Page 71 of A Duke in Her Fate
“Your Grace. Come with me, we can’t have you in the way. Besides, you’re frightfully wet yourself,” Hobbes murmured in a calming tone as he tugged Ronan back to his feet and to the doorway.
He had no choice but to follow until they reached the hall. Ronan couldn’t take his eyes off her. From this angle, he could only see her slim arm peeking from the many blankets. And then that too was taken from him as she was swallowed up behind the care of four maids.
“No,” came a quiet whine. It took a moment for Ronan to register the voice. “I want her. This mama stays. I don’t want her in heaven.”
A staggered breath escaped him as he turned, finding little Oliver with his big wet eyes staring into the room as well. Anne was whispering, trying to nudge him away. Oliver gripped the doorframe with both hands. He too couldn’t take his eyes off the large bed where Isla lay.
“I want mama,” he whined again, his voice breaking loudly in the tension.
“Shhh, please,” Anne was trying to gently lead him away.
The pain in Oliver’s voice was too familiar to Ronan. He forced himself to turn from Isla, bending down to collect his nephew in his arms. The boy resisted at first before finally collapsing, hiccupping, and clinging to Ronan.
“She’s not going anywhere,” Ronan promised him. He clung just as tight, telling himself to be brave. They would not lose anyone else. Already they had lost his sister. Neither of them would survive losing Isla, he believed. They needed her. “She’s strong, isn’t she? Strong and… and clever. She’s going to be fine. All will be well, Oliver. You will see.”
Murmuring soft words of hopeful promises, he took to pacing up and down the hall. Someone tried to close the door, but Ronan made sure it stayed open. Eventually, Anne gave them distance. Hobbes remained nearby to direct the household as necessary.
The physician finally came. Only John Lambert could convince Ronan to give them some privacy in the next room. It was torture, however, being left in the dark.
He carried Oliver until the boy fell asleep. Anne returned, ready to help whenever Ronan was done with him. But he was too distracted to pay any mind to his tiring arms. He couldn’t do anything, not until Lambert finally cracked the door open and gave him a nod.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Ronan demanded.
“It means,” Lambert told him, “that the duchess will be all right from what I can see. There is some nasty bruising that caused some swelling. It should go away in a day or two.”
Ronan peered over his head to try and see into the room. “What about her head? There was blood.”
“A small injury we shall keep an eye on. It is fair to worry, but I am hopeful. She’s a strong lady who suffered a nasty shock. So long as she rests and nothing worsens, she’ll be right as rain within a few weeks. She will be fine,” he repeated when Ronan’s expression didn’t change. “Would you like to see her?”
Desperation and doubt warred within him. “Can I?”
“Certainly. I’ve offered her a few remedies, all of which she’s refused. They will help her should she wish to rest more deeply; I shall leave them behind in case she changes her mind.”
It took a second for Ronan to realize what all this meant. “You spoke with her?”
“Yes, yes. She’s awake.” Lambert sidestepped into the hall before adding, “You can see her if you like.”
Surprise left him frozen where he stood for a long moment. After warring with himself, Ronan managed to nod. He needed to see for himself that Isla was well. After a deep breath, he entered the room.
CHAPTER 26
Although Ronan meant to move swiftly through the room to Isla’s side, he stalled the moment she turned her head in his direction.
Her seafoam-green eyes met his and he forgot how to breathe.
It shouldn’t have meant so much to him, to have her looking his way. Except in the back of his mind, he had almost lost her. She might never have woken up. She would have never looked at him again, never done anything ever again. The pounding of his heart ached at the bleak future he had feared.
Even though it is gone, she has proved me wrong, I cannot free myself just yet of such dread.
“Ronan?” She rasped.
Isla was paler than usual, and her freckles appeared darker from such a distance. She wiggled for a second to adjust herself before falling back into the pillows as though it was too much work.
He moved his feet to reach her quickly.
“Careful, if you please,” Ronan murmured. He gently descended to sit on the cusp of the bed. It gave him a chance to hover over her, inspecting her features for any other harm he had not yet noticed.
She blinked several times. All she said in response was, “Ronan.”
