Page 93 of A Duchess to Unravel
“Sorry it took me so long,” Tristan apologized, “The constable had a lot of questions, and when William came to, he put up quite a fight. He is in irons now, though.”
Theo let out a breath of relief, happy to know that she at least had one less thing to worry about, and then hurried to her brother, leaping up and throwing her arms around his neck in a tight hug.
“Thank you,” she whispered as they held each other tight. “Thank you for coming for me.”
“I always will,” Tristan rasped, squeezing her tightly, “You’re my baby sister, and I love you.”
Theo’s eyes welled with fresh tears.
“I love you too,” she whispered.
Those words had been foreign to her her whole life. Never once in her recollection had she uttered them aloud. Now here she was, using them twice in the span of a single day.
“So,” Tristan sighed when they finally pulled away from one another. “How is he? Any word?”
Theo felt her tears well again as she stepped back and shook her head.
“He’s going to be fine, Theo,” Tristan promised. “A man like Alistair does not go down easily.”
Theo nodded, praying that her brother was right.
It was another half-hour later before the surgeon walked into the room, and when he did, Theo sprang toward him.
“He is alive,” she stated, not allowing her words to be a question.
The surgeon smiled at her, nodding.
“He is indeed, Your Grace,” he replied, removing his mask. “The blade nicked an organ, which was what took me so long to fix. The sutures were hard to place. But we got it done, and he is already starting to improve.”
Relief flooded so intensely through Theo that she swayed. Tristan, Hugo, and Dominic all moved to catch her, and she smiled at them weakly as she steadied herself.
“When can I see him?” She asked, turning back to the surgeon.
The surgeon’s smile widened.
“Funny enough, he just asked me the same about you,” he replied. “In fact, despite his wound he was quite adamant about it. He threatened to leave the bed if I did not bring you back.”
Theo let out a weak laugh, her heart surging with joy at the news.
“He wants to see you, then he wants to be taken home,” the surgeon went on, a touch of worry in his eyes.
“Is that even possible?” Theo asked.
The surgeon begrudgingly nodded.
“We should wait a few more hours, but if we move him carefully, and a competent attendant accompanies him, I believe so,” he replied. “However, he will not be able to return to Caldermere for at least another week or so. He will have to remain in London.”
Theo nodded, willing to do anything to get Alistair home.
“But first,” the surgeon stated, waving a hand toward the door, “Let us reunite you two. It is very clear that one needs to see the other.”
Alistair sat up as he heard the door open, then winced as the pain in his side renewed. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from making a noise, not wanting to worry Theo. The moment she stepped in, his eyes raked over her disheveled appearance and worried expression, and the fear he felt at the factory renewed. What if he hadn’t found her? What if William had made her disappear forever?
The thought had him sitting back up and stretching out his arms as Theo hurried toward him. He didn’t care if his stitches ripped. He needed to touch her. The moment she was close enough he wrapped his hands around her shoulders and pulled her into the bed with him, cradling her close.
“Thank Heaven, you are well,” she whispered, snuggling into him.
“He won’t be if he does not lie down,” the surgeon stated, giving them both a disapproving look. “Your Grace, I must insist you lie back down!”
