Page 44 of Disciplined by the Duke
Brooks ran back out, his face flushed.
“Well?” Montague demanded.
“There’s a stack of grain bags up there. You know we store the feed on the second level.” He waited for the duke’s nod before continuing. “They must have been leaning against the urn. Sent it toppling.”
Montague’s body was rigid. The tension rolling off of him palpable. “Check the rest of the bags. See that this doesn’t happen again.”
“Yes, Your Grace.” Tugging on a forelock, Brooks directed the grooms to check all the grain bags.
Her head cleared, and Liz noticed that Mr. Pike was not among the assembled grooms. Her scalp prickled.
Rolling to a squat, Montague placed a hand at Liz’s elbow. “Can you stand?”
She nodded. Molly came to her other side, and Liz slowly rose to shaky feet. Next to the urn, a large divot was taken out of the lawn. An uncontrolled shudder coursed through her body. “That would have taken off my head.”
Her eyes were glued to the dent in the earth. She had been inches away from death. The thought terrified and fascinated her in equal measure. But who would care for Amanda if she died?
Montague turned her until she could no longer see the urn. Turned her so she faced the grandeur of Hartsworth. “Can you walk to your room, or shall I carry you?”
Molly squeezed her arm. Her chamber-mate would be only too eager for a ride in a handsome man’s arms.
Liz straightened her back. “I can walk.” Molly snorted with disgust, but Liz ignored her. Remembering the similar statement she’d made the night before, but under much different circumstances, Liz battled against the heat creeping up her chest and neck.
Flustered, Liz continued. “We were cleaning the windows, and Molly and I should return to our duties. I’m really quite all right.”
“You will go to your room and rest for the remainder of the day.” Montague slid his palm from her elbow to her biceps, a touch so light it almost tickled. “If the doctor tells me you’re unharmed you may continue working tomorrow.” He stepped back, still within arms’ reach, but far enough where she was no longer warmed from his body’s heat. “Now, show me how well you walk.”
He paced her and Molly to the house, seemingly satisfied she wouldn’t topple over. With a curt nod and well wishes on her health, Montague turned on his heel and strode away, leaving her and Molly to navigate the stairs to their room.
Free from her employer’s presence, Molly started chattering like a dam had burst. “Cor, when we all raced out and saw the duke lying on top of you, we didn’t know what had happened. It was so shocking, so improper looking. Mind you, once we saw that that great pot had fallen, the tittering stopped right quick. Why, you could have been killed!”
“I know,” Liz murmured. Had that been the point? Had Pike tried to follow through on his threat, or had it been an accident? Reaching the top of the staircase, she swayed. It was such an odd feeling to think that someone might wish her harm. Might actually put action to what she’d thought had only been nasty words. Her stomach churned.
“Whoa, steady there,” Molly said. With a firmer grip, she led Liz to their room. “The doctor will be here soon and you’ll be right as rain. No more getting out of window-cleaning duty for you.”
Liz gave her a wan smile. “Thanks, Molly.” As Liz eased onto the bed, only the smallest twinge in her ribs pained her. Unfortunately, she would be ready to clean windows tomorrow. And able to make yet another search for the letter. She’d looked in every room Montague could possibly keep correspondence, even managing to sneak into his bedchambers after the maids who cleaned it had left. Nothing. She could only think that it hadn’t yet arrived in the post.
Molly left and Liz rested until she heard a knock on her door. Mr. Todd entered, a tall, gaunt man behind him. She gave the man the barest of glances, her attention all on the wriggling bundle of fur under Mr. Todd’s arm.
“Reggie!”
The puppy yipped, and Mr. Todd thrust him at Liz before he lost his grip entirely. “His Grace said you were fond of this animal and that you might enjoy an afternoon of its company. Molly can bring it down later for its supper.”
Liz cuddled the pup close. His racing heartbeat fluttered against her chest, the staccato a soothing beat. “Thank you.”
Mr. Todd twisted his lips. “I can assure you it wasn’t my idea. I don’t hold with animals in living quarters. They belong outside. But my opinion wasn’t taken into account on this matter.”
Reggie nudged Mr. Todd’s leg with his nose, and the man reached out a tentative finger, touched the pup’s silky ear, before snatching his hand back.
He sniffed. “Miss Smith, this is Doctor Wharton. I’ll leave him to it.”
The doctor smiled, the effect rather ghastly with his hollowed cheeks and disappearing lips. But the man was all amiability. He spoke with her for a while, prodded her ribs and examined her eyes before declaring her unbroken. “Enjoy your afternoon of rest. If you develop any pains send for me again, but you should mend quite well.”
The door clicked shut behind him. The afternoon light slanted through the small window, and the day’s heat had settled in her small room. Drowsy, she lay back, curling her body around Reggie. Tired of chewing on her cuff, Reggie flopped down for a nap, as well.
Her body was exhausted, but her mind didn’t want to settle. It jumped like a hare from one thought to the next. Just when sleep would coil around her head, her thoughts would focus on her near miss. On the safety she’d felt wrapped up in the duke’s arms. On the way he’d made her explode the night before.
On her sister alone in a dark cell.
