Page 80 of Lady Graceless
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MILES HAD BEENentirely disoriented when he’d woken up. It was very strange to find one was not in one’s own house. Even stranger to find a fellow staring down at him.
Then, of course, how he got to be where he was came back to him and who the fellow was, the duke’s physician, came back too.
Phillips peered down at him. “You had a restful night, that is good. How is the breathing?”
Miles found it had got easier to take in breaths. The combination of having his ribs wrapped as well as remembering to take in breaths that were not too deep made it more manageable.
“Better, I think.”
“Excellent. Well, there is not much to be done now. The sprain will heal itself in time and so will your ribs. Though, you might feel some after effects in cold and damp weather. All you can do is bide your time and not do anything stupid, like trying to rush the healing process.” The physician sighed and said, “I cannot count how many times I have issued that warning and how many times it has been ignored.”
“How long will I be confined to bed, though?” Miles asked, thinking he should go mad if he were left lingering for days on end. Lady Grace was just below stairs, was he to lie round here all day?
“For today at least with that foot propped up. I will return on the morrow with a chair the footmen can use to transport you downstairs. Which will be perfectly fine as long as you quietly sit, leg elevated, wherever you are taken. Do not do anything foolish. No sitting at a dinner table for now.”
It was not ideal, but at least he would not be trapped in this room forever. In any case, he might propose from a chair, might he not? It would not be a typical proposal, but it could be done. After all, Lady Grace had hinted that she’d even accept him if he were paralyzed.
And then, there was the handholding in the cart. Certainly, that had stepped across some lines and indicated her preference for him. She’d done it several times.
Just then, the door swung open and Lady Margaret came through it. Miles pulled the blankets over his bare legs. What was she doing here?
“There you are, my boy,” she said. “You gave us a scare, I don’t mind telling you.”
“I’m perfectly fine, Lady Margaret,” he said.
She turned to the physician. “True?”
“Perfectly fine is an exaggeration,” the physician said. “He will be though. I will take my leave and return on the morrow unless the duke calls me back beforehand.”
He bowed to Lady Margaret and made his exit.
She hurried to his side. Grasping his hand, she said, “I think Lord Montclave is looking for a way to kill you.”
That was about the last thing he imagined he’d hear from Lady Margaret. “What?” he said.
She then proceeded to tell him of Montclave’s visit to the house that morning.
“He was most forceful.Imust leave andhewas moving in,” Lady Margaret said.
“He’ll do no such thing.”
“Naturally, I informed him of how fond you were of my company. You could hardly bear to be parted with me, particularly in your hour of need. I vowed I would stay by your side always. He would have to drag me out cold and dead.”
Miles thought the idea that he could not bear to be parted from the lady was painting it on a little thick. As for her staying by his side always, that sounded more like a threat than anything else. However, this was not the time to straighten out any of Lady Margaret’s wild ideas.
“Get me some writing things. I will direct Wainwright to hire some guards so that Montclave does not attempt to push you out or insert himself in.”
Lady Margaret hopped up and began to rifle through a desk, pulling out what was required.
What was Montclave up to? Miles would never put himself in that villain’s hands—why would Montclave imagine he would?
Lady Margaret had set the writing things on what had been his breakfast tray. And a pretty awful breakfast it had been. Why had there been salt in the porridge? Why had there been only porridge? Did the duke not go in for eggs or bacon or sausages?
“Lord Montclave thinks you remain unconscious,” Lady Margaret said. “That’s the gossip going round.”
Ah. So that was why Montclave imagined he could get control of him.
