Page 21 of A Marquess' Season of Secrets
“You picked her up off the road?” the butler asked, his voice thick with disbelief.
“She was injured. Johnson will be along shortly with the physician, but I would like a bowl of warm water and a cloth in the meantime. She has a nasty gash on her temple that needs cleaning.”
“I’ll have one of the servants see to her, Your Grace.”
“No, I’ll do it myself,” Nash argued. “I cannot stand here chatting for too long, Stevens. This woman grows heavy in my arms.”
“Let me take her from you,” the man insisted.
Nash raised his eyebrows at the old man. “I think not. You’ll fall over.”
Moving past the butler, Nash managed to make it to the second floor, but he had to rest for a bit between flights of stairs. He wasn’t accustomed to carrying unconscious people and indeed had never done so.
Which room is Mrs Black preparing? I need to put this woman down before my arms give in to fatigue.
The housekeeper appeared out of a room as though she knew he was there, frowning slightly at the woman in his hands.
“The bed is ready, Your Grace.”
“Thank you, Mrs Black.”
Nash carefully moved the length of the woman into the room, being careful not to bump her head on the door or wall. He was relieved to lay her on the bed, shaking out his arms to gain back some of the feeling he had lost.
“Stevens will be along shortly with water and a cloth to clean her wound, and I expect the physician in the next half an hour or so. Is Ellie at home? I’m surprised she had not come running to greet me.”
“She is writing a few letters to friends and family in the west wing, Your Grace. Should I call her?”
The west wing was the furthest part of the house from the driveway. His sister would not have heard him arrive.
“No, no, there is no need. Please keep watch for Johnson and the physician, Mrs Black. I’ll remain in here with the woman in case she wakes up.”
“Do you know her?” the housekeeper asked.
“No, but I’m sure we’ll find out who she is once she awakens.”
The housekeeper didn’t ask why he brought a stranger home, but she undoubtedly wanted to. Instead, she left the room and did as he bid.
The physician came after an hour, apologising for his lateness. He had been attending to a patient when Johnson called him, but Nash was merely glad the man had come. The injured woman was examined thoroughly with Nash out of the room for modesty’s sake, leaving him to pace up and down in the hallway.
Why was he so concerned over a stranger? It was one thing to feel compassion, but he was genuinely worried about the woman and hoped nothing serious was wrong with her. Well, a knock to the head was rather serious, but it could also be a slight bump with minor consequences.
Much to his relief, Nash was called back into the room to hear the physician’s diagnosis.
“Will she be well?” he asked.
“She has suffered several injuries, but nothing life-threatening. With time and care, she will make a full recovery.”
Nash breathed a sigh of relief. “That is good to hear, Dr Kinsey. Will she wake up soon?”
“That is the part that worries me a little. I cannot tell the full extent of her injuries until I can test her mental health.”
“I thought you said she would make a full recovery?”
“Physically, yes, but her mental health will still have to be examined. I need you to call me as soon as she awakens, Your Grace.”
Nash nodded. “I’ll do that. Shall I walk you out?”
He walked the physician out and returned to the woman’s room to find his sister looking down at her with disgust.
