Page 29 of Taken By the Broken Duke
He was perceptive. Seeing through her attempt to project strength weakened her further. Trying to lock her knees failed and one leg gave way. She recovered quickly, grabbing at a nearby tree branch to remain upright. But both legs were now quivering and she was becoming breathless.
“Good god!” Horatio exclaimed.
He tore through the makeshift fence he had erected for her modesty and was by her side in an instant. He took her elbow, letting her lean against him. Juliet tried to remain upright on her own but her body betrayed her. She slumped and his arms went about her waist.
In an instant, she was lifted off her feet and nestled in his arms. Her head spun and her vision blurred, narrowing to a pinpoint of light, as though she lay at the bottom of a deep, dark well.
She felt movement. As she flickered in and out of consciousness, she saw trees flashing by. Branches reached for her and werebatted aside, whipping back at Horatio but never touching her. Then she felt hardwood beneath her.
Consciousness returned.
She felt washed out, pale and weak. Her heartbeat felt as though it were returning to normal. She was lying in the belly of a wooden rowing boat. Horatio was seated at the prow, preparing oars.
“I will have you back at the castle and under the care of a physician in moments,” he said, pulling strongly at the oars.
Juliet struggled to sit up. “No… that will not be necessary.”
“It certainlywillbe. That is the second time you have swooned before me with no apparent cause. I know enough about medicine to know the signs of illness when I see them. You are white as a sheet and your pulse was thready and fast.”
“But no physician you summon will be able to help,” Juliet added, “please, Horatio…”
Her hand flitted to his thigh. Slowly, he stopped rowing. Resting his forearms against the oars, he looked at her searchingly.
“And how would you know that?”
“Because… because I know what ailment I suffer from. It killed my mother and there is no cure!”
The effort of saying so much was enough to make her head spin. She tried to pull herself to take the seat opposite him but did not have the strength. Instead, she lay in the bottom of the boat, her head and shoulders propped against the seat.
“No cure? What is this illness?” Horatio growled.
“I do not know what it is called, only that it is extremely rare and little understood. My father traveled all over the world searching for a way to cure my mother. And failed. That failure consumed him at the end, burned him from the inside out,” Juliet murmured. “So, please, do not waste your time.”
Horatio watched her for a long moment. “I have the resources to summon the finest Harley Street physicians from London. And they would arrive in a beat.”
“My father squandered his fortune to do the same thing. They came. And they went.”
Just then, she realized that Horatio had not asked the single question that everyone had always asked upon discovering her mother’s illness.Was it contagious?
“I will not accept that there is no hope,” he muttered instead, meeting Juliet’s eye.
He looked steely and determined. A man not to be crossed or denied. It almost gave her hope. But that was blind optimism. To forget reality and pretend that his determination was all that mattered. That his will could shape the world.
“What does it matter? Does this not fit into your plans perfectly?” she murmured. “Once the scandal has died down, you can annul the marriage, or simply wait for the illness to consume me. You will not even need to conceal the annulment. You will be protected from all gossip.”
Anger coursed through Horatio’s visage. His lips peeled briefly back from bared teeth and he looked away. When he looked back, she could see a fire burning his eyes. It was frightening and exciting at the same time.
“Do you think me so calculating? So much like your Aunt and Uncle?” he whispered softly.
“No,” Juliet replied, tears filling her eyes, “I think you are a man of honor. I merely point out how your life could be made easier by this. I do not wish to burden you any more than I already have.”
“Damn and blast it! You are not a burden, Juliet!” Horatio roared, “I have spent three days trying to forget you. Trying to avoid you and get you out of my head. I have failed and here we are. Now you tell me that you will certainly die and there is no hope! I will not have it!”
Juliet’s heart surged. She bit back a blush, hiding her face. No one had ever expressed such views about her. But, she knew that it could not be.Wouldnever be. It was a fantasy and there was no room in her life for that.
“Whether you accept it or not, it is fact,” Juliet sighed, wearily. “I thank you for the compliment, though. I cannot imagine how I have been able to exert quite such an influence on your thoughts.”
Horatio did not answer but resumed rowing. For a long moment, Juliet remained with her eyes closed, feeling some strength return to her limbs.
