The Hellion Bride (Sherbrooke Brides 2)

He had a glass of water with laudanum ready the moment she woke up. He studied her face as he waited. Slowly he reached out and gently glided his fingertips over her brow, her nose, her jaw. He slipped his finger into her mouth and pressed against her teeth. Her teeth were still strong and nothing was broken, thank God. Ah, but the pain she would suffer.

Sophie didn't want to wake up. She knew if she did, she wouldn't be pleased about it. And she wasn't. The pain hit her in vicious waves and she gasped with the force of it.

His voice came from above her. He was saying over and over that she would be all right, that he would make certain Uncle Theo never hurt her again. She was to trust him. "Trust me," he said yet again.

She opened her eyes then and stared up at Ryder Sherbrooke.

"Trust you?" she said, shuddering with the pain those two simple words brought her.

"Yes, please, Sophia. Trust me. I'll see that every­thing will be all right. Here, drink this."

Ryder saw equal amounts of pain and wariness in her eyes. He understood, he couldn't blame her, but he was determined. He gently lifted her head and forced all the drugged water down her throat.

He eased her back down. "Now, don't say any­thing. There will be time later to find out exactly what happened. No, don't try to talk. Just listen. Nothing seems to be broken. I've bound up your ribs. Your face is another matter. I'm going to wrap ice in a cloth and cover your eyes with it. Hopefully the cold will keep the swelling down, all right? If you feel something very cold, don't be alarmed. Now, just hold still."

Her eyes were closed when a light knock came on the door. It was Emile and he was carrying cloths and a bucket of ice chips.

"Thank you," Ryder said. "If Theo Burgess shows up here, come and get me."

Once alone with her again, Ryder wrapped the ice in the cloths and laid them over her eyes and across her face. She flinched and he said quietly, "Just hold still, Sophia. It will numb your face and the pain will lessen. Also, I gave you laudanum. Don't worry, please."

She tried to force the words from her mouth. "Jeremy," she said, but knew it was but a whisper of so

und in her mind. She felt the laudanum pulling at her and tried one more time. "Jeremy."

Ryder's face was very close to hers. He made out her brother's name. He felt a frisson of alarm. If Uncle Theo had beaten her so badly, what would he do to the boy?

"Uncle Theo, I stabbed him. He won't come here, at least not today."

"You what?"

"I. . ." Her head lolled to the side.

Ryder didn't hesitate. He found Emile, who was pacing in the front entrance hall downstairs. "Have Coco stay close to her. The laudanum I gave her put her to sleep. Tell James not to allow anyone from Camille Hall in here. No one. As for your father, Jesus, tell him whatever you think best."

Emile nodded and was gone in an instant. Ryder took his place pacing. When Emile returned, he said, "Now what?"

"You, my friend, you and I are going to beard the lion in his den. Hopefully the damned lion isn't dead. I'll tell you all about it on the way."

Sophie gritted her teeth. The pain kept coming, kept pounding through her, surging and swelling until she thought she couldn't bear it. Then it would lessen, retreating and flattening as a wave receding from the shore, but she knew it would return again and again and there was nothing she could do about it. It wouldn't ever stop, not ever. She was trapped in it, helpless, and completely alone. She'd failed and now she was paying with this ghastly pain. There was nothing she could do to help anyone.

"Please don't cry, Sophie, please. Here, drink some water. Ryder said you'd probably be really thirsty."

She sipped the water, nearly choking. Then she realized that it was Jeremy who was here with her. Jeremy, her little brother. She raised a hand and pulled away the cloth from over her eyes. She could open her eyes without too much effort. The swelling had gone down. She saw Jeremy was standing there beside her, worry and fear etched deeply into that beloved face.

"I'm all right, Jeremy," she whispered. "Don't wor­ry. I probably look much worse than I really am."

"Shush," Jeremy said. "Ryder said you'd try to talk to me, and he said I was to tell you to be quiet. He said I could tell you what was happening. All right?"

"Yes."

"You are to lie very still. Ryder said that you'll be just fine. He said nothing was broken, but your ribs and your face are badly bruised. He said to be very still, Sophie."

"Yes."

"Uncle Theo changed," Jeremy said slowly, and he was frowning as he said it. He didn't understand, that was clear to her, but she didn't say anything, merely waited for him to continue. "He saw me come into the house with Thomas and he started yelling. He was holding his shoulder and I saw blood seeping through his fingers. He screamed at me that he was through with the two of us."

"He didn't hit you, did he?"