Page 65 of The Scandal of the Deceived Duchess
“It appears we have a draw, Ladies and gentlemen. Commodore Mitchell missed,” cried the prince. “Seconds, are your charges satisfied that their honor is still intact?”
“Jonathan!” screamed Amelia, running forward. When she got to him, he lay on the grass. Blood had stained his white linen shirt. “Jonathan, Jonathan, it’ll be all right,” she crooned. But she knew something was seriously wrong. The color of his skin was already a deathly white.
“He spared me. There was no way a man of his skill could’ve missed that shot,” said Amelia’s father, walking up to them. He looked down at his onetime opponent with soft eyes. It was so different to facing a man standing, whom you considered appointed you grievous insult, when you see them lying on the ground bleeding.
“Fetch my physician,” commanded the regent, as he wobbled up to the wounded American.
“Jake, will he be all right?” asked Amelia. When she saw the expression of worry etched onto his features, she thought that she might faint.
“It is in the hands of God now, Amelia,” he said.
Chapter 32
Uncertainty
Berkshire, England, November 1814
Autumn had finally come. The leaves covered the grounds at Amelia’s father’s estate in Berkshire, imitating a colorful carpet. The sky was shrouded by thick grey clouds that made it seem to her that the sun would never again break through that barrier. The mass of vapor looked swollen and ready to disgorge itself of the heavy cargo of water it certainly carried.
“Yemust remember to eat, Amelia.Yehave hardly touchedyerfood in weeks. Ifyedon’t eat, you’ll be joining Jonathan in the sickbed,” said Anna.
“Oh, hush up, Anna. I need time to think. His fever dropped last night. The doctor confirmed that this was a good sign. It all depends on the next few days. If he awakes and does not succumb to the fever again, he might recover.” It was the first time since the accident that she felt hopeful.
“That already happened a week ago, but it flared up again,” said Anna. She looked almost as drained as her friend.
Anna relied on the information Jake provided her. Before the doctor had diagnosed anything, he had been the one to say that the wound would turn septic. He had based his analysis on the fact that he had seen so much of the same thing on board ship during his time as a sailor. Sir Thomas’s musket ball had penetrated Jonathan’s body and glanced off the ribs, missing any vital organs, which had been fortunate. But it had come to rest in his flesh.
However, the projectile was not so much the problem; it had been removed easily enough. The regent’s physician had done proficient work of it. And thanks to his ministrations, the following morning, Jonathan had looked much better. He had even been fit enough to travel a few days later.
Under pressure from Amelia, he had taken up Sir Thomas’s offer to convalesce at his Berkshire manor. Amelia’s father had changed a great deal since the duel. He hardly left his study, inundating himself with more work than usual. Amelia assumed that he felt guiltier than he could ever have imagined.
During the trip to the country, Jonathan had succumbed to fever. Amelia could still hear his teeth chattering when she thought about it. His body went through twists of such agony as it alternated between blistering heat and icy cold spells that had battered his body as if it had been possessed by another being. There had been moments when she thought that she would lose him.
Upon arrival, he had fallen into a deathly sleep after the fever had dropped. The Carlyle family doctor had conducted another examination only to find a bit of cloth from his clothing lodged in the wound. The prince regent’s physician had overlooked this. In many cases, parts of clothing in the body could be more lethal than the actual musket ball due to the bacteria that lingered there.
After its removal, the fever resurfaced a few days later. Due to Jonathan’s weakened state, it was a lot worse than the first spell. And again, it subsided after a few days only to resurface again after its brief pause.
Jonathan had not woken since his coming to Berkshire and that had been over a week ago. He alternated between spells of perceived lucidity when it appeared that he would look you in the eye, and deathly stillness when the rise and fall of his chest was the only indication that he was still alive.
Even Amelia’s father showed genuine worry for the American. The whole atmosphere in the manor house was somber and depressing. Meals between father and daughter often took place without them sharing a single word. Mother had escaped this fate. She had decided to remain in London, but she was due to arrive this day.
“Come on, Amelia, let’s go back to the house. Mayhap there is some change in Jonathan’s state,” said Anna, wanting to get her friend out of the cold wind and inside before it rained. There was no use in them both getting ill. And Amelia did look worse for wear.
Amelia nodded wanly. She had not been herself in days. The day of the duel still hung in her mind like a malignant afterthought. It would not go away, it would not weaken, and it just stuck there like an ever-persistent shadow. She feared for the worst. Jake tried to put on a brave face, but she knew better – it was written right across his face. The situation was dire. Jonathan’s life hung on a thread.
Amelia and Anna walked toward the large manor house, each one of them lost in their own thoughts. The Carlyle residence sat proudly on a minor elevation overlooking the surrounding parkland. It was a building of Georgian heritage. It was very large, made wide and relatively shallow in dimension in an attempt to make it look even more impressive from a distance. It was highest in the center with Baroque emphasis on the corner pavilions.
Sir Thomas had the original sash windows enlarged and added balconies so he could step out of his bedroom in the mornings to enjoy the crisp country air.
Amelia and Anna walked in the direction of the internal courtyards that stood beside the stables, and the functional parts of the building. It was where the servants entered. But members of the family also came this way when they returned home from the hunt or after walks on muddy tracks like the two women.
“I will arrange for some refreshments to be sent to the library, Milady,” said Anna, reverting to her role as the lady’s maid. “I assumeyewill want to do a little reading to takeyermind off of things?”
“No, send it to Jonathan’s room. I want to be with him,” said Amelia, removing her boots.
Anna nodded. She admired her friend’s loyalty. However, she did not think it healthy to always sit in a room with a sick man. She tried her utmost to reduce her visits, but Amelia would not be deterred.
Without another word, they ascended the steps from the lower ground floor to the main residence where Amelia’s family resided.
