Page 42 of A Duke's Scandalous Obsession
“Maybe we’d better head back,” he said, sounding solemn.
“Of course,” she nodded, wondering if she had done or said something.
The truth was, she couldn’t understand a single thing that man said or did. He was a mystery, and with each moment she spentwith him, it seemed that the mystery of who he was would only deepen. It was driving her mad.
She walked over to her horse, gently caressing it. She wished to remain there a little longer. She liked that place. It comforted her. But Dominic had urged them to go, and all she could do was agree. That was why she waited for him to mount his horse first, then she did the same.
But at that moment, something happened. A noise she didn’t quite recognize exploded somewhere in the distance, startling her horse. It reared up unexpectedly, moving without any sense of direction. Before she could react, the horse threw her from the saddle, and Catherine landed with a thud on the ground below. Pain shot through her as she hit the earth, breath knocked from her lungs by the force of the fall.
She lay there for a moment, dazed and disoriented.
“Dom…?” she called out, but she couldn’t pronounce his whole name, and a moment later, everything became dark.
Chapter 21
Dominic saw everything that had happened. In fact, a single second of Catherine’s fall felt to him like an entire hour, until he finally saw her laying unconsciously on the ground. He jumped down from his horse, kneeling beside her, gently shaking her shoulders in a desperate attempt to rouse her from her stupor.
“Catherine?” he called out her name. “Cate, please, wake up… you have to wake up!”
But there was no response, and panic threatened to consume him as he realized the gravity of the situation. Without hesitation, he scooped her into his arms, cradling her gently against his chest as he rose to his feet.
A moment ago, he was holding her in his arms, kissing her, and now, she was laying unconscious. Once again, life proved to him a fact he already knew. Everything could change in a blink of an eye. The people he cared for most could disappear from his life, leaving him all alone and desperate.
He tried not to give in to those hopeless thoughts. He couldn’t. Catherine was counting on him. She needed him to remain calm and have them both return to the house safely.
With a determined resolve, he lifted Catherine onto his horse, carefully securing her in the saddle before mounting the same horse behind her. He would need to send for the other horse later. Right now, he urged his own horse into a gallop, his heart pounding in his chest as he raced back.
As they rode back, every moment felt like an entire eternity. He prayed fervently that she would wake up, that she would give him some sign that she was all right. But every time he glanced at her, her eyes would be closed and her body slumped, like a marionette without its strings or anyone to keep control of it.
“Stay with me, Catherine,” he whispered to her more than once on the way back. “We have to race again. You have to show me that you are faster than me. You have to prove it. I need you to prove it to me, Cate… stay with me…” He kept repeating words that made no sense, but something assured him that she was listening. He had to keep talking, even if it was all nonsense. She needed to hear someone’s voice, to know that she was needed back.
Finally, they reached the familiar surroundings of the estate and Dominic wasted no time in carrying Catherine inside, instead shouting at whoever was closest enough to hear him.
“Fetch Doctor Manning immediately!” he called out, his voice sharp with urgency. “Catherine needs help!”
Several servants sprang into action, while Dominic gently took her down from the horse. He hurried back to the house with Catherine cradled in his arms, when his aunt emerged from the doorway, her expression a mix of shock and concern.
“Dominic!” she exclaimed, her voice trembling with worry, as her gaze jumped from him to Catherine, then back at him again. “What in heaven’s name has happened?”
“It’s Catherine,” Dominic explained breathless, his heart still racing with fear. “She fell from her horse.”
His aunt’s eyes widened in alarm as she took in the sight of Catherine’s still form. Without hesitation, she sprang into action, leading Dominic to Catherine’s chamber with quick, determined steps. Once inside, Dominic laid Catherine gently on the bed, his hands trembling with worry as he smoothed a stray lock from her forehead. Aunt Penelope bustled about the room, gathering supplies and summoning the household staff to assist.
“Has Doctor Manning been called for?” she asked.
“Yes, I gave servants instructions to do so,” he confirmed.
“That was good,” Aunt Penelope declared with resolve. “Lady Catherine needs proper care, and we must do everything in our power to ensure her recovery.”
She approached Catherine, who was now resting on the bed. His aunt took Catherine’s hand into her own, squeezing it reassuringly. Then, she turned to Dominic.
“I’m sure everything will be fine,” she reassured him. He was grateful for those words. He needed them. He only wished he could be as certain as she was.
Doctor Manning arrived swiftly, his presence bringing a sense of reassurance to the anxious household. He was a tall, distinguished man with graying hair and piercing blue eyes that exuded both intelligence and compassion. Dominic remembered how, in his boyhood, he saw the man as even taller, towering even, with his knowledge of the human body and its well-being.
But as he grew older, Doctor Manning seemed to grow smaller, until eventually, the two men ended up being the same height. However, that didn’t take away from the respect the man deserved and received in Aunt Penelope’s home.
“Oh, Doctor Manning, thank you for coming so swiftly!” Aunt Penelope seized control of the situation immediately, rushing over to the man who appeared in the doorway.
