Page 30 of Devoted to the Duke (The St. Clairs 1)

Chapter Ten

“Give me thecrutches, Tilly. I am determined to see Papa. And Mama.”

“You’re still weak, Lady Catherine.”

“I don’t care!” she shouted and immediately regretted her harsh words when the maid burst into tears.

Tilly retrieved the crutches that Rowney, Mr. Jones’ assistant, had brought by this morning, to aid her in getting around. He reminded Catherine that the surgeon advised her to keep off the leg as much as possibly for the first two weeks to promote maximum healing. The cast could come off after six weeks.

She swung her legs off the bed, the one encased in the cast sticking straight out. Though weak, she reached for the crutches Tilly held and placed one under each arm.

“Stay near me,” she advised her maid. “If I start to fall, catch me.”

The servant nervously bobbed her head up and down.

Catherine pushed herself to her feet, keeping all weight off her right leg. She placed the tips of both crutches slightly in front of her and then swung her body toward them. Gradually, she made her way across the room. Though exhausted, she was determined to see her father. It took nearly a quarter-hour of starts and stops before she arrived at her parents’ bedchamber. Beads of sweat covered her brow.

“Open it,” she commanded.

Tilly did as asked and swung the door open.

Catherine hobbled into the large, airy room and saw Leah sitting on the edge of the bed, stroking her father’s hand. Strong, her father’s valet, stood in the corner, his face grim. A tall, thin man with an air of efficiency about him stood next to the bed. He looked at her, frowning, as she made her way toward the bed.

“I take it you are Doctor Crane,” she said. “My mother mentioned your name a few times over the years. You helped deliver Leah, if I remember correctly.”

For a moment, he looked flustered and then said, “Hello, Lady Catherine. Yes, I am Doctor Crane. I would advise you to return to your own bed. You shouldn’t be up and about on that broken limb.”

“Not until I see Papa,” she said as she painstakingly moved to where the earl lay.

She stopped when she reached the bedside and leaned heavily on the crutches. As she looked down, she blinked back tears of despair and sorrow.

The sleeping man who lay flat on the bed looked nothing like the robust man she had known all her life. His skin was ashen. Cuts and bruises covered his face and hands, the only skin visible. He wheezed with each breath. Though almost six feet in height, somehow, it seemed as if he’d shrunk overnight.

“What is his prognosis?”

“I really can’t say,” Doctor Crane said vaguely.

She glared at him. “Because you don’t know or because I’m a female and might become hysterical?”

“Both,” the physician admitted.

“Leah and I are all he has left. Please, tell me what I need to know. Will he live? Or do we need to prepare ourselves to lose another parent?”

Crane sighed. “The earl is stable. He has a chance to live, possibly a few more years, but it will be on very different terms.” His tone softened. “Your father is paralyzed, my lady. From the chest down, the best I can tell. His spinal cord was severed in the carriage accident. He will never walk again. Never even sit up. The remainder of his life will be spent prone, in his bed.”

Catherine gripped the crutches tightly. She braced herself for the tears she thought would come and found her eyes suddenly dry. It was as if she’d known the news Doctor Crane gave her would be the worst possible and that she must not only accept it—but be strong for both her father and Leah.

“I see.” She thought a moment. “Can he be moved?”

“I’d advise against doing so.”

“Would he feel any pain?” she prodded.

“No,” Crane admitted. “He’s beyond discomfort.”

“Then we will return to Statham Manor,” she proclaimed. “Papa has always enjoyed the country far more than London. If his time is limited, then he should be where he’s been happiest.”

The physician nodded. “I can understand your reasoning. The country air would be far better for him. If you’d like, I can speak to your servants on the best way to transport him. Where is your family’s estate?”

---