A Marquess for Christmas by Vivienne Westlake Read Free Book Online

as well? Are you
well?”
    Violet
smiled and patted his hand. “I am perfectly fine, sir. I suffered a fright at
watching this poor man suffer in defense of myself, but other than that, I am
well.”
    “I
am glad to hear it.”
    “Thank
you.”
    She
walked him out of the room and down the stairs. He paused in the entrance hall.
“My lady, are you sure you do not require assistance? You are a woman alone
here with a stranger in your household. Perhaps you should send for a neighbor
or relative to be present.”
    “Of
course,” she said to him, though it was more to soothe his sensibilities than
because she thought it was a good idea. “But do not worry. This man is a
gentleman of some rank and we will make inquiries to find his family and alert
them of his condition.”
      “Very well. I shall return in a few
days, but if his condition worsens, please send for me.”
    The
doctor’s joints acted up during the inclement weather, so she watched him amble
forward, his hips not quite in sync. A footman helped him into his greatcoat
and top hat and she watched the coat billow out as he exited the door.
    He
was a character from a gothic novel for sure. She could imagine him haunting
the moors and frightening some young woman who dared to venture out in the
storm.
    My,
her imagination was active today. First the stranger, now the doctor. Maybe she
was more affected than she’d thought by the events of today. Was she in shock
as the soldiers had often been after battle?
    Or
was she merely tired and lonely? Envisioning things around her to be more
vibrant and mysterious than they were so she would not have to face what was
lacking in her life.
    Maybe
her brother was right. It is about time
that you find a good man to settle down with. John would not want you to grow
old alone.
    Violet
liked her independence, the freedom that came with being a widow of means. But
that freedom definitely came with a price.
    She
could spend her money as she liked, stay out late visiting friends, or make her
own choice of investments, but at night, she lay in her large oak bed and
listened to the wind echo through an empty house. There were servants, but no
husband, no children, no laughter to quiet the silence in her heart.
    * * * *
    “He
still sleeps fitfully, my lady.” Avery put his hand to the man’s head. “A
little warm. We should get some ice and keep his temperature down.”
    “And
you have checked his bandages?” The bleeding had stopped, but the chance of
infection was high. She stood by the four poster bed, looking down at her
savior, who lay still and quiet, despite the people in the room.
    “Yes,
the wound is not healed, but neither is it as gruesome as it was yesterday.”
    “And
he has not awoken?”
    “He
tosses and murmurs and has managed the chamber pot a couple of times, but he
does not speak and his eyes are glazed and unfocused.”
    It
had been two days since the incident. She prayed it was the laudanum keeping
him so dazed and not his injury. But they could not be sure yet.
    “If
he does not awaken in the next day or two, we shall have to fetch Doctor
Littleton. For now, let us keep him cool and make sure that someone checks on
him every hour.”
    Violet
went to the window and opened it.   The sky was cloudy and the ground covered with a thin layer of snow.
“The fresh, cool air should do him good.” She rang the bell then went back to
the bed and sat down. The man’s hands felt hot under hers, but she raised them
to her cheek to be sure. Definitely too warm.
    “My
lady?” Miriam entered the room.
    “Go
and fetch some ice please. If there’s no ice, send a footman outside and gather
snow. We need to keep him cool until his fever breaks.”
    She
leaned over to the bedside table, dipped a cloth into a small ceramic basin,
and wrung it out. “I will see to him for a while, Avery.” She looked up at him
and smiled. “Thank you.”
    Gently,
she wiped the man’s face, always conscious of the bandage. She