Page 56 of The Burning Passion of a Fiery Lady
Susannah opened her eyes slowly. Bright sunlight was streaming through the unclosed curtains of the room, almost blinding her.
She sat up, feeling dazed, realising that her hand was still firmly clasping Jasper’s. That even in sleep, she had been unable to let it go.
The door opened, and Amy came in, carrying a tea tray.
“You need to eat and drink,” said the housekeeper. “You have slept the whole night through at his side, and you need sustenance.”
Susannah nodded vaguely. She didn’t want to let go of his hand or leave his side for a moment. But she knew that Amy spoke the truth. She would not be any help to him if she keeled over from lack of food.
Gently, she disentangled herself, placing his hand by his side. Even this small break in contact felt like she was severing a limb. She got up, stretching, walking towards the small table where the housekeeper had placed the tray.
Amy was already pouring the tea, which was steaming, almost curling into the air. On the tray, beside the teapot, were eggs, bacon, and bread.
She smiled at it weakly. “I do not think I can manage so much food, Amy. But I will try my best.”
“Of course you will,” said Amy, passing her the cup.
She sipped the hot, sweet tea, feeling it slowly replenishing her.
“What did the doctor say when he finally arrived last night?” asked Amy, sipping her own tea.
Susannah’s eyes filled with tears. “He said that it was a very deep wound and that there was no telling if he would wake from it or not.” She shuddered with pain. “He said that even if he does wake, that he might be changed. That Jasper may suffer memory loss, or headaches, or moods, because of the injury.” Her voice fell to a whisper.
Amy nodded. “Just so. I knew a man, many years ago, who suffered a blow to the head. He seemed to recover, but then he relapsed, suffering strange fits …”
Susannah’s heart tightened in fear. All the terrible, ugly things that might still happen to him because of this. They had only just found each other and declared their love. Was their love doomed, somehow? Was she destined to never find true happiness, just when it was in her reach?
She gazed over at him, lying on the bed. He was still as pale as the sheet that he lay upon, his dark hair falling around his face. The gash on his head was still vivid, and the skin around it was bruising, turning purple, which looked stark against the whiteness.
He still did not open his eyes.
After the doctor had finally left last night, she had ordered everyone from the room. She had taken his hand, gripping it tightly, begging him to wake up. Bitter tears had fallen down her cheeks as she had spoken to him, telling him how much she loved him and how much he had to live for. But his eyes had remained firmly shut.
Eventually, she must have drifted off to sleep. She still couldn’t remember the moment that it had happened. One minute, she had been talking to him, and the next …
“Susannah,” said Amy gently. “You must eat, my dear.”
Susannah turned back to her friend. Amy was handing over a plate, piled with food, gazing at her expectantly.
“Thank you,” she whispered, a lump in her throat. She took the plate, gazing down at it. It would be hard, but she would try. Hopefully, it wouldn’t stick in her throat.
She managed half of it, before pushing it aside, and picking up her teacup again.
“The men are scouring the grounds, as you ordered,” said Amy. “Looking for any clues as to what happened last night.”
“There must be something,” said Susannah, shaking her head. “There must be something, that he left behind, that shows it was Leonard Green who did this appalling thing.” She took a deep, ragged breath. “I will not rest until the whole of The Willows has been searched.”
Amy nodded. “There might be nothing, though, Susannah. We all know that it was probably Leonard Green who did this, but without proof …”
Susannah’s lips tightened. “There is still Jasper, Amy. He can identify his attacker when he wakes …”
“Ifhe wakes,” said Amy quietly. “There is no guarantee, yet. And if he suffers memory loss, then he will not be able to identify the man, either. It is certainly not a sure thing, yet, Susannah.”
“He will wake,” said Susannah stubbornly. “I know that he will.”
She felt so helpless in the face of it. There was nothing she could do but wait to see if Jasper woke up, but then she was scared of that, too. What if he didn’t recognise her when he finally opened his eyes? What if the past few days had been totally erased from his memory, along with her? What if he had no memory of their love?
Her heart seized. It didn’t seem possible that such a thing could occur, and yet memory was an elusive thing when head injuries were involved. The doctor had stressed that to her, quite a few times, last night.
