Page 20 of Tamed By a Passionate Lady
Isabel nodded. “I am fearful all the time, Adaline. My mother has always been so frightened for me. It is as if she has wrapped me in swaddling clothes, refusing to let me live, for fear that I will die.” She coughed, quite suddenly, into her hand, gazing at the portrait.
“Oh, Isabel,” said Adaline sorrowfully. “I am so sorry that you have had to go through this.” She paused. “I suppose I have never thought of how it must be, to live with constant sickness. I have always been so hale, and my own parents, while being naturally protective, have always let me live a full life.”
Isabel sighed. “It is daunting, but I must not complain. Some people have harder lives than I do, when all is said and done. The Lord sends us trials for a reason.”
Adaline nodded, gazing at the young woman with fondness. She was learning more about Isabel every day, and liking her just a little bit more as well. Her quiet acceptance of her suffering was truly admirable.
Maybe it was true, she thought. She had been taught, as well, that the Lord tries his children to test their strength in the face of adversity. Was her own suffering a trial that she must face bravely, in order to overcome it?
Her heart lurched, almost flipping over in her chest. James would probably never love her, and she would probably never have a family of her own, either. She must accept her lot in life, just as Isabel had accepted hers. It was true, what the young woman had said: a lot of people had much harder situations to deal with in life.
She took a deep breath. She had a beautiful home, in a wonderful location. She was young, and she had her health. These were all things to feel grateful for. Shecouldcarve out a life here, on her own, that would be very satisfactory, if only she could finally let her love for James go and accept the situation for what it was.
She would start, now. As soon as they went inside she would call Mrs. Bolt, and tell her to prepare one of the rooms. She would start, very slowly, to move into the room, and make it her own. James was quite welcome to the one that they shared now.
She knew that the servants would gossip, but what did she care about that? Many married couples had their own rooms, and never slept with one another. Her own parents had separate chambers now, although they had shared a room for many years when she had been young.
Her heart tightened at the thought. Tears sprang into her eyes. It would be the last severing of the tenuous link between them. They would lead their own lives, completely, from now on. They would truly be strangers, in every sense of the word. And there would not be any possibility of having children at all.
Suddenly, she saw movement. A man, running up towards the house, via the path, from the beach. She stood up so suddenly that her head spun. Who was he, and why was he running towards her home?
Isabel saw him, too. She stood up, her mouth agape, watching him.
Adaline gasped. He wore a sailor’s uniform, and his eyes were frantic.
The sailor didn’t see them at all. His only focus was getting to the house. He kept running, knocking over a watering can in the process, but he did not stop to even look at it.
Her heart started to beat frantically in her chest. Without another thought, she started running towards him.
She knew, by the desperate way the man was running, that something awful had happened. But what?
Chapter 8
Adaline kept running towards the sailor, intercepting him just as he was about to pound on the door to the servants’ quarters.
“Sir,” she said, panting, trying to catch her breath. “What is wrong? What has happened?”
She heard Isabel coming to a stop behind her. Evidently, she had started running after Adaline, as soon as she had set off.
The sailor was a wiry fellow, with long limbs, a shock of red hair, and large, bulbous blue eyes, giving him the appearance of a bug. His face was flushed from exertion. Evidently, he had been running like the wind to get here for quite a while.
“I apologize for the brusque nature of my intrusion, madam,” he said quickly. “But I am afraid that there was no time to waste…”
Adaline blanched, feeling herself grow pale. “What is it?”
The sailor took a deep breath. “I am afraid that I have shocking news. The master of this house has been grievously injured.” He took another deep breath. “One of my ship’s crew found him lying on the rocks, about a mile away.” He pointed in the direction.
Adaline’s head began to spin, in a sickening way. She vaguely heard Isabel gasp, and felt the younger woman clutch her arm tightly. It couldn’t be true. She must have misheard the man.
“James?” she faltered. “Are you quite sure?”
The sailor nodded slowly. “I am afraid so, madam. The first person who got to him was our cabin boy, and he was barely conscious. He managed to tell the boy his name, and that he was the master of this house, before he passed out entirely…”
Adaline staggered, feeling as if she were about to fall. Isabel put her arm quickly around her, halting her downward slide, supporting her, whispering words of comfort in her ear.
“I do not understand,” moaned Adaline, gripping Isabel. “I did not know that he was even out of the house. I thought that he was still in his study, as is his usual morning habit.” She hesitated, gazing at the man. “You are quite sure it is him? A tall man, with a sturdy physique, and brown hair?”
The sailor nodded. “Yes, your description matches the man that we found. My crew are bringing him now along the beach, but my captain asked me to run ahead, to inform the household, to warn you so that you can prepare for his arrival.”
