but for James, that may as well have been a year. Benjamin looked like he may have made an attempt at conversation, but it was clear that neither of them was much in the mood to talk. Instead, the trip was accompanied by a combination of heavy silence, the creak of carriage wheels, and the clop of equine hooves.
The Earl’s mind was haunted by the idea that his dear Martha would die not knowing how much he cared for her. This was a fate that not even his late wife Lucienne had to endure.
It was true that Martha and he had only been... well whatever they had been, for a few short weeks. But James couldn’t deny that those were some of the best weeks of his life, since he had become a widower. He had been allowed to know happiness again.
It was because of this that each terrible moment of waiting made him urge the carriages faster and faster. This was a desire that he kept in his mind, rather than voicing aloud. He was wise enough to not tempt fate with the chance of two carriage accidents so closely linked.
Slough was a place of moderate growth, a place of invading sprawl from the growing populace that had sloshed out of the greater London area. It was likely how Letty ended up there. Martha was probably traveling through from her country home because of how worn the roads were, and, by sheer coincidence, she happened to crash fairly close to where her lady maid was staying. James was thankful for the divine intervention that played a role in allowing him to be there for Martha.
The house that Letty, who was riding in the second carriage, led them to was a humble one. There were several children, the oldest no older than James’ own Amanda, seated outside the door to the home. From the looks on their faces, it was likely their own Lord probably visited very rarely. James watched their eyes growing wide as he approached their front door. They scattered when he knocked on the front door, Benjamin right behind him. It might have been more appropriate for her brother to knock, but the authority that James wielded was probably more comforting.
Two men answered the door, one a slightly older man who appeared to be dressed as a doctor and the other a slightly younger man. “I am James Williams, Lord of Barristen. This is Mr. Benjamin Bradford. To whom am I speaking?”
The younger man spoke up. “I am John Hamish, My Lord. A farmer, husband, and father and at your service,” He gestured to the doctor next to him. “This is Dr. George Daud.”
“Good day, My Lord,” the doctor greeted James simply.
James continued, “I was alerted that Lady of Carrington was in an accident and brought here. I assume from the presence of the good doctor Daud that I am correct in this assumption?”
“Yes,” Mr. Hamish nodded, “Please let me lead you to her.”
The home only had one bed large enough to accommodate the lady, clearly belonging to Mr. Hamish and his wife, and they were generous enough to lend it to someone in need.
Martha was pallid, bandages bound her arm in a sling, and she had some small cuts on her brow. James and Benjamin looked at the lady worriedly for a few moments, not exchanging words. The shallow rise and fall of breath James could see in the lady’s chest gave him some small peace of mind.
Benjamin pulled Mr. Hamish aside, thanking him profusely and discussing details of her arrival and the like. James turned his attention to the doctor. “Dr. Baum?”
“Yes, My Lord?” the older man grunted.
“What do you have to say about her condition?” James asked.
The older doctor mulled, seeming to chew the words before he spoke them. “I have given her something to keep her asleep for now. As far as I can tell, she has a broken shoulder. That will have to be carefully tended to maintain the proper setting and certainly will require her to take some medicine to deal with the pain and possible fever. I have a bottle you can have.”
