Page 79 of A Duke for Adela
“You do not disappoint me at all and I do not want you to go away.” He sighed. “Hold still, I am going to apply the cloth to your knees now.”
Pain shot through her the moment the brandy soaked into her skin.
She yelped and almost fell off the stool. “Ouch! That burns!”
He put an arm around her waist to hold her steady. “Close your eyes and rest your head against my shoulder while I clean out the other knee. I’m sorry it hurts, but it cannot be helped.”
“You had better not be smug about this. Do you think I deserve to suffer because I got myself into this mess? Is this what you really wanted to say?” However, she nestled against his body because he was gloriously built and impossible to resist. His skin was warm and held a trace of musk so that she wanted to inhale him for hours on end. “Oh, never mind. I don’t want to fight with you. I just want to rest in your arms.”
“Adela,” he said in a husky murmur, “we are not fighting. This is me being insanely worried about you and kicking myself for not protecting you better. I might have lost you. It is my responsibility as your betrothed to protect you. Same goes for when I am your husband in a few days from now. I want to shield you from ever getting hurt. Seeing you like this just tears me up inside.”
“It does?” She glanced up and blinked away her tears. “Ambrose, do you think you will ever fall in love with me?”
He emitted a deep, rumbling chuckle. “Amazingly, yes. I fear it is inevitable.”
She gasped. “Truly?”
He nodded.
“And you are not saying this to make me feel better because you think I came close to dying a few minutes ago?”
“No, it has been on my mind since we met.”
“That sounds promising.” But she could not hide her disappointment, for he did not love her yet. Although, what did it matter if he was slow to come around? Not everyone fell in love at first sight as she had done when meeting him. Indeed, most people did not. “I am sorry I worried you. But I love you, Ambrose. I could not sit there, dumb as a log, when I knew you were walking into danger.”
“You are too brave for your own good.” He said no more as they heard a commotion at the door and both of them turned to the doorway.
Dr. Farthingale rushed in, his scuffed medical bag in hand. “You are in luck. I happened to be next door having coffee with my brothers.”
Adela knew he referred to John, who owned the Chipping Way house next door to Eloise, and Rupert, another of his brothers who did most of the traveling in the family textile business. The Farthingale fabrics were renowned throughout England, for Rupert often went to exotic locations to bring back the most exquisite materials. These brothers were a true family.
Ambrose and his brothers were the same way.
But what did she have? Parents who often forgot they had a daughter.
Gory and Syd who were no better off.
Gory’s parents had died recently and she now resided with an uncle who wanted her out of the house but was still too miserly to give her so much as a new gown to enhance her allure. Syd’s parents…there was something very odd going on in that house, but Syd refused to speak about it.
“I really ought to put you on retainer,” Ambrose jested, stepping back to allow the doctor some space while he tended her. “Make sure you bring your medical bag to our wedding. I’m certain we’ll have need of it, the way our luck is running lately. Adela, now you will have a sprained wrist to match Syd’s injury.”
Dr. Farthingale studied her for a moment. “And bruises to match those Octavian and Lady Gregoria suffered.”
“Oh, heavens!” Eloise cried out as she bustled in and immediately sank into a chair beside her. “What is going on? Adela, my dear, you look a mess. What happened?”
Adela groaned. “It is not as bad as it looks.”
Her words did nothing to calm Eloise who was still gaping at her. “I did not understand a word of what my maid was rattling on about, and now Dr. Farthingale is here again.”
Syd and Gory arrived shortly thereafter. “We knew something had to be wrong when you did not arrive to pick us up. You are never late.” Syd’s arm was still in a sling and a bandage protruded at the wrist just under her sleeve.
“I suppose this means no Huntsford Academy library for us today.” As Gory shook her head, Adela could see the prominent bruise on her chin had turned an awful shade of purplish-yellow.
This was a good sign, was it not? It meant her bruise was fading, although it now looked quite hideous. A little powder would cover it up if it was not gone within a day or two.
“Huntsford’s library? I should say not!” Eloise intoned. “Adela is to stay home the rest of the week. You are welcome to join her here, but there will be no running off to parts unknown.”
“You are confining her for the remainder of the week? But it is just a library,” Gory said, sounding quite dismayed.
