Page 23 of A Marquess' Season of Secrets
“What can you recall of the night I found you? Where were you going? Is there family I can contact to let them know that you are well?”
The woman’s frown deepened. “I...I do not know. Why? Why can I not recall anything?”
Nash heard a little panic in the woman’s voice. It wouldn’t do to distress her when she had just woken up from unconsciousness.
“Do not fret, Miss. I am confident your memory will return to you. Perhaps I should introduce myself before we go any further. I’m the Duke of Kensington, and this is my estate. What is your name?”
The woman took her time to answer, but when she did, her voice sounded frightened. “I do not know.”
She didn’t know her own name? “Perhaps you recall where you come from? Your parents?”
“No, I cannot recall anything. Is something wrong with me? Does my lack of memory have to do with the reason why my head hurts so much?”
Nash sat back, gobsmacked at what he had just discovered. The woman had lost her memory! He hadn’t expected this at all.
“I need to call the physician,” he told her. “He will tell you everything you need to know. Do not fret, Miss. I’m confident your memory will return soon. You have only just woken up and might be a tad groggy.”
“Yes, perhaps,” she replied, but the worry in her eyes remained.
“Please, excuse me,” he said, standing up.
Nash left the room quickly, still shocked by the woman’s condition. Ellie wanted her out of the house, but he could not send a helpless woman to a world she didn’t know. What was he going to do?
Chapter 5
Juliana looked about the room, fighting the panic rising within her. How was it possible that she didn’t know her own name? How? Why couldn’t she recall anything? Her mind was just blank, as though someone had painted white over the colours of her mind.
Was the duke a good man? He had to be to have rescued her, but how could she be confident that he hadn’t caused the state she was in right now? Juliana had a lingering feeling of needing to escape, but she didn’t believe she was in any danger from the duke. He appeared too kind to be evil.
If his story is true, then I am most grateful and indebted to him for helping me, but I cannot help feeling terrified that I do not know who I am, why I was on the road, and how I came to be injured.
Was she the sort of woman to walk alone on empty roads? There was no way of knowing until her memory returned. Perhaps it was just a temporary situation, as the duke had said, and she would recall everything after a bit more rest. Juliana certainly hoped so, or she was in a lot of trouble.
The duke returned, and oddly, she immediately felt a little more at ease. He could not be bad if she felt like this around him.
“I have sent for the physician,” he told her. “He will be able to shed more light on the situation. Would you like more water? I would offer you food, but I think we should hear what Dr Kinsey has to say first.”
“I am fine ...” How did one address a duke? The answer rose up to her mind quickly. “Thank you, Your Grace.”
Why could she remember things like titles when she couldn’t recall her own name? Did that make sense?
“Are you comfortable?” he asked.
Juliana nodded. “Very. Why are you helping me? You do not know me.”
“I know, but I saw you needed help and couldn’t simply leave you on the side of the road. We may not know each other, but I assure you that you are safe here. All I wish to do is help you.”
“I believe you, which I find strange. I should be frightened because I am in a vulnerable position with a man at my bedside, but I am not.”
Was that normal? Juliana didn’t think so, but what did she know? She couldn’t recall anything! Juliana was in a stranger’s house with no recollection of how she got here and no clue if she was still in England!
Wait— England? She lived in England, didn’t she? The duke was speaking English like the perfect Englishman, so he had to be English as well. At least she knew which country she came from, but was she still in England?
“Nothing will happen to you while you’re under my care,” the duke said. “You may not know me, but I am a man of my word. I’ll do all I can to help you regain your memory and return you to your life.”
Why? Why was he going out of his way to help her? The man had to be a saint.
He left her to see about the physician, sending a maid to watch over her. The woman was all smiles as she sat down and immediately started talking.
