Page 48 of His Forsaken Duchess
“Audrey,” he rasped, his chest heaving with ragged breaths.
She lay still, her face pale, her lips tinged with blue. A knot of terror tightened in his throat. She wasn’t breathing.
“No,” he growled, his voice rough and low, the sound barely above a whisper against the winter air.
He leaned over her, his hands trembling as he placed them on her chest. His mind raced, recalling the knowledge he’d gainedyears ago during his time aboard the pirate ship—a rudimentary trick one of the sailors had shown him to save a drowning man.
He pressed down on her chest, then released. Once. Twice. Three times.
“Come back to me,” he murmured, his voice cracking.
He tilted her head, adjusted her jaw, and repeated the compressions, each movement growing more urgent. Water trickled from the corners of her mouth, but still, she did not stir.
Cedric felt panic clawing at the edges of his control, his heart hammering against his ribs. “Audrey,” he said again, more forcefully this time. “Breathe!”
And then, a cough. A small, fragile sound that shattered the suffocating silence.
Audrey’s body jerked, water spilling from her lips as she drew in a shallow, gasping breath. Relief flooded through Cedric, so overwhelming that for a moment, he thought his knees would give way.
“Thank God,” he breathed, his voice barely audible above the pounding of his heart.
He slid his arms beneath her, cradling her close as he stripped her of her soaked cloak and replaced it with his dry greatcoat.The heavy wool enveloped her, and he pulled it snugly around her trembling frame.
“I’ve got you,” he murmured, his voice low and rough. “You’re safe now.”
Audrey’s eyes fluttered briefly, but she didn’t speak. Her head lolled against his chest, her breathing shallow but steady. Cedric pressed his lips into a thin line, his jaw tightening as he rose to his feet with her in his arms. She felt impossibly small, her usually vibrant presence dimmed by the cold.
“I’ll get you back to the castle,” he promised, his words more for himself than for her. The sound of his voice anchored him, driving him forward as he carried her to his horse.
Carefully, he lowered her into the saddle, her weight leaning heavily against him as he climbed up behind her. He wrapped an arm around her to keep her secure, his other hand gripping the reins as he urged his horse into a gallop. The icy wind bit at his damp clothes, but he barely felt it. All that mattered was the steady rise and fall of Audrey’s chest against his own.
The journey back to the castle passed in a blur, his mind focused solely on reaching safety. When the grand façade of Haremore Castle finally came into view, he sighed in relief.
The door opened almost before he could call out, Potts stepping onto the porch with his usual grace. But at the sight of Cedric and Audrey, the butler’s expression shifted to one of alarm.
“I’ll summon the physician at once,” Potts said, his tone brisk.
“Please do,” Cedric replied, his voice firm despite the ache in his throat. “And have the other horse retrieved from the lake.”
Potts nodded, disappearing swiftly as Cedric dismounted, Audrey still cradled in his arms. He strode into the castle, his boots leaving a trail of water on the polished floor.
“Mrs. Potts!” he barked, his voice echoing through the halls. “Bring warm blankets. Now.”
Servants scrambled into motion, their wide eyes darting between Cedric and the unconscious Duchess in his arms. He ignored them, his focus unwavering as he took the stairs two at a time.
Audrey’s room was blessedly warm, the fire in the grate crackling with life. Cedric laid her down on the bed with a care that belied his urgency, his hands brushing damp strands of hair from her pale forehead. Her skin was icy to the touch, her color so alarmingly pale that his chest tightened with fear.
“You’ll be all right,” he murmured, though his voice wavered. “You must be.”
The door burst open, and Mrs. Potts hurried in, her arms laden with blankets. “Good heavens!” she exclaimed, her usual cheer replaced by worry. “What happened?”
“She fell into the lake,” Cedric said, his voice rough. “She’s freezing. We need to warm her.”
Mrs. Potts nodded, leaping into action as she directed two maids to stoke the fire and draw a hot bath.
“She’s breathing, at least,” she said, her hands moving with practiced efficiency as she arranged the blankets over Audrey. “That’s a good sign. But we must act quickly.”
Cedric answered her questions with clipped precision, his focus never straying from Audrey. His clothes clung to him, heavy and damp, but he paid them no mind.
