Page 75 of A Lady's Past
Cecilia touched his shoulder. “Here, sir, I’ve got her. I’ll get her out of the coat.”
Honoria flew through the door. “My girl. What happened? I saw that fiend taken to the dungeon. They should take him to the pits of hell. Missy, go and fetch Miss MacLeod’s nightdress and more sheets. Oh, my girl.”
Mind spinning out of control, Jacques backed away. Diana’s declaration that she had not betrayed him played over in his head. How could she have thought it needed saying? He’d never believed a word Victor said against her. It was a ploy to divide them and create doubt. Just as he’d told Preston, he had no doubts about her; he knew her heart.
Missy, a redheaded maid of perhaps fifteen, rushed in with tears streaming down her face. Five other maids surrounded Diana and removed the cape and overcoat. They took off her boots, all the while pressing new, clean bandages to the bleeding wound.
So much blood in the snow and on the bandages. His cravat lay in a basin, covered in her blood.
Preston’s grip on his shoulder startled him. “I cannot lose her, Pres. She has to be okay.”
Mrs. Fallcraft rushed in with a black bag and took over the caregiving. “Good, girls. We’ll need more water and bandages. Has the surgeon been called?”
“Yes, ma’am. He’s on his way,” Preston said.
Honoria stood watch but allowed Mrs. Fallcraft to take over.
“The snow will keep him. This ball is too deep. We’ll have to stop the bleeding until he gets here. Bank the fire and open those windows. The cold air is better.”
As if she were a general, her orders were instantly obeyed by footmen and maids. Meanwhile, Mrs. Fallcraft held Diana in her arms and pressed a bandage to her back. “Preston, take Jacques out of here. If he falls ill, my attention will be divided, and that will not be good for Miss MacLeod.”
“Come on, Jacques. We’re not doing anyone any good here. Let’s go and see about Caron.” Preston wrapped an arm around his shoulder, and they left the parlor.
Calling over his shoulder, Jacques said, “I want to know the minute the surgeon arrives.”
“I will find you.” Honoria closed the parlor door.
“When your lady awakens, I shall owe her an apology and my thanks. I would not have thought she would take a bullet for you or anyone. Bravest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“What were you doing there?” With all that had happened, Jacques just realized he and Diana had not been alone on their walk.
“Just in case there was trouble, Alex and I followed. When we spotted Victor, Alex sent me to fetch the others. We arrived just as he pulled the trigger. Alex looked a bit shocked, if you want my opinion. He’d not expected Caron to be insane and shoot you. He thought he’d try to find a way to bring you both back to France.” Preston opened a thick wooden door with iron strapping, revealing narrow stairs down to the castle’s original dungeon.
The air grew damp and cool as they descended. Caron’s mad rantings filled the stone cavern.
“Then Alex was there. He could have made himself known and perhaps Diana wouldn’t have been injured.” Jacques couldn’t bear the thought that her injuries might be fatal. The pain tearing through his chest could not be eased until he knew Diana was going to live.
“Or he might have stepped out and caused Caron to shoot sooner. Caron might have shot you and taken his dagger to Diana in an effort to escape the Horsemen. If the rest of us had arrived sooner…” Preston shook his head.
“It’s not your fault, Pres.” There was no way of knowing how Victor might have reacted to one more person stepping into view. It could have been as Preston said or worse. Insanity had taken over Victor’s mind.
At the bottom of the stairs, Preston put his hand on Jacques’s shoulder and the muscle in his jaw ticked. “I didn’t truly believe in her as you did. I still had doubts about her loyalties, both to you and to England. My wretched disbelief could have gotten you both killed, and there is no way to apologize for such a slight.”
The weight Jacques had carried for months over his closest friend’s mistrust of Diana lifted. Loving Diana meant ignoring the feelings of anyone unrelated to them as a couple, but it also meant straining his bond with the man he considered his brother. Jacques hadn’t realized how heavy it had been until it no longer held him down. “You are the one person in this world who need never apologize to me, Pres. We have known each other too long to worry about such things.”
With a long sigh, Preston met Jacques’s gaze. “How will I make up such a grievous error to Diana?”
“You will have a lifetime to make amends.” Jacques hoped he was telling the truth. She’d looked so fragile lying pale and listless on the couch. None of the vibrant woman he knew remained in that moment.
Preston nodded, but worry shone in his eyes. “Yes, of course.”
The dark passage brought them to an open area with a barred cell. Inside, Victor was raging like a wild beast. Sweat poured down his face despite the coolness of the dungeon. Spit flew from his mouth with a barely coherent mix of French and English blather about killing them all, treason, and the glorious emperor. His height left only inches between his head and the low stone ceiling. Each time he flailed and jumped, parts of him would bash against unyielding rock. A gash bled on his forehead and one on his hand.
Alex leaned against the wall watching, while Oliver stood with his arms crossed over his broad chest and his legs apart.
“Has he been like this since you brought him here?” Preston ran his hand through his hair.
“He’s actually calmed a bit.” Oliver pointed and shrugged. “I’ve never seen anything like him. You knew him before, Jacques. Was he always a madman?”
