Page 45 of A Love to Remember
Grayson, thank goodness, got to her first, leaving Tremain scowling. His friend scooped up Rose, and the two of them pushed through all the concerned guests to make their way to Rose’s chambers.
Kirkwood was right behind him as he laid the still-crying Drake on the bed next to Rose. He was calling for his mother.
“Keep everyone out of here, and George, fetch the doctor,” Kirkwood ordered.
“He’s downstairs, my lord. He was to see Her Grace this afternoon.”
Philip’s eyes immediately went to Rose’s form lying on the bed beside her son. She was stirring. Her face was more pale than yesterday, if that was possible.
“What happened?” Kirkwood barked at him.
He turned to face his lordship. “I’m not sure. The boy was checking the stairs near the attic and then I heard him scream. It looks like he’s fallen down the attic stairs. I found him at the bottom.”
“Why weren’t you with him? Why did you let him out of your sight?”
Kirkwood’s words echoed the words said to him by his father as a young boy when he’d lost Portia, and that familiar feeling of guilt and worthlessness hit him.
Rose lifted her head and sent a cursory glance at Kirkwood. “It’s only an accident, my lord. A small boy cannot be watched every minute of the day.”
Rose’s defense of his actions made him feel even worse. He should have taken more care.
When Kirkwood began arguing with Rose, Grayson pulled at his arm and they left the room.
—
The doctor saw to Drake first; Rose had insisted.
The little boy was shaken and for some reason did not want to go back to the treasure hunt.
She sent the doctor downstairs to have a cup of tea while she talked to him. She still needed the doctor to examine her to confirm what she already knew. She was with child.
Once mother and son were alone, he flung himself into her arms and began to cry.
“What is the matter, Drake? Are you hurting? Is it your arm? Your leg?”
He merely shook his head.
“What is it, sweetheart? How did you trip?”
“I didn’t trip.” He pulled out of her embrace to look at her, and his face was full of fear. “Someone pushed me.”
Her hand tightened on her son’s shoulder, pulling him close once more as rage and fear in equal mix engulfed her.
“Tell me exactly what happened.”
“I was checking the attic stairs and when I reached the top the door was open. So I went into the attic but could not find a clue, and as I turned to go back down the stairs, and run back to Lord Cumberland, I felt a hand at my back. Before I could turn my head, the hand shoved me and I was falling.”
Rose immediately called out for Elaine, who was hovering nearby. “Fetch Lord Cumberland for me, please. No one else, you understand?”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
She kissed Drake’s head and asked once more with hope that the boy was wrong, “You are not imagining this and you didn’t simply trip?”
“No, Mother.”
The fear in her son’s eyes made her stomach crawl. Drake was not one for making up fancies.
“We shall get to the bottom of this. I promise.” And she let him cuddle against her.
