Lord Edward's Mysterious Treasure by Marek Lillian

Author:Marek, Lillian
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Historical, Victorian, Action & Adventure, Gothic
Publisher: JOS
Published: 2017-11-07T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-three

“Fetch the doctor,” he snapped at a maid hovering in the corridor. “And ask Mme. d’Hivers to come.”

He managed to lean over and open the door of her room without dropping her and laid her carefully on the bed. She was too thin. She was a tall woman and should not weigh so little. Did no one ever take care of her?

His hand hovered over her cheek. The mark was darkening, and she would have a black eye. “There is a bit of blood. His ring cut you.” He tried to keep the anger out of his voice.

“It’s nothing, truly.” She tried to smile but winced at the movement.

“Right, nothing. You’ll be fortunate if he didn’t break a bone.” He sat down on the side of the bed and took her hand, caressing her fingers gently.

A corner of her mouth lifted. “Ah, well. He was angry. Men like him, they do not like to think someone has played them for a fool.”

He gave a dismissive snort. “No one likes to be played for a fool. Decent men do not react by using their fists on a woman.”

She gave him one of those looks of hers that made him feel like a naive idiot. He tried to ignore it. “Anyway,” he said, “what made him think his arrival would be welcome? I cannot believe you invited him.”

“Of course not. It was, I think, Delphine.”

“Delphine? What about Delphine? What has she done now?” Mme. d’Hivers came hurrying in. After one look at Marguerite’s face, she began making clucking noises. Moving efficiently, she poured water into the washbasin and soaked a cloth. Her glare made Ned get up. Only after she had sat down in his place and held the cloth against Marguerite’s cheek did she speak again. “Tell me what Delphine has done now.”

“Louvois said she had written to him. Ah, the cold feels good.” Marguerite closed her eyes.

“A cold compress? Yes, that is good.” Doctor Fernac arrived to take over. Ned found himself pushed out, told he would just be in the way.

He resented the dismissal, though it was quite possible that he would be in the way, since he had no idea what to do about Marguerite’s injury. But he was too angry and frustrated to do nothing.

Delphine. He recalled what Marguerite had said. Delphine had written to Louvois? Whatever for? She had to know that her cousin feared and loathed the man. Why was she trying to create difficulties for Marguerite?

He charged off to confront her.

After slamming his way through half the rooms on the main floor of the chateau, his temper began to cool. Still, he needed to talk to the girl. When he finally found her in the green sitting room, she was standing, arms akimbo, staring out the window at the drive, where the comte’s carriage was just disappearing, and tapping her foot impatiently. And, of all things, she was in costume. She was wearing one of those silly gowns she had found. It didn’t quite fit, and was trailing on the ground.

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