Page 69 of Her Daring Earl
The moment she was through the door, she realized why Levi had been trying to prepare her. The Fitz lying in the bed was not the Fitz she knew.
This Fitz appeared sickly, pale, and completely still but for the very slight movement of his chest up and down.
That was the most shocking part of it all.
The Fitz she knew never stopped moving. Even at rest, he was always twitching, touching her, rocking from one side to the other. She had never known Fitz to be so motionless. It unnerved her, and for a moment she couldn’t move herself, so caught off guard was she by the Fitz who confronted her.
But he was Fitz. Her Fitz. Still here.
Which was the thought that broke her.
With a sob, she dropped her hands and rushed over to his side, running her hands over his cheeks and down his arms, trying to infuse some life back into his body.
“Fitz,” she cried out, her tears finally released as she no longer contained them but instead allowed them to flow freely as she felt everything that had welled up within her for so long. “Fitz,” she sobbed, placing her hand on his chest, listening to the slow beat of his heart beneath his ribs and under her ear as she watched his face, completely devoid of emotion or reaction.
“Come back to me,” she whispered, turning and cupping his jaw in her hands. “Please. You cannot leave me. Not when I have only just found you. I need you. The baby needs you. And not just because we need you to provide for us. We need you because we love you and I cannot imagine a life without you now. You are happiness and spring and sunshine. You are the spark within my soul and I need you to continue. Do you understand me?”
Her despair fused with anger at the thought of him being taken from her as she reached out and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him slightly, just enough that he moved a bit with her, but not on his own.
“You should never have left Appleton. We knew this would happen, and I am so angry that you would think that putting yourself in harm’s way would help any of us. Do you not understand that you and I are part of one another now? That if anything happens to you then I will lose part of myself, for that is what you have become? When we married, we were joined together as man and wife, and I do not want to be without you.”
Seeing her words were not working, she leaned forward much more gently, knowing she had lost any control of her emotions but no longer caring. She cupped his face in her hands once more, hating the coldness of his skin beneath her fingertips as she tilted her head forward to rest her forehead against his.
“Come back to me, Fitz,” she whispered. “I love you.”
She leaned in, and, despite wondering for a moment if she was doing the right thing or had lost all rational thought, she pressed her lips against his.
It was an odd sensation, for the Fitz she knew was never at all passive in his kisses but always the aggressor, giving her all that he had to offer. Even if she initiated any contact, he was always quick to eagerly respond.
She leaned over him, her lips pressed against his, not moving, not seeking anything but connection.
Which was why she was utterly shocked when his lips moved beneath hers.
She pulled back suddenly, wondering if she had imagined it, or if his body had reacted without conscious thought. She stared at him, trying to determine what had just happened – and then screamed aloud when his lips moved.
“What kind of kiss was that?”
His words were gruff and scratchy, as though his vocal cords didn’t properly work, but Eliza could not have cared less how he sounded.
“Fitz!” she shouted as she practically jumped on him, tapping his cheeks with her palms, urging him to properly wake up. “Fitz, are you awake?”
“I am now,” he mumbled. “Hard for a man to sleep with such an enticing woman lying on top of him.”
“My goodness,” she said, her sobs beginning afresh, although now they were filled with relief that he had awoken and that there was, above all else, hope.
“What happened?” he croaked out, his eyes opening briefly only for him to squeeze them shut tightly again, likely to hide from the flickering candle beside the bed and the bit of light that peeked in from the windows, which someone – perhaps the physician? – had opened to allow in fresh air from the terrace.
“You were poisoned,” she said, swatting him ever so lightly on the arm before changing her reaction and giving him a sip of water instead. “Just as I thought you might be. Oh, Fitz, how could you put yourself through this?”
“Was just trying to protect you,” he mumbled, opening his eyes just enough to see her. “Why are you here? You were supposed to stay at Appleton.”
“Did you truly think I would remain home and allow you to put yourself in harm’s way?” she said crossly. “Who else would have been able to kiss you awake?”
He nodded as though he was considering her question.
“There might have been a lineup at my doorway.” Seeing her stare, the corners of his mouth turned upward. “Not that I would ever have entertained the idea of any other woman.”
“You better not have,” she said before leaning over him. “I know we still have much to get through but I must tell you something – before it’s too late.”
