Page 34 of A Duke to Restore her Memory
Sebastian suppressed his shock at her question. “Yes, of course, Georgina. I am certain that your assistance would be very welcome.” He hesitated, frowning. “But it is confronting, mucky work. Are you quite certain you want to do it? You will need to have a strong stomach to deal with blood and the like …”
“I am sure I will be fine,” she said determinedly. “And if I start to feel faint or overwhelmed, I will simply sit down and rest for a while.” A shadow of a smile crossed her face. “It is better to try and fail than never try at all. Do you not agree?”
“I do,” he said softly. “Thank you.”
She nodded, bobbing a small curtsey, before turning and rushing away to where the injured men were lying on the ground. As he and Daniel kept questioning the mine manager, he couldn’t help turning to watch her occasionally.
His heart turned over in his chest as he watched her, realizing that his admiration for her was growing by the second.
She had thrown herself into the fray, helping the physicians, even ripping the skirt of her gown to assemble makeshift bandages. She was dirty and smeared in blood, but she didn’t stop. Not for a minute.
His heart turned over in his chest again. He was almost entirely convinced that she was a gentlewoman now, if not a lady of rank, but she was acting in a way that no gentlewoman he knew acted.
Mostly, in crises like this, ladies helped by organizing refreshments like Lydia and Frances were doing. They rarely got their hands dirty like Georgina. They had been brought up to be very delicate – to swoon and faint at even the slightest sight of blood.
How tenacious she is. How determined and fearless. She truly is just the type of woman I have always yearned for – selfless, compassionate, and capable. She embodies everything I have ever wanted in a wife.
His breath caught in his throat, and he froze, as the thought swept through his mind. At that moment, Georgina looked up, wiping sweat off her brow with the back of her arm.
Their eyes met and locked across the grassy field. He felt a jolt unlike anything he had ever felt before.
If she were a woman of rank, who I could seriously consider, I would not hesitate. I would not hesitate for even a moment to pursue her.
Hastily, he turned away, breaking the connection between them, his heart pounding painfully. He couldn’t consider her – he must not even let his mind journey down that train of thought, even for a moment.
His heart filled with profound sorrow. The weight of his lofty title felt as heavy upon his head as a king’s crown. Society expected – no, demanded – that he marry someone of near, if not equal, rank.
There was no way on earth that he could seriously court and consider marrying a woman who had no position in this world – a woman who might be the daughter of a tinker or a tailor.
He had never wished to be anyone else in this life – had never felt that the responsibilities and expectations of his high rank were a burden in any way.
But now, he felt it keenly. Fervently he wished that he was just an ordinary man, free to choose who he wanted for a bride. For a moment, he indulged in the fantasy of it.
How happy I would be. How perfectly happy I would be.
“Your Grace?” Oliver Grier’s voice cut through his fantasy. “Are you quite alright?”
Sebastian took a deep breath. “Perfectly, thank you, Grier.” Firmly, he pushed the thought of Georgina aside, focusing on the manager of the mine. “Can we go over again exactly what happened in the lead-up to the explosion? We must get the details exactly right.”
He forced himself to concentrate as Grier went over the lead-up to the explosion and then went over it again. Daniel had the idea of sending for parchment and quill, and when it arrived, they wrote the manager’s account of the events down carefully before moving on to other miners who were shaken but not injured, writing down their accounts, as well.
Eventually, the mine was cleared. Slowly, his heart in his mouth, he strode over to where the dead lay, counting the bodies. Fifteen men had lost their lives in that mine. Fifteen men would never return to their families. And other men were close to death, as well.
It was a tragedy of epic proportions. And he was responsible. It had happened in one of his mines. The weight of it was like a shell on his back, weighing him down unbearably.
Suddenly, he felt a presence at his side. It was Georgina. She reached over, patting his arm sympathetically, gazing at him with a look of pity on her face.
“I will seek justice for them,” he whispered, his voice thick with tears. “And I vow to look after their families until my dying day.”
“Of course,” she whispered, her green eyes flickering. “I would expect nothing less from you.”
Their eyes met and held again. He wanted to close his eyes and rest his head on her shoulder. He wanted no one but her … and the tragedy was, he could never have her.
Chapter 18
Christina was silent as they walked into the foyer at Newquay Hall. She was so exhausted she could barely stand up.
Lord Ealing had returned to his home an hour ago – she and the duke were among the last of the helpers.
