Page 80 of A Bride for the Beastly Duke
Chapter Thirty
The first thing she felt was a throbbing pain in the back of her head. She groaned, touching her scalp and wincing at the tender swelling she felt. “What happened?” she whispered and blinked her eyes open when she got no reply. Her eyes immediately fell on Lily, sprawled out on the floor unconscious, and she made a distressed sound as she crawled towards her daughter.
“Lily?”
The girl moaned softly and jerked before lying still again. Ava reached her and peered under the seat, trying to see if Lily was awake. It was too dark to see, so Ava groped for Lily’s hand, shaking it slightly.
“Lily!” she called urgently.
Her daughter jerked again, and this time she opened her eyes, took one look at Ava, and began to cry.
“Oh baby, it’s all right. Can you crawl out to me please.”
“Mama,” Lily said with a trembling voice, “I’m scared.”
“I know, but just try, all right? Squeeze my hand. Can you move?”
Slowly, Lily nodded.
“Good. Good girl. Come to me, slowly.”
Painstakingly slow, Lily began to shuffle out from beneath the seat. “Has the bad man gone?” she asked.
Ava looked around fearfully. “I don’t know.” Then she remembered that Edward had appeared just before the carriage overturned. “But Papa is here. Don’t worry.”
Even as she said it, she wondered what had become of Edward. He clearly was not in the carriage.
Did he get flung out?
She was afraid to look and see and also terrified that she might not find Edward but Aaron instead. Suddenly there was a shadow at the door, blocking out the light, and Ava let out a small scream.
“It’s all right,” a slightly annoyed voice said. “It’s only me, Lord Pemberton. I’m here to rescue you.”
“W-Where’s Edward?” Ava asked.
Pemberton peered over the carriage. “He’s fine, I think. He and the Earl are duking it out.” He grinned. “No pun intended.”
Ava blinked at him in disbelief, taken aback by his cavalier attitude, but suddenly his demeanor changed as he leaned back down and peered into the carriage. He was all business. “Are you hurt? Your daughter?”
Ava bent back down, helping Lily the last few inches as she crawled out from beneath the seat. “Lily, are you in pain?” she asked urgently.
Lily nodded. “My stomach hurts.”
“Right,” Pemberton said. “Well if you’ll…” he bent down and crawled into the carriage, “…let me have a look at that.” He reached for Lily, but Ava got between them.
“I beg your pardon?” she said scandalized.
The Marquess gave a very put upon sigh. “Your Grace, I will have you know that I have trained with surgeons, and I am an expert at field medicine, so if you will allow me, I want to check that your child has suffered no major injuries. The best way for me to do that is to touch her.”
Ava hesitated another moment before moving aside. She saw Pemberton reach for Lily and tensed again, but the Marquess was quick and gentle. He ran a hand along Lily’s ribs, pressing in gently— checking for breaks, he said—before feeling along her sides for swelling.
Lily winced a few times before Pemberton let her go. “Well, she does indeed have some injuries, and I am worried about her fourth rib on the right. If you will allow some immodesty, I shall remove my shirt and use it as a binding for her ribs.” He stopped, looking at Ava expectantly.
She hesitated again, feeling overwhelmed but then nodded jerkily. “Do what you must to help her,” she said.
Pemberton removed his jacket before taking his shirt off and cutting it into strips. He raised Lily’s nightgown just enough to slip his hands through and began tying the bandage. Lily whimpered in pain, and Ava hastened closer to hold her hand. “It’ll be all right, darling. Let the man help you.”
“That’s right, Lily. I’m just binding your ribs, so you don’t feel as much pain as before. Is that all right?”
