Page 19 of His Unforgettable Bride
“Why do I not know the essential facts of my life?” The desire to ask more questions battled against the quake of his body. He clenched his jaw to stop the shaking and failed. The room would tilt again any minute now, sliding him back to oblivion.
But miraculously, he stayed present.
“Don’t know, but you’re trembling.” She tucked his covering on the side closest to her, sliding her hands under his legs, hip, and torso. “I slipped down to stoke the fire moments ago, and it should soon remove the chill. Or can I fetch you another comforter?” She leaned dangerously close over the bed to administer the same procedure with the covering on his other side.
Merciful heavens. Her flowing hair, gorgeous eyes, and elegant face made her the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Or maybe not. She also carried the scent of lemons and heaven. Had he died? He swallowed hard. “I am utterly confused.”
She straightened, compassion creasing her brow. A lock of hair draped across her cheekbone, and she corralled the strand behind her ear. “Tabitha thinks you suffered a coma and a concussion.”
Tabitha. Coma. Concussion. He shut his eyes and drew a deep breath into his lungs, failing to distress his ribs. They must be intact, a fragment of positive news. Was he supposed to know someone named Tabitha? “Do you know how I sustained my injury?”
“Hard to say. But it looks like someone beat you. Robbed you, as well.”
Who would wish to harm him? Besides his memory, what else had his attacker stolen? Or had multiple people caused his wounds? Or nobody at all? When he finally opened his eyes, he latched on to hers—a beacon in the darkness. “How did I come to be here, in this room?”
“I tripped over you in the woods behind the house yesterday, and then Tabitha, Icala, and me hauled you here.”
None of the names resonated. “Where ishere? What city?”
“Everly in British Columbia.”
That resonated even less. What was wrong with him?
She touched the bandage on his head. “How are you feeling?”
Empty. Groundless. Lonely. As if he had fallen off a cliff and landed on his head. Perhaps he had. “I shall survive, I believe.”
“I agree, now that you’ve awakened.”
“Whose home is this?”
“Two sisters. Livy thinks she’s your aunt, and Tabitha sounds doubtful. Do you suspect you’re their nephew?”
Instead of finding clarity, he grew more bewildered. Was he not asking the right questions? Or was he stuck in a dream, a nightmare? “They are in this house?”
“Upstairs. I couldn’t sleep and crept down to check on you and the fire. But the sisters don’t know I’m here. However, I didn’t want you cold and alone like I…” Her words trailed off, and her eyes dropped to the quilt. “Do you care for a dipper of water before I fetch them? They’ll want to know you’ve awakened.”
“Yes, I desire water.” At least he knew that.
She swirled and began to cross the room, her nightgown rising inches to expose her shapely ankles. Even in his hampered state, he appreciated the view and watched until she disappeared through the open door into a dark hallway.
His temple continued to throb, and he touched the precise spot. Did he suffer from amnesia? He knew little about the subject other than it explained his affliction.
And how did he understand complex medical conditions and not his name? And why did one possible aunt recognize him and the other not? Maddening. Would he be more lucid in the morning? If only he had identifying papers or a monographed handkerchief to spark a memory.
Perhaps he did.
After several long minutes, the young woman returned and slowly approached the bed. She held a dipper with one hand and her other cupped beneath it. “I apologize for being garbed like this, but I wasn’t expecting you to awaken.”
“You do not offend me in your nighttime garments. Far from it.”
Her chin cocked, and her eyes narrowed as if she measured him. Based on her frown, she disliked what she assessed.
His comment had absentmindedly tumbled from his mouth. What type of man was he? He would need to ponder the possibilities later. “When you discovered me, did I possess belongings besides my clothing?”
“Just soggy underdrawers and a shirt. Livy says they were cut from a fine quality fabric.”
How peculiar. “Nothing else?”
