Page 52 of A Lady's Heart Deceived
“Yes, I know,” she replied, failing to hide the disappointment in her voice.
She stood still for a time, her gaze roaming over the nearby fields and farms as she tried to calm herself. Eventually, her breathing grew steadier. “If it is alright with you, could we forget about going to see the site of the Elizabethan gardens, and instead just head back to the carriage?”
“Of course. I think the best place for you to be is safely at my brother’s home where you can rest,” he replied.
With Piers gently holding an arm around her waist, the basket in his other hand, they slowly made their way back to the entrance of the castle grounds.
“We will be heading straight to Coventry and my brother’s house,” Piers instructed the coachman.
He helped her onboard, and Maggie sank into the seat. “I’m sorry I don’t feel up to the rest of your guided tour. I was so looking forward to visiting the town and the tavern. And I know you probably have plenty of interesting historical tidbits to share. Perhaps another time.”
With her cloak wrapped about herself, and the blanket covering her legs, Maggie settled into the corner of the carriage. Piers produced another folded-up blanket from the storage box under the other seat and gave it to Maggie to use as a pillow.
“It will take an hour or so to return to Jonathan and Elizabeth’s house. Maybe close your eyes and see if you can take a short nap.”
“Any sleep would be good,” she replied.
She closed her eyes, and the gentle, swaying motion of the coach soon had her drifting off to sleep.
When she woke a little while later, she found herself wrapped in Piers’s arms. He dropped a tender kiss on her forehead. “Sleep. You are safe with me.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Piers woke in the middle of the night to the sound of voices in the hallway outside his bedroom. He recognized Elizabeth and Jonathan, but there was a third unknown person.
Climbing out of bed, he grabbed his jacket and quickly pulled on a pair of trousers. Opening the door, he was greeted with the sight of his brother and sister-in-law. They were having a heated conversation with a gentleman carrying a doctor’s bag.
“She really needs to either be somewhere for the mentally unstable or at least sedated. If not, I fear she might well harm herself,” said the stranger.
“I don’t think we should be sending her anywhere. Maggie is safe here,” said Elizabeth.
Piers stepped out into the hall. “What’s going on?”
Elizabeth greeted him with reddened eyes. “It’s Maggie; she has had some sort of mental breakdown. I didn’t know what to do so I summoned Doctor Hewson.”
Piers couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Maggie was in trouble but instead of waking him, they had sent for a physician. “Where is she?”
“I have sedated her, and we managed to put her back to bed. The young lady was most distressed,” replied the doctor. His gaze flittered over Piers’s army coat. “And you are?”
Jonathan cleared his throat. “Doctor Hewson, this is my older brother, the Honorable Piers Denford.”
The doctor’s demeanor changed in an instant. He bowed to Piers. “My lord.”
Piers was more concerned about Maggie’s well-being than bothering to correct the gentleman on the proper form of address for a viscount’s heir. “What sort of medicine did you give her?”
“A good dose of laudanum, with a prescription to have it given to her twice daily. If she is calm, she cannot come to harm.”
Nor will she be able to think straight. Bloody quacks, why is keeping a patient silent always the first option?
He was barely keeping his temper under control. While he had been fast asleep, others had been making decisions on Maggie’s behalf. That wouldn’t do. He was her protector, self-appointed or not.
He turned to Jonathan. “Could you please escort Doctor Hewson to the front door?”
It didn’t matter that this wasn’t his house; Piers’s tone brooked no argument. His younger brother would know that he was beyond angry.
Jonathan nodded. “Of course. Doctor Hewson, would you please follow me?”
“I should take another look at the patient before I leave,” the doctor protested.
