Page 84 of A Lady's Past
Embarrassment, joy and something more bubbled inside Diana. How her life had changed in a few short months.
Cecilia spoke as soon as Alex left the room. “We are cleaning your room, miss. I shall inform you the moment it’s ready.”
“Thank you, Cecilia.” It was an effort not to sound disappointed.
Mrs. Fallcraft said, “I’m going to check on Sebastian. I told him to be still and keep ice on that bump. I will gather fresh bandages and return shortly.”
Honoria nearly bumped into Mrs. Fallcraft in the threshold. The ladies curtsied and smiled. “I went for a short walk in the gardens and all Hell broke loose inside. Are you hurt, Diana?”
“No, my lady. I am fine. Mr. Laurent has already seen to my stitches and all is well.”
“Thank goodness. I’m going to make sure your room is clean. I don’t want you to see a trace of that horrible man when you return.” Honoria scurried out of Jacques’s room.
The door was left open, but quiet descended and they were blissfully alone. Jacques sat at the edge of the bed and took her left hand in his. “I wish you could stay here with me.”
“I was thinking the same thing, but I’m of little use with this arm and shoulder immobilized.”
“Having you near would be more than enough.” He leaned over and kissed her palm.
Diana wanted to tell him so much of what was in her heart, but with people rushing up and down the hall, it was not the right time. Despite her desire to be alone with Jacques, her body rejected wakefulness. Her eyes grew heavy. “I’m sorry.”
He pushed her hair back from her cheek. “Sleep, my love. We will talk when you wake up.”
Regardless of her efforts to remain with him, sleep claimed her, and with it came images of a madman strangling the breath from her.
Jacques’s whispered pledges that she was safe and should rest easy chased the demon away.
* * *
Jacques couldn’t sleep. Most nights he sat up watching the sky. Cloudy, starry or bright with the moon, he watched. Each day Diana grew stronger and endured less pain. She walked the hallways daily, regaining her strength. Dr. Page came twice a week to check on her progress. Jacques longed for the day he could take her away from Buckrose.
It had been three weeks since the last attack by Victor Caron. His body was long gone, hauled off to London. All that remained were Diana’s nightmares about that fiend.
Giving up on sleep, Jacques pulled on his breeches and blouse and padded down the hall to see if Diana was resting easily.
The room was empty save for her sleeping form tucked into the bed. He sat beside her. All evidence of the mayhem that had transpired in the room had long been cleaned away. It had taken several times scrubbing to get the bloodstain out of the floor. Jacques would carry the blood on his hands much longer. Yet he couldn’t regret killing Victor. He’d had no choice in the moment, and he would have always been a danger to Diana.
“Is that you, Jacques?” Her groggy voice made him long to hold her close and hear her speak for days on end before ravaging her from head to toe.
“Yes, my goddess. I wanted to make sure you were all right.”
“I can’t sleep. When I close my eyes, I see terrible images.” Her complaint was sad, and she sounded lonely in the darkness of her room.
He sat on the edge of the bed. “Shall I hold you?”
“Someone might come in and find you.”
“Then I will marry you immediately.” He hoped someone would move up the date of his careful plans. He climbed under the covers and, lying on his side, wrapped his arm around her middle.
Her good arm wrapped around his, and she sighed a long, contented breath. “I wish we could stay like this forever.”
“Do you?”
“Yes. Why do you sound surprised?”
He’d wanted more from her but hadn’t pushed. All these weeks she’d been warm and flirtatious, but nothing more. “I am never sure what you feel, my love. You keep your emotions under such tight control, I struggle to read them.”
Rolling to her left, she faced him. With the fire nearly out and the curtains blocking any moonlight, he could only see the light of her eyes. “Forgive me. I have spent so long hiding my feelings, it is difficult for me to express them as others do. You have been a kind and wonderful friend and deserve more.”
