Page 33 of The Uncouth Duke of Longford
He did not say anything more, finding himself sinking to his knees and, as he did so, the whole world around him going black.
***
“Your Grace? Your Grace? Andrew?”
Andrew tried to open his eyes but found them too heavy. He tried to rub at them, tried to lift his hand but found he could not. There was too much weariness within him, too much fatigue that burned right through his whole body.
“You are awake, are you not?”
Andrew grunted and finally managed to crack open one eye, seeing the wide eyed expression of Lord Wrexham looking back at him. “What happened?”
“You fainted, cousin.” Lord Chiddick was at his other side, leaning over what Andrew realized was a couch. “A little too much whiskey, mayhap?”
“Mayhap.” Andrew finally managed to rub at his eyes and, after a moment, harnessed enough strength to push himself up. “My head aches.”
“It could be from where you struck it against the floor,” Lord Wrexham replied, quietly. “Can you stand?”
“My strength is returning,” Andrew admitted, accepting a glass of water from his cousin with a grateful murmur. “I am sorry to have caused such an upset.”
“The doctor was called,” Lord Wrexham said, glancing to Lord Chiddick. “He has not yet arrived, however.”
“I do not require a doctor,” Andrew stated, firmly. “I am quite well. It was a faint, that is all. As my cousin has said, a little too much whiskey.” He looked to his cousin. “Might you inform our host that I am well recovered and that the doctor does not need to be disturbed?”
Lord Chiddick nodded and then took his leave. Thereafter, Andrew rose to his feet, though he was forced to lean back and grasp the top of the couch given the way he wobbled.
“Steady, now, old friend,” Lord Wrexham murmured, reaching out to put one hand on Andrew’s shoulder. “It was the cake, I am sure.”
“Yes, it must have been.”
“I do not know what would have happened to you had you eaten all of it,” Lord Wrexham continued, his hand slowly releasing from Andrew’s shoulder. “That is the second time someone has attempted to injure you through what you eat or drink.”
“But why?” Andrew closed his eyes as another wave of dizziness washed over him. “Again, I ask, why would someone do such a thing to me? I have no enemies. My father had no enemies. So what is it that they want from me?”
Lord Wrexham shrugged. “To teach you a lesson? To make you aware of what it is that you have done to them, even though, at the present moment, you can think of no-one?”
Andrew pinched the bridge of his nose and let out another breath. “I do not know. However, I realise now that I shall have to take a good deal more care than I have been, given what has happened.”
“I would not accept any dinner invitations, certainly,” Lord Wrexham agreed, speaking rather ruefully. “Not until we can understand why this is happening to you.”
Andrew sat back down heavily rather than remaining standing. His stomach was still twisting this way and that, his heart was beating a little more quickly than usual and his mind was whirring with questions. Leaning forward, he put his elbows on his knees and dropped his head forward, taking in big gulps of air in the hope of ending the nauseous sensation pushing through him.
This evening was meant to have been one of enjoyment, not one of concern. And yet now, as he sat here and attempted to gather himself again, Andrew felt himself more troubled than ever.
Chapter Fifteen
“Father?” Rachel pushed open the door of her father’s study, having already been granted permission to enter. “Might I speak with you?”
Her father looked up from his papers, quill in hand. “If you wish, though it cannot be for more than a few minutes. I have a good many matters to deal with.”
“I understand.” Licking her lips, Rachel clasped her hands lightly in front of her and took in a deep breath, looking up at her father and trying to steel her resolve. She had thought for a long time about the Duke of Longford’s offer as regards their courtship and what it would mean and now, having come to a decision, she had to speak with her father.
“It is about the Duke of Longford.”
That name had her father’s head lifting sharply, his eyes fixed to hers, his astonishment more than apparent in his expression.
“I presume Mama has told you that the Duke has shown an interest in me of late?”
Lord Carmichael cleared his throat gruffly, frowning as he set his quill back in the jar. “She may have mentioned it in the passing but I was not certain that it was to be taken with any real seriousness.”
