Page 72 of The Scoundrel of Drury Lane
She moved to sit up, and pain lanced through her shoulder, then ripped through the rest of her. Her throat was too dry to make a sound, but she tried anyway.
“Kit...,” she rasped.
He shifted, sighed, and held on to her tighter, still asleep.
“Let him rest,” a voice said from the shadows by the door. She saw Lionel sitting up in a chair, his face lined with worry. He stood, fetched a goblet of water for her, and then helped her drink. His hazel eyes were soft and his hair was untidy, as though he had dragged his hands through it repeatedly.
Grateful for the water, she lay back on the pillows. “Thank you,” she whispered. Then after a moment, she found the strength to ask, “What happened?”
He set the empty goblet on the table beside her. “How much do you remember?”
“The ship... Balfour and Walsh were there. Then Kit found me...” Flashes of memories dug into her head like shards of glass.
“You were shot. Balfour set fire to the ship and nearly killed you and Kit. Kit leapt off the deck with you and landed in the water. Walsh is under arrest. Balfour had a pistol hidden on him. He tried to shoot Kit, but—”
“I shot him.” She had killed a man who could only ever cause harm. She had no strength to care for taking that life. Balfour’s death was already a hollow memory for her, one she sensed would fade almost completely with time.
“Is Kit all right?” she asked Lionel.
“Yes, he’s just exhausted. You’ve been asleep for three days. He’s kept a vigil at your side every minute. He refused to leave you, even though the magistrate handling the case for Walsh demanded he make a statement. In the end, he had to make his statement in here. I daresay having the magistrate see you like this helped Kit’s testimony.”
With a trembling hand, Suzannah stroked Kit’s hair. Then she gasped. “Oh my God. Darius. He tried to save me. Balfour’s men...” She couldn’t finish.
“Darius is alive. If your friend hadn’t found him, however, we would have lost him.”
“My friend?” She couldn’t think of who Lionel meant.
“That theater fellow. Jude something or other. He found Darius and got him to Dr. Jordan. He saved Darius’s life.”
Suzannah shut her eyes, whispering a thank-you to Jude for being there.
“What will happen now?” she asked Lionel.
Kit’s friend grinned, despite his obvious weariness. “Now? Now you get to live, truly live, without looking over your shoulder or fearing the past. I imagine that at some point you have a portrait to finish, and we have a play to attend, as I believe you requested.”
She shook her head, unconvinced. “But is this alltrulyover?”
“Yes, it is. Walsh’s shipping company belongs to Ashton Lennox now, and Balfour’s cases are being reexamined. Even though he’s dead, it will certainly be proven that he was guilty of the crime of false imprisonment on more than one occasion. Others might now find their freedom or at least their good names and memories restored thanks to Kit.”
Kit stirred, yawned, and opened his eyes. “Lionel, what are you—?” He then realized that Lionel was talking to Suzannah, not him. He sat up in shock.
“How long have you been awake?” he asked, leaning forward and placing a hand on her hip.
She covered his hand with one of her own. “Only a few minutes.”
“Are you in pain? Lionel, fetch something for her pain—”
“I hurt, yes, but I don’t need anything right now. Please, just rest here with me.”
He seemed to understand what she was asking and leaned down to kiss the crown of her hair. “For as long as it takes,” he said.
Lionel grunted as he stood with a weary sigh like he was a man twice his age. “I shall leave you alone for a while,” he said with a twinkle in his eye, then quietly stepped outside the room and closed the door.
She sighed in relief. “It’s over.Finally.”
“It is far from over,” Kit said.
She tensed, fearing what new danger he might be referring to.
