The Awakening of Lord Ambrose by Chasity Bowlin

Author:Chasity Bowlin
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: 0
Published: 2019-01-16T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

HER BRAIN WAS still fogged with laudanum when Prim woke again in a room that was fully dark. Confused, more than a little disoriented, she fought off the encroaching panic. Not even a sliver of moonlight penetrated the heavy curtains that draped the windows. But even as she peered into the darkness, she was certain of two things. She was not at Avondale Hall and she was not alone.

“You’re awake. I can tell by the sound of your breathing.”

The voice from the darkness was achingly familiar to her. Cornelius Garrett, Lord Ambrose. A part of her was immediately put at ease. For as much as she trusted anyone, she trusted him. But another part of her experienced a heightened awareness of the fact that they were alone in a darkened bedchamber together. And if memory served her correctly, they were in a house that was only lightly staffed at the moment because the inhabitants were away.

“I am awake,” she admitted, as memories of the day’s events suffused her. The horrible sound of splintering wood and the screams of her family echoed by the screams of the horses as the carriage tipped and rolled. Then it was all lost to a haze of pain and laudanum, though moments of that were stark in their clarity. He’d stayed with her, helped her and soothed her when she required it. It created a maelstrom of emotions within her, most of them far too tender and far too tempting for her peace of mind.

She heard him rise, his boots striking the wood of the floor as he crossed to the fireplace. The dimly glowing embers suddenly blazed to life as he stoked the fire. The light from it cast his hard features in stark relief in the darkness. She could see the firmness of his jaw, the hard jut of his chin, the strong line of his nose and the high sweep of his forehead. He truly was a man too handsome for words and far too handsome for her peace of mind.

“Your shoulder has been set. It’s bound and should be moved as little as possible. If you need to get up, I will help you.”

She did need to get up and she desperately needed to relieve herself but, clearly, she would die before allowing him to help her with that. “If you could help me sit up and then have a maid fetched to assist me… I would be very grateful.”

“Of course,” he said and moved back to the bed.

She had thought that he would simply help her to sit up. Instead, he lifted her in his arms and carried her easily to one of the chairs before the fire, tucking the blankets about her.

“I will remain outside the door. The laudanum may have lingering effects,” he said and then disappeared into the hallway beyond the heavy door.

A few minutes later, a sleepy-eyed maid entered the room. With the girl’s assistance, Prim managed to see to her most pressing needs and was once again seated before the warmth of the fire when Cornelius entered the room again.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.