Page 46 of The Enigmatic Governess of Buford Manor
A sea of commotion filled her head but as she crumbled to the floor, her eyes fixated upward, she saw the man who had haunted her nightmares for months.
Captain Daniel Balfour.
Chapter 16
His concern for Rose kept him pacing through the hallway outside her bedchambers like a caged tiger and when Dr. Ferner emerged, the man smiled weakly.
“She merely fainted, Lord Buford,” he assured Nicholas. “Nothing a round of smelling salts did not revive. She has a history of such actions, so she tells me. You needn’t trouble yourself with her condition.”
He was relieved although his concern still lingered.
“What is the cause? Have you cured her?” he demanded. “May I see her?”
“Of course, my lord but I loathe to tell you that ladies of her stature are susceptible to such spells. Sometimes it is the corset, others, their weaker dispositions. They are not called the fairer sex without cause. It is nothing to concern yourself. I will inform the duchess Mrs. Parsons is awake.”
Nicholas’ mouth became a fine line of denial. If she was prone to such actions, why had he never heard of this before? There was more to what had happened, he was certain but he would never learn the cause if he did not speak to Rose.
He knocked but it was merely a formality, his head already inside the room before she could grant him permission. She was whiter than overripe dandelions and Nicholas’ heart froze in his chest as Rose stared at him with listless eyes.
“How are you faring?” he asked, hurrying to her side. “Have you any water?”
She nodded and gestured toward the night table.
“Are you able to speak?” he asked, his eyes widening. Had she had an apoplexy?
“Of course,” she murmured. “I merely fainted foolishly before everyone.”
“You have done this before, Dr. Ferner says.”
“Several times after Philip died,” she confessed, darting her eyes downward. “The doctor told me it is brought about by anxiousness. I feared I would be institutionalized if it continued but it ended almost as soon as it began.”
“Oh, Rose,” he muttered. “We will learn why this happens. Why have you kept it secret? You should have told someone!”
“It has not happened since I arrived here,” she insisted, noting again his informality of address but making no comment. “I am terribly embarrassed.”
“You needn’t be embarrassed. We are only concerned for your well-being.”
She stared at him, misery tainting her eyes.
“What is that man doing here?” she whispered. Nicholas looked at her in confusion.
“What man?”
“Captain Balfour. Why has he come here?”
“You know him? He is merely a hunting companion of my father’s. He arrived a day early – a simple misunderstanding. Has he upset you in some way? Is that why you fainted?”
Rose closed her lids and fell deeper into the pillows, her face almost translucent.
“How long will he be here?” she murmured. “I do not wish to cross paths with him again. I cannot guarantee I will not faint.”
“How do you know him?” Nicholas demanded. “He – “
Abruptly he stopped speaking as the realization struck him.
“He served with your husband,” the marquess muttered. “He is bringing forth terrible memories.”
“He did more than serve with Philip,” Rose breathed. “He was there when he died and he notified me of his death. I know he is not to be faulted but…my lord, I cannot bear to look at that man.”
