Page 44 of A Gentleman's Wife

A hand taking hold of her own made her snap to attention. Thomas stood by her side, looking into her eyes with regret. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

She squeezed his hand in return. “So am I.”

Mr. Godwin spoke up, recounting a humorous experience to their group, no doubt trying to distract from the tense moment before, which made Marianne grateful. An odd smell overtook her senses, making her want to lean against Thomas’s shoulder and close her eyes, but she refrained, until Mr. Godwin asked her a question.

“Mokumba illeti norum?”

Marianne blinked, lifting a questioning eyebrow at him. She didn’t understand what he’d said, her vision starting to spin.

“Onga conflagen teflon?”

Closing her eyes, Marianne shook her head to clear her thoughts, and only then did she notice the numbness in her feet, and the sinking black feeling in her stomach.

Oh no.

“No, no, no, no, no.”

Unable to excuse herself fast enough, Marianne turned away from the group, blindly pushing through chairs in the direction of the door.

She had to get out. Get away. Not in front of all these people. Not at the ball that she’d worked so hard for.

The numbness grew to her knees, and her steps became clumsy. The darkness spread throughout her chest, making her heart pound and her lungs tighten. Reaching out, her hand blessedly found the door handle and she pushed herself out into the corridor.

“Marianne?”

The one voice she heard clearly beyond any others was Thomas.

Please no.He can’t see her like this.

“Go back, Thomas.” She tried to speak, but already her jaw was clenching, her words slurring.

“I told you I’m not leaving your side tonight.”

But not even his kind words could curb the overwhelming darkness that would come.

It spread up her throat. “I… can’t… breathe…”

She clawed at her chest, at her throat, pulling and flailing, anything to fight for breath.

The last thing she remembered was tears of discouragement spilling over her cheeks when the darkness finally won out.

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