Family In The Making (Matchmakeing Babies 2) by Jo Ann Brown Read Free Book Online

the child’s legs could move, she rushed toward the door.
    “How badly are you hurt, Arthur?” she asked.
    “Not bad,” he replied.
    Miss Oliver quickly contradicted him. “He cannot stand on his right leg. He twisted his knee or his ankle or both.”
    Carrie shot him a frown before turning to the nurse. “Twisted? Not broken?”
    “I cannot say for sure, my lady. Without removing his boot, it is impossible to tell, and he wisely has kept it on.”
    “Raymond, help me get him into the cart. I have alerted Mr. Hockbridge. He should be at Cothaire by the time we arrive.”
    Arthur was not given a chance to protest that if he had a chance to sit quietly, he would be fine. His brother led him to the cart and, with the driver’s help, lifted him in the rear. Everything went black, and his head spun. He would not faint like a simpering girl! He fought until he could see again, and discovered he was lying on his back. He almost cried out when the cart bounced. Had someone climbed in?
    “Fine. I am fine,” he muttered when Carrie asked how he fared.
    “So I see! If you had any less color, you would be dead.”
    He opened his eyes and then closed them when he saw the alarm on his sister’s face as she leaned over the side of the cart. She might tease him, but she could not hide how worried she was. He wanted to reassure her that he would be as good as new in no time, but she would not believe him. He was unsure if he believed it himself. He had not felt such pain since he fell off a stone wall when he was seven and broke his arm.
    “Thank you,” he heard Carrie say, a moment before something damp and warm covered his brow. “Keep it there.”
    Keep it there?
To whom was she talking? A breeze brushed across his face, bringing a hint of jasmine. Miss Oliver! He wanted to ask why she was with him instead of Carrie. Where were the children? He tried to open his eyes, but it was worthless. The damp cloth covered them.
    “We will be leaving as soon as the driver assists your sister up,” Miss Oliver whispered.
    Many words rushed through his head. Apologies for ruining her outing with the children, gratitude for how she had helped him to the parsonage, questions about how he could repair the damage he had caused by scaring the children. None of them formed on his tongue.
    He sank into the darkness as the cart began moving. When he opened his eyes again, light struck them. The cloth had been removed.
    “Stay still.” Miss Oliver’s voice was so soft he could barely hear her.
    She must have guessed how much his head ached. Had he struck it when he fell?
    “Can you sit up, my lord?” He recognized that voice, as well. It belonged to his valet, Goodwin. The young man knelt beside him in the cart. When had Miss Oliver left? Time seemed to be jumping about like a frightened rabbit.
    “Yes.” Not needing his valet’s help, Arthur sat. His head spun, and the pain swelled, but he was able to climb down on his own. His valet assisted him through the curious crowd gathered by the front door. Goodwin guided him to the small drawing room where he had talked to Carrie... Could it have been just yesterday afternoon?
    Mr. Hockbridge was waiting. His hair was almost white, but the doctor was close to Arthur’s age. He had a placid aura about him as he pointed to the settee. “Place him there.”
    Biting back a moan, Arthur lowered himself to the cushions. He was relieved the gawkers had not followed him into the drawing room. His sister stood near the door, her arms folded in front of her and that same worried look in her eyes.
    “What happened?” the doctor asked.
    “I fell,” Arthur replied. Even those two words rang through his skull as if someone struck it with a sledgehammer. He put his hand to his brow and leaned his head against the settee.
    The doctor sighed, then added, “You were with him?”
    Arthur raised his head, astounded to see Miss Oliver beside his sister. She looked as uncomfortable as a kitten in a