Page 78 of A Lady's Past
Closing the door, Jacques closed his eyes. He felt as ragged as Diana looked. He could not take the hurt from her, but he experienced it just the same. No longer caring about rules of propriety, Jacques climbed into the bed on Diana’s uninjured side and took great care not to jostle her as he lay beside her. “I am very vexed with you, Diana. You had no right to injure yourself on my behalf. How can I live if you do not survive? You will have to fight to come back to me. I refuse to accept any other outcome.”
He kissed her cheek. “You might be the bravest woman I have ever known. That is saying quite a lot. Still, you should not have tried to protect me. I should be protecting you. Perhaps that is arrogant of me, but you cannot fault me for wanting you safe. We shall have a long talk about this when you wake up.”
Losing Diana was not an option. His heart couldn’t survive it. She was too much a part of that organ’s ability to beat. She was too fragile to hold, so he settled for resting alongside her and placing his hand at her waist.
Several hours passed and rain tapped against the window. Heat emanated from Diana more fiercely than normal body heat. Sitting up, he felt her cheek.
Clammy and hot. Jacques rolled from the bed and rang for a maid.
Not two minutes passed before Cecilia stood in the doorway. Her cap was askew, and her dress crooked at the shoulder, but she curtsied. “What do you need, sir?”
“Miss MacLeod has a fever. Send someone for Dr. Page and see if you can awaken Mrs. Fallcraft.” Jacques was glad he sounded calmer than his racing heart. He’d prayed, but the result was not as he’d hoped.
Diana moaned behind him.
Cecilia ran from the room and her footfall sounded on the stairs a moment later.
Jacques walked to Honoria’s door and knocked.
A shuffle sounded from within before the door flew open. In her lace-trimmed and ruffled gown, Honoria demanded, “What has happened?”
“She has a fever.” He hadn’t intended to sound forlorn, but his voice betrayed his emotions.
With a nod, Honoria said, “I’ll be a moment.” She closed the door.
Jacques went back to Diana’s room. He took the cloth on her dresser and soaked it in the bowl of cool water, then pressed it to her forehead.
Moaning, Diana turned her head from side to side.
Hoping to chase away whatever demons haunted her dreams, he leaned down and pressed his lips to her ear. “Diana, you must be still, or you will tear those stitches. You do not want to have to go through that again. Frankly, I do not think I could take it.”
She stilled, but pain etched lines on her forehead and around her eyes.
Jacques kissed her nose. “Do not leave me, Diana. I need you and cannot live without you in my life. Please.”
ChapterEighteen
The haze around Diana faded and a throbbing pain took its place. She focused on the voices around her and pulled herself out of the fog. Blinking through the heaviness of her eyelids, Diana forced herself to wake.
She moved her arm. Pain scorched through the right side of her body, taking her breath away.
Jacques’s handsome face came into focus. There were dark rings under his eyes and his hair hung loose instead of being pulled back in a neat queue. Lines formed around his frown. “Be still, Diana. You are all right, but you should try to relax.”
“Jacques.” Her dry throat wouldn’t allow much more.
“I am here. We have been very worried about you.” He ran his fingers down her cheek.
Memories bounced around the periphery of her mind. Walking in the snow, Victor, danger, pain. “I was shot?”
Honoria leaned over her. “Yes, but you’re going to be fine. Dr. Page said the fever is abated and your blood is clean. He wanted to bleed you, but Jacques wouldn’t have it after you’d lost so much blood.”
“Fever?” Had she been ill? “I don’t remember.”
“I am very angry with you.” He didn’t look angry. Tired, relieved, and maybe loving, but not angry. Pushing her hair from her face, he said, “You should not have tried to protect me, but we will talk about that when you are stronger.”
Exhausted and still foggy-brained, Diana closed her eyes. “Good, because I have a thing or two to say about that.”
Honoria laughed. “Oh, thank heavens, there she is. She really is going to be all right.”
