His savage tone was enough for Danielson to raise his hands defensively and quickly back away, fear flickering across his face.
Luc was barely able to resist the urge to wring Danielson’s neck. His fingers opened and closed tightly. Gritting his teeth, he focused back on Ria.
She was unconscious.
As he smoothed back her hair, he felt something damp. He held up his hand, and saw his fingers were red.
Blood.
When Luc looked around for help, he saw the portly publican rushing toward them, exclaiming loudly, “You can bring her inside, sir. I’ve asked my wife to prepare a room.”
He nodded in thanks. Gathering Ria in his arms, he effortlessly stood. As he brushed past the publican, he ordered, “Send someone for the doctor.”
16
Luc laid Ria on the bedcover and couldn’t help but think how many times he had wanted to do this these last few weeks—but not like this. Never like this.
Gently he pushed back a lock of blond hair that had fallen across her white cheek.
He was barely aware of anyone else in the room. Even her maid’s sobbing hardly disturbed him. Until something about the slight noise at the door made him turn.
It was Geoffrey Danielson.
As Luc watched him, Danielson tentatively walked across the rug toward the bed. Nervously twisting his fingers, he looked at Ria, then his gaze darted back to Luc. “Is she going to be all right?”
“I don’t know. The doctor is on his way.” After glancing at Ria lying motionless in the bed, he looked back at Danielson and said, very softly, “You had better pray she is.”
At his tone, Danielson paled and backed toward the door. “I’ll wait in the taproom.”
Curtly Luc ordered, “Make yourself useful. Let the ladies at the manor know what has happened.”
Luc gritted his teeth as he waited for Dr. Caughey to say something. Anything. It seemed an age since the doctor had begun his examination, but the only syllables uttered during the entire time had been murmuring such as “hmmm” and “ah.”
That was, of course, after the doctor tried to evict him from the room. To no avail.
He sighed as the doctor poured water into a blue and white bowl, washed his hands, then proceeded to dry them, very slowly and methodically, staring intently at the white towel.
The doctor finally looked directly at him, pushing his spectacles that had slipped down his nose back into place as he did so.
Luc straightened up from the wall he was leaning against and braced himself as the doctor began to speak.
“The only injury I can detect is the wound on her head. That is the good news. Also the bad.” The doctor shook his head slightly, then sighed, “Head wounds are tricky things, very tricky indeed. I will dress her wound, but as for when she will wake up, I cannot say.”
“Can she be moved?”
Dr. Caughey shook his head. “Most unwise. It is best to leave her undisturbed in this room. Keep it quiet. Don’t have it too warm. A moderate, even temperature is best so just a small fire.”
The lack of action unsettled him. “Would you have any objection if I seek another opinion?”
“Not at all. In fact, I expected it.” He paused. “The nearest doctor would be Dr. Small. He is very experienced having been in practice for fifty years. I can tell you now what he will say if you like. He will tell you the pressure on her brain needs to be released. He has three ways of doing this. Either poking a sharp implement up her nose to make it bleed, bleeding her from the jugular with a lancet, or placing leeches on her temples. He might also wish to shave her head.”
Rubbing the back of his neck, Luc looked at Ria lying helpless on the bed. He’d be damned before he’d subject her to any of that quackery.
He looked back at the doctor, who was now busy writing. As he watched, the doctor straightened and handed him a note. “Here is Dr. Small’s direction and also Dr. Umbridge’s. If I do not hear otherwise, I will return tomorrow to check on Mrs. St. James.”
As the doctor left, Luc looked once again at Ria and tried to excise from his mind the images evoked by Dr. Caughey’s words.
Hearing a knock on the open door, he looked up to see Mary timidly standing in the doorway. He beckoned for her to enter. In the background, a loud commotion erupted in the foyer.