Page 80 of A Lady's Past
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Waking the next time was far easier. The sun shone through the westerly windows of Diana’s room. She was still on her back and her muscles ached from inactivity. Jacques sat to her right. “You look better.”
He smiled. “As do you.”
Using her left arm, she pushed herself to sitting.
Jacques jumped up and added his strength while propping her pillows up behind her. He frowned as he returned to the chair.
Heart pounding, she broached the subject haunting her dreams. “Victor lied. I never betrayed you. I never betrayed England.”
Letting out a long sigh, he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “Diana, I have never thought you had, not even for one moment.”
“But why, Jacques? I don’t know if I could believe me after all that has happened.” Besides the throbbing of her shoulder, her chest ached with emotion.
“Because I know your heart. You are everything to me, my goddess of the moon.”
A knock on the door ended the conversation and preceded Preston Knowles’s entry. As a duke, he generally looked proud and poised. Today his expression was contrite. “You’re awake. I’m very glad to see you, Miss MacLeod.”
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
Preston rounded the bed and knelt beside her.
Stunned to silence, Diana could only stare at him. Dukes did not kneel, and this duke didn’t like her very much. She looked to Jacques for some explanation, but he only shrugged and grinned.
Preston looked at the floor and then up at her. “You must forgive me.” He stopped and turned his gaze down again. “No. I’m sorry. I’m begging you to forgive me.”
“Your Grace? I don’t know what you should be forgiven for.”
“Preston or Pres, please. I need no titles when with true friends. I doubted you, Miss MacLeod. I thought you might be using my friend, my brother, to get information, or trying to get him sent back to France to save yourself. I was a fool.”
It was not a revelation. She’d heard him say as much in the parlor, yet her heart pounded. “And now?”
“I was wrong. No one jumps in front of a bullet unless they have love in their heart for the person they’ve saved.”
Truth or not, it was not enough. “I could love him and still be a traitor.”
Nodding, Preston acknowledged her logic. “That is true. Still, I was convinced by your noble act. However, the Horsemen have had five days with Victor Caron and he has confessed to more things than he was asked. Of course, he’s completely mad and obsessed with you to the point where we can no longer mention your name without sending him into hours of incoherent babble.”
Sweat beaded on her forehead and upper lip. “He’s still here?”
Jacques stood and hovered over her. “He is shackled in the dungeon. He will never harm you again. Word has been sent to France that he will face trial in London. We await Napoleon’s response, but we assume he will deny any part in Caron’s actions.”
“Does that mean I am free from them?”
Jacques looked at Preston then back at her. “I do not know, my love. We will have to wait for a response and gauge the answer.”
The idea that this might never be over churned her stomach. Living the rest of her life with the fear of being captured was no life at all. She returned her gaze to Preston still kneeling on the floor. “Of course, I forgive you. There is nothing to forgive. You wanted to protect your friend, and no one can fault you for that.”
He leaned forward, took her hand and kissed it. “Thank you. I’ve been distraught with the notion that you would never forgive me for being such an ass. I’ve written to my wife. She has been very worried about you and sends you prayers for a quick recovery, Miss MacLeod. I think she will join us here at Buckrose soon.”
“Diana. You must call me Diana. I will be happy when I can walk out of this castle on my own feet. Now, please, get off the floor before you damage yourself.”
Jacques laughed. “It is good for dukes to kneel from time to time. It keeps them humble.”
A loud rumble of Diana’s stomach shot Preston to his feet. “I will send for something for you to eat. Thank you, Diana.”
She smiled as he left. “Jacques, it is a very strange day.”
