Page 38 of Loving an Earl
Out of nowhere, he suddenly heard the sound of horses’ hooves, the crack of a whip, and yelling. Then there was an excruciating pain, and then nothing.
*
An hour orso after Lilly sent her message, the duchess herself arrived with an older gentleman, shocking Lilly. She never thought the duchess traveled into St. Giles. “Countess, Mrs. Fitzpatrick, Mitchel is downstairs waiting for you. I will take it from here.”
“Yes, Your Grace,” Lilly and Emmeline said in unison.
As the duchess had told them, Mitchel and the carriage awaited them right out front. They hurried inside, and Mitchel took off quickly. Not long into the ride, Lilly and Emmeline were both thrown suddenly against the side of the coach and into each other. Horses were screeching, and people were shouting.
“Are you hurt?” Emmeline asked Lilly as she pushed herself off the coach’s floor and off Lilly.
“I banged my head, but I’m all right. I think.” Lilly touched her temple, and her glove came away wet. “I think I’m bleeding.” Though it was a little hard to tell in the low light.
The door swung open, and Mitchel stuck his head inside, looking positively panicked. “Are you ladies hurt?”
“The countess cut her head, but otherwise, we are unhurt. What happened?”
“A carriage lost a wheel and was coming straight at us.” Mitchel stuck his head inside. “I veered off, and the other driver crashed into someone. I must go help. Please stay inside. I’ll be right back.”
Lilly met Emmeline’s eyes and they both hurried out of the carriage and into the chaotic street. People were running about. Mitchel was barking orders to several men as they attempted to lift a small vehicle off what looked like a person. Icicles traveled up her spine and her insides chilled. She didn’t want to get closer to the accident. Her feet, however, did not listen to her.
“Lilly,” Emmeline yelled, “where are you going?”
“I need to see...” Yes, she had seen Langford recently, and he would travel on this very road to go home, but what were the odds it was him? She just needed to be sure it wasn’t him, that’s all. She just needed to be sure.
“My lady,” Mitchel said, his voice strained from struggling with the carriage. “This is not something you should see. Please get back in the carriage.”
“I can’t.” Her body refused to move. Her eyes focused on the unmoving lower body she could see pinned beneath the wheel. The men heaved again, grunting loudly, and finally, the carriage was lifted off the person enough that another man pulled the injured man out by his one good leg, and her heart stopped. Her body tried to tell her with the icy chills. Even her feet moving without her knowledge was a warning.
Even by the light of streetlamps and carriage lanterns, it was clear. The man, broken and battered on the ground was Langford.
She yelled at the top of her lungs to be heard over the commotion. “Easy! Be very careful!” With strength she never had before, she shoved several people aside to reach Langford. She dropped to her knees and cradled his head in her lap. “Edmund, can you hear me?” The sound of him groaning had her heart beating once again. He was alive. That was good, wasn’t it?
“Mitchel, I need your help,” she called.
Their driver pushed his way to her side. “My lady?”
“This is the Earl of Langford. Please try to get our carriage as close as you can. We need to get him to Mrs. Fitzpatrick’s home and call the physician. Although I’m afraid to move him, we must.” One of his legs was bent at an odd angle and blood was seeping into his tan breeches.
Between Mitchel and several other men, they placed Langford as gently as possible on the floor inside their coach. The sound of his moaning and, at one point, bellowing out in pain had Lilly clenching her teeth and swallowing hard so as not to be sick. She climbed inside the coach with Emmeline. Lilly knelt on the floor, her hand gently stroking his face and his hair as she spoke soothing words to him. “It’s Lilly. I’m going to take care of you. You have nothing to worry about. I’m here.” She didn’t know how she managed to keep the panic out of her voice as her entire body trembled uncontrollably.
The ride felt like it took forever. Every time the carriage jarred and bounced, Langford groaned. Her eyes never left his face which was etched with agonizing pain. She wanted to check for other injuries but was afraid to cause him more pain. The one thing she knew was that his leg was at an odd angle and most likely broken. She prayed he had no internal injuries. Dear God, what would she do if he died? The only family she had left was Aunt Vivian, Emmeline, and him, even if the familial connection was by marriage only. Even if she was madder than Hades at Langford for tossing her aside so carelessly, she could not imagine life without him.
As soon as the carriage stopped and Mitchel opened the door, Emmeline was hurrying up the stairs and into the townhome, rousing servants and barking orders as she went. Immediately, a footman ran down the street, presumably to the mews to get a horse and fetch the family doctor. Along with Mitchel and three other servants, they gently and carefully carried a moaning Langford into the house, up the stairs, and to a guest bedroom.
It was a good thing he wasn’t conscious of the amount of damage done to his body. If he had been alert he would have been screaming at the jostling of his person up the stairs and onto the bed.
“Countess,” Mitchel said, his face full of alarm. “I will leave you now and report what happened to the duchess. Please send word if you need anything.”
“Thank you, Mitchel. You have been most helpful.” As Lilly pulled a chair close to the bed and slumped into it, she could barely remember what had brought them to St. Giles in the first place. Then it all rushed back and tears slid down her face when she remembered Annabelle’s death and the death of her unborn baby.
With tears silently streaming down her cheeks, she stared at Langford, willing him to live. “We have unresolved issues. Don’t you dare think about dying on me, you infuriating man.”
Chapter Fifteen
“How is he?”Emmeline asked as she stood at the foot of the bed.
“I don’t know. I’m afraid to touch him and make his injuries worse. I do hope the physician hurries. He looks pale, lifeless, and broken. I’m afraid for his leg.” She sobbed loudly. “Oh God, he can’t die. Not like this. Not when he has so much life ahead of him.”
