Page 83 of Leap of Faith
“Do you wish to stay with Joy or would you care to speak with the doctor?” he asked Faith quietly.
Faith reached over and kissed Joy’s cheek. “I am here now, Sister. Everything is going to be well,” she whispered, as much to herself as to Joy. “I would like to hear what the doctor has to say.”
He nodded to Mrs. Armstrong, and they went back down the stairs.
Lord Westwood immediately went to shake the doctor’s hand. “Thank you for coming, sir. We have just arrived. What can you tell us?”
The physician introduced himself as Dr. Harvey, and he bowed to Faith before beginning his explanations. Faith was grateful Lord Westwood had returned to her side. She wasn’t used to having anyone to lean on and she found she needed him very much.
“From what I can ascertain, the young lady was trying to perform some trick when her foot was caught in the stirrup and she was unable to kick free. Subsequently, due to the manner of her fall, the horse was unable to refrain from kicking her in the head.” He pointed to his temple. “I do not detect any other injuries at present, other than some bruising, but if there are fractures, none of them are displaced. She needs to remain sedated with her head elevated to allow the swelling in her head to reduce. I have cleaned and stitched the wound at her temple, but it will need to be watched for infection.”
“How long until we know…” Faith’s voice broke before she could finish the question.
“Not before the swelling reduces. It could take days or weeks. And often patients with these injuries do not recover. She was not awake when I arrived. I believe she had a few minutes of consciousness immediately after the unfortunate event.”
“What can we do?” Lord Westwood asked.
“Keep her still and quiet. Spoon barley water into her mouth several times a day for nourishment. She will not swallow well, but ‘Better half a loaf than no bread’ as the proverb has it. I will call again tomorrow, but summon me at once if there is any change in her condition.”
Faith bit her lip to hold back the tears. How unfeeling doctors seemed, but they must have to be so to deal with such matters. She thanked the doctor and Lord Westwood saw him out. Then Faith sank down on the couch, unable to keep the tears from falling.
A warm pair of arms came around her and pressed her head to a muscular shoulder as a hand with a large linen handkerchief began to dab gently at her eyes.
She could not remember the last time she’d been held. If only the circumstances were different.
* * *
Dominic was unused to inaction.There was so little he could do. He stood at the window, hands in his pockets, looking out over his vast estate. The stables and circular ride were visible in the distance, the site of the unthinkable tragedy.
The little hell-cat had put them all in a pucker. Dominic had received the story from his head groom. Joy had been determined to try some of the tricks she’d seen at Astley’s. Dominic had thought Chauncy would be able to curtail her flights of fancy, but she had found a way to slip his charge, it seemed. She’d fashioned a harness to prevent falling, but it had failed and she’d been unable to kick free.
Dominic shook his head. It was more disturbing than he’d imagined to see the little imp, once so full of life, now limp and lifeless. If she did not recover…
If he was thinking these thoughts, how must Faith be feeling? The weight of his responsibility was crushing, yet this was her sister, who she’d brought up practically as her own. There must be some way he could help beyond sending the doctor in every day.
Faith had refused to leave Joy’s side since they’d arrived. Dominic could understand her reluctance, but she was going to fret herself into exhaustion.
He had to admit to himself he had been denying from the beginning that he cared for the sisters, but in a very different fashion from the way he felt about Faith.
Dominic realized he would move heaven and earth to erase these burdens from her. When he thought how he must have added to them by almost kissing her…no, he thought with unaccustomed humility, it was likely she had not given him a second thought since Joy’s accident. What a humbling thought! Although he’d not thought her indifferent to him, or he would not have taken such a liberty. Was he twisting the memory to suit his own desires? Would she somehow blame him for sending Joy away and be disgusted by him?
Perhaps that was coming it too strong and merely his own self-recrimination clouding his reason. Yet now was hardly the time to pursue the matter, especially when he was undecided and had not fully made up his mind on the subject. However, almost kissing her had been as good as committing himself. But their lips had touched, hadn’t they? Had Chauncy not interrupted them, the kiss would have been a declaration. Perhaps it was inevitable, for he was coming to see that he did not mind the idea as much as he would have imagined.
Now was hardly the time for exploring these feelings. Yet how could he help Faith?
“You can stand there fretting about your incompetence, or you can go and be useful.” His grandmother appeared inside his study, her chair being pushed by one of the footmen. “You may wait for me outside,” she said to the man over her shoulder.
The footman made a slight bow, then closed the door behind him.
Dominic went over and kissed the dowager’s cheek.
“I can hardly force her from her sister’s side,” he said helplessly.
“Why not? When have you ever allowed anyone to tell you what to do?”
“She is not my blood. Miss Whitford has been like a mother to Joy.”
“Yes, but from whatever trick of fate, you are her guardian. Faith will be of no use to Joy if she burns herself to the socket. At least make her sleep on a truckle-bed in the dressing room while you keep watch. Perhaps one of her sisters could have convinced her to take herself off and sleep, but they are not here and you are.”
