Page 47 of A Gentleman's Wife

But Thomas didn’t feel so sure. His heart felt twisted and confused all over again, like he didn’t know what to do next.

Isabel and Emma returned from the dance floor, smiling brightly until they noticed their somber faces. “And where is the lady of the hour?” the duchess asked.

“She’s had a… severe headache and gone to bed.”

Thomas tried to not alarm her, and she wouldn’t understand his full meaning, but she must have sensed his fraying heart and desperate concern.

“Is it something serious?” Isabel asked quietly.

Thomas sighed. “It is something.”

Worry filled her familiar face.

“The best thing we can do is let her rest. The doctor is with her, and we will check on her when the ball has finished.”

“Who cares about a ball at a time like this?” Emma said with a roll of her eyes.

Thomas nodded. “Indeed.”

“I just can’t believe it.” Isabel wiped a handkerchief over the tears on her cheeks. “Why didn’t she say anything? Why didn’tyousay anything?”

Thomas growled, narrowing his eyes at his friends. “Please forgive her if she didn’t want her greatest life’s pain confessed to strangers upon first meeting. She didn’t tell me, her own husband, until weeks later, and only then in strictest confidence. Am I supposed to betray my wife on a duchess’s whims?”

“That’s enough,” James said. “It’s much too late to be having such discussions, especially in the corridor of all places.”

“But to think that she was… just outside the door, and I had no idea. I was dancing, for pity’s sake!” The duchess pressed her handkerchief to her trembling chin as she paced.

“There was nothing any of us could have done, so the doctor said,” Thomas said with a shake of his head.

“The poor dear.” Emma frowned, standing by her husband near the wall. “No wonder she was so reserved at the wedding.”

Thomas nodded. He remembered that day like it was yesterday, but at the same time, it felt so far away. So much had changed since then.

“I appreciate your concerns, but really, it’s best for all of us to get some sleep,” Thomas said, rubbing his hand over his face. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like, but I don’t know if Marianne will be open to visitors in her room. We can talk more at breakfast.”

They all nodded and disappeared into their respective bedrooms, leaving Thomas alone in the corridor with his single candle. Then knocking on Marianne’s door, he waited until Eliza appeared.

“Come in, sir,” she whispered.

“How is she?”

“Not much changed, as expected, which is good. If she convulsed again or contracted a fever, that would be a sign of severity, but she’s simply recovering now. She woke for a moment and shed a few tears in pain and confusion, but nothing out of the normal. Now I think she’ll just sleep through the night. I’ll be sure to notify you if anything should change.”

Thomas shook his head. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to stay with her tonight.”

Her eyes widened. “Shouldn’t you get some sleep, sir?”

“I’ll not be sleeping. Not when… I need to be with her.” There was no doubt he was physically exhausted, but his mental and emotional state kept him wide awake with worry.

Eliza looked between him and Marianne on the bed. “Are you certain?”

“I am. Please, take your rest. You’ve done far beyond your requirements for the day and will likely have more to fulfill tomorrow. The doctor is just a few doors down should anything happen.”

She eventually nodded and left the bedchamber. With a sigh, Thomas put the candle on the side table and quietly pulled the desk chair to the bedside. He shrugged off his dress coat and laid it over the back of the chair, then loosened his cravat before settling into the seat and letting his eyes travel to Marianne sleeping in the bed.

Eliza had changed her out of the beautiful gown that had matched her eyes and fit her perfectly. Marianne’s hair had been up before but now rested unpinned, hanging around her neck and shoulders. The face that he’d last seen twisted and contorted with pain was now resting and calm, but Thomas’s worry and concern would not be abated.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and thought on what the rest of his life would be like. Now that he knew the full depth of what the woman he loved truly endured. Now that his heart was not his own anymore.

---