Page 50 of The Remarkable Myth of a Nameless Lady
He had purchased time for Alicia by diverting attention away from her, if only for a short while, and he hoped she might have gained more information than he had managed to. There was only one way to find out. The revelers would not notice his absence, and he would not be able to speak with Mistress Marigold and Meghan until they had endured their punishment of a night in the outbuilding, to soften them up somewhat.
It was time for him to return to the village, to speak with his accomplice. Maybe she would have the answers needed to prevent any harm from coming to his family, or his household. Right now, he needed a victory more than ever.
Chapter 36
Alicia opened her mouth to ask more of her father, to see if he knew of anything else that might lead her toward the identity of the shooter. After all, she needed to know as much as possible before she could go to Jacob and tell him her news. Time was already of the essence, with the suggestion of a plot afoot, aimed at the guests to the Duchess’ ball. But she did not want to miss anything vital, just in case he could tell her more.
However, before she could get a single word out, he began to cough violently. Great wheezing heaves rasped out of his lungs, a few specks of blood splashing onto his lips.
“Da?” She rushed to him in a panic, kneeling in front of him.
“It’s… naught.” He barely uttered the words before another bout of coughing seized him in its grip. Every breath rattled out of his lips as he struggled for air.
“Da? What’s the matter? Da?” She grasped for his shoulders and tried to urge him to breathe more steadily. “Da, look at me. Look at me and follow my breathing.”
His eyes bulged, red thread veins appearing across the whites as he fought against the coughing fit. One of his trembling hands reached for a filthy rag on the arm of the chair. He brought it to his lips and spluttered into it, a dark patch of scarlet appearing in the center. Alicia stared at it in horror as it started to spread wider, like a spider’s web being spun before her very eyes.
“Da!” she cried, rubbing his back in case that helped eased his suffering.
Meanwhile, her father continued in his battle, wheezing and hacking into the filthy rag as if there was something lodged in his throat. His whole body trembled violently under the strain of the coughing, his face deathly pale. Every time he removed the rag for a second, Alicia noticed that his lips were turning blue.
“Da! I’ve got to fetch the physician!” She shot to her feet, her heart wrenching. She did not dare to leave him in case he worsened, but if she did not… then she did not know what might happen to him.
Tom…
She darted for the door and flung it open, scouring the near darkness for the cat-footed friend of Jacob.
“Tom? Tom, I need you!” she hissed into the shadows.
A second later, Tom appeared, his eyes wide with worry. “What’s the trouble, Miss Price?”
“Go further into the village and fetch the physician. It’s my Da—he’s not well. He needs help, and he needs it fast,” she gasped, glancing back into the house. Her father had rocked forward in his chair, the terrible sounds of his strained breathing echoing back toward her.
Tom nodded. “I’ll do that now, Miss Price. Never you worry.” He sprinted away into the gloom, leaving Alicia to hurry back into the house, to her father’s side.
“I don’t want… no physician,” her father rasped. “They bring naught but… death.”
“Da, would you listen to yourself? You’re not in a good way. You need the physician, whether you want him here or not.” She sank down in front of him again, her heart hammering in her chest. For all the wrong he’d done, he was still her father, and that was a bond that could not be broken. Perhaps that was foolhardy, but she could not change the fabric of her nature.
Her father heaved out a deadly cough that shook him down to the bones. “Last time I… let a physician… into my house, your… mother ended up in a… grave. I won’t go… the same way… as her. I know I’ve not… been a good father to you, but… I’m not about to leave… you alone in this… world.”
“Da, you need to stop talking. Concentrate on your breathing,” Alicia begged.
“We can’t… afford a… physician!” He lurched further forward, spluttering desperately into his rag.
“You let me worry about that, Da. I will find a way to pay. You know me—I will find a way,” she said, feeling utterly helpless. All she could do was rub his back and wait for the shallow breaths that entered his lungs. They seemed to be getting closer together, his lips less blue, but she would not feel calm until the physician arrived.
Just then, a knock at the door pounded into the cottage. She jumped up and ran toward it, tearing open the door so she might let the physician in without delay. However, the face staring back at her was not the one she had expected to see.
“Your Grace?”
He frowned. “You do not seem pleased to see me.”
“I thought I was to send word to you?” She glanced back at her father, panicked.
“There was no time for that. I thought to come to you instead.” He peered over her shoulder. “Is something the matter?”
She nodded, feeling hot tears spring to her eyes. “It’s my Da—he’s taken a turn.”
