Scandals Bride (Cynster 3)

Catriona stared into his eyes. "Th… thank you " She blinked, and looked at Honoria-who was waiting to catch her eye.

"Don't let it bother you-they're all like that."

Imperiously waving her husband back, she linked arms with Catriona and turned to the door. "Quite clearly my feckless brother-in-law is still alive, or you wouldn't be greeting us so calmly."

"Indeed." Finding herself back in her own hall, Catriona quickly introduced Henderson and Mrs. Broom. She grasped the moment while her overpowering relatives were divesting themselves of their coats to relocate and strengthen her habitual serenity. "Mrs. Broom has prepared a room for you-I'm afraid you'll find the household not quite what you're accustomed to. It's a good deal smaller, of course, and we're also much less formal."

"Oh, good." Handing her gloves to Mrs. Broom, Honoria looked up and smiled. "I'm afraid Cynsters aren't much for formality within the family. And as for this"-with a graceful wave she indicated the house about them-"not being what we're accustomed to, you must remember I was only a lowly governess until just over a year ago."

Catriona blinked. "You were?"

Honoria studied her surprise. "Didn't Richard tell you?" Shaking her head, she linked arms with Catriona; together they turned for the stairs. "Isn't that just like a man-never tells one the important things. I'll have to fill you in."

From behind them, where Devil prowled in their wake, Catriona heard: "Lowly governess? Lowly? You've never been lowly in your life."

Despite her woes, Catriona's lips twitched; she couldn't resist glancing at Honoria.

Who waved dismissively. "Don't mind him-he's the worst of them all."

They halted at the foot of the stairs; sobering, Catriona drew her arm from Honoria's and turned to face them both. "As Worboys informed you, Richard was poisoned-precisely with what I don't know but I've been treating him generally, and… " Her voice quavered; she broke off and drew in a breath. Lifting her chin, she fixed her gaze on Devil's green eyes. "I want you to know that I had nothing to do with it-I did not poison Richard."

They both looked at her, studied her, their expressions blank, their eyes filled with sharp intelligence. Then, just as Catriona was about to speak again-to say something to break the silence-Devil reached out, took her hand, and patted it. "Don't worry-we're here to help. You're obviously overtired."

"Have you been nursing him all by yourself?"

The tone of Honoria's question demanded an answer.

"Well, I… until yesterday."

"Humph! Just as well we almost crippled the horses to get here. One member of the family in a sickbed is quite enough." Taking Catriona's arm again, Honoria took to the stairs. "Now show us where he is, then you can tell us what needs to be done."

Swept up the stairs by an irresistible force, it was all Catriona could do to steady her whirling head. She'd expected censure, certainly a reserved stiffness, at least some degree of suspicion; instead, all she could sense from her new relatives was a warm tide of sympathy and support. She led them to the turret room, to where Richard lay, straight and still in the bed.

Standing at the foot of the bed, her eyes fixed on Richard's face, she waited while Honoria and Devil greeted Worboys, who had been watching over his master. Then they joined her, one on either side, and looked down at Richard.

"He's still breathing freely a

nd his pulse is steady, but he hasn't regained consciousness since he collapsed."

Catriona heard the tiredness in her voice, and felt, again, Devil's hand slide around hers. He squeezed her fingers gently, comfortingly. She felt Honoria's sympathetic gaze on her face, then sensed an exchanged glance pass over her head.

"I'll sit with him for the next few hours." Devil released her hand.

"Perhaps," Honoria said, "you could show me to our room?"

She didn't really want to leave Richard, but… Catriona gripped her fingers tightly and lifted her gaze to Devil's face. "If his breathing starts to slow, or grow weaker you must promise to call me immediately. It's important." Her eves locked on his, she reinforced that thought. "I might need to… " She gestured vaguely.

Devil nodded and looked at the bed. "I'll send Worboys or one of the others for you at the slightest sign. " Then he looked back, a slight smile curving his long lips. "But if he hasn't already died, the chances are he won't." His gaze drifted to Honoria, the look in his eyes deepened. "There are any number of people who can tell you that Cynsters lead charmed lives."

His comforting gaze came back to her face as Honoria humphed.

"Indeed! Believe me," she said gently turning Catriona from the bed, "there's little point worrying about them, although of course, we do." She steered Catriona to the door. "Now come and show me where I can wash-I've been in that carriage for more hours than I care to count."

Ten minutes later, sunk in an armchair in the room Mrs. Broom had readied for the ducal couple, Catriona knew that, far from taking care of her guests, her guests were taking care of her. She was too tired to resist, and they did it so well, so effortlessly. They made it so easy for her to just stop for a moment, to stop thinking and simply be. She needed the rest-so she took it, let the steady flow of Honoria's description of their trip north flow past her, and waited for her guest to finish her ablutions.

That done, as she'd expected, Honoria sank gracefully into the chair beside hers, leaned forward and took one of her hands. "Now tell me-why did you imagine we'd imagine you'd had any hand in poisoning Richard?"

Meeting Honoria's misty-blue gaze, Catriona hesitated, then sighed and closed her eyes. "I got a trifle in advance of myself." Opening her eyes, she looked at Honoria. "You see, I think Richard believes I poisoned him-that might be what he believes when he awakes. I was trying to prepare you for that, trying to assure you he was wrong."