Page 33 of The Ones Left Behind
The batman looked sideways at him. “What has the hunting lodge to do with your crutches?”
“Does it matter?”
Hornsby scratched his head, and offering no reply, began shaving Matthias. Nonetheless, he grumbled the whole time about toffs and their being dicked in the nob. Once Matthias was dressed, Hornsby helped him downstairs for breakfast. Thankfully, there was no sign of Kitty. Matthias knew he should apologize to her before he left, but suspected she was avoiding him this morning.
“The carriage is awaiting your pleasure, sir,” Hornsby announced in a slightly mocking tone some half-an-hour later.
“I gather you do not wish to accompany me? Feel free to stay behind.”
Hornsby looked offended. “Of course I will go where you go, Major.”
Tossing his napkin on the table, Matthias took the crutches and carefully placed them under his arms. He attempted one step slowly, and as he took the next, the crutches completely slipped out from underneath him, causing him to lose his balance and slam into the ground.
The pain took the breath from him. It hurt too much even to curse.
Hornsby was immediately behind him, trying to help him to his feet.
“Give me a moment,” Matthias said through gritted teeth, waving him off.
Hornsby backed away, understanding Matthias’s need to have a moment to collect himself. He picked up the crutches and looked them over, placing them on his own arms to see how they worked.
“I suppose these take a bit of practice,” he remarked absently as he tried them for himself.
Matthias tried not to be annoyed when his man quickly found a rhythm and was soon going back and forth—in a remarkably smooth fashion—across the breakfast room carpet on the crutches. He glared until Hornsby finally stopped and gave him a sheepish look.
“I have the advantage of learning with two good legs, Major.”
“Quite,” Matthias said curtly. “I am ready to depart.” The sooner, the better, he reflected, casting a sour glance about him from his undignified position.
Hornsby bent down and lifted Matthias from behind. “I shall lean on you, if you please.” He could not bear to be carried at this moment.
As they stumbled from the breakfast room to the entrance hall, Matthias noticed the servants were avoiding looking at him. Were they afraid of him—or worse, ashamed of him?
He heard footsteps approaching quickly from behind his batman but did not turn to look.
“You are leaving, my lord?” Kitty asked, her gaze flickering to the waiting conveyance as she came to stand beside them.
He needed to apologize, but this was not the time nor the place. He also needed privacy for a few days, yet he did not want her to think he was running away from her.
“Yes, we will be gone about a week. Dunford can send a message if you have urgent need of me.”
“Yes, my lord,” she said, curtsying deeply. He did not meet her gaze, because he did not want to see the hurt he knew would be in her eyes.
Hornsby helped him into the carriage and before they had proceeded far down the drive, Matthias was regretting his decision. He was green with pain, his sickly countenance staring back at him from the silver cap on his brandy flask. It was several miles to the hunting lodge, but he needed to remove himself from the house. He needed to learn to use the crutches; he needed to learn to handle the pain—and he needed to find a way to accept Kitty back into his life. They could not go on as they were.
When Hornsby opened the door upon their arrival, Matthias had never been so grateful to see the red brick house with its simple white portico. It was modest in comparison to the Close, with only eight guest rooms.
“You do not look well, Major.”
“I do not feel well, Sergeant. It makes me wish I were unconscious again.”
Hornsby shook his head. “I hope this place has the magical healing powers you seem to think it does. I gather that’s the reason for our being here?”
“This place has a decided lack of people in it.”
“Ah, we are running away from Mrs. Gordon, then.”
Matthias opened his mouth to argue, but then stopped himself. “Yes,” he admitted. “It is difficult to have her in the house.”
