He heard the priest’s scolding. No doubt because he had yet to take this bitch for his wife. He focused on Maria and noticed she was hissing in fury, but her focus wasn’t on him, rather something at the back of the church.
The priest yelled in the same direction. “You are defiling the most sacred of vows. Leave this church at once.”
Jacko turned and stared at the vision standing in the aisle. He could barely believe his eyes.
Alice.
Her dress was stained and wrinkled beyond repair, her hair a tangled fright, but never had she looked more beautiful to him. He leapt from the wedding podium and ran to her, picking her up in his arms, covering her sweet face with kisses.
“Señor Bienora!” the priest yelled. “You are getting married!”
Jacko stopped and turned to the priest. “Not to that blackmailing bitch I’m not. I only agreed to this wedding because she was holding Alice prisoner somewhere. But since my clever girl has escaped, I am released from my deal with the devil. I do not accept this woman and nor should any other man with sense. She is a lying, conniving whore.”
His words resulted in several matrons fainting, and Maria screeching curses, but he hardly noticed. As his hand had swept through Alice’s hair, she flinched in pain. His attention riveted to the wound on the back of her head. The flesh was torn open, exposing the skull. Worse yet, the edges of the wound were seriously infected. His heart shifted into his throat as he realized he still might lose his beloved. He lifted Alice into his arms and carried her outside. “She needs a doctor!” he yelled at Mr. Hathoway.
What were the damn fools thinking? They had risked her life allowing her to come here. Why couldn’t they have left her in the care of a doctor while Mr. H. interrupted the damn wedding?
“She has seen the local physician, but the man says he cannot help her. We must go to London.”
Jacko stared at Mr. H. Was he insane? “It will take a full day to reach England. Alice needs a doctor now!”
Alice traced her finger up his neck and to his mouth and silenced him with a finger across his lips. “Jacko, I am not dying from the wound. I believe the doctor cleaned it to the best of his abilities. However, he hopes the physicians in London can return my sight.”
Jacko noticed her eyes did not focus directly upon him. “You’re blind?”
“Yes, but on the positive side, I’m not dying and you’re not married.”
Her attempt to be brave nearly broke his heart.
“We will go to London at once, but the wound must be bandaged before we step foot on a ship. The doctor is a fool to think otherwise.”
Mr. Hathoway nodded. “I agree.”
***
Alice could not believe the reason the doctor gave for not bandaging her head properly. Neither could Jacko.
“Bloody hell! Her hair will grow back! You would have her die from an infection rather than cut away the hair so a bandage could be properly applied?”
The doctor sounded put out by Jacko’s temper. “Young ladies are delicate. Destroying their looks can literally kill them.”
Alice replied before Jacko cursed him further. “I thank you for the consideration, but in the future you should ask the lady if she prefers an infected wound or a few months of wearing head coverings. For my part, I would much rather arrive in London with a clean wound.”
***
When they arrived in London, they went directly to the Hathoways so Alice could have a bath and clean clothes, while Jacko went in search of a doctor.
Jacko stormed into Dr. Connors’ office, ignoring the young man trying to stop him. Both Dr. Connors and the patient stared at him in shock when he burst through the door.
Connors shook his head. “Picking up your boss’ habits I see.” After apologizing to his patient, he led Jacko to an empty office. “What is it?”
“My fiancée has been struck on the head with a blunt object and she can no longer see. Who is the best doctor to return her sight?”
Dr. Connors brow furrowed. “When did this injury occur?”
“Three days ago.”
“Can she speak? Move her hands?”
“She seems fine except she’s blind.”
He nodded. “Leave your address with my secretary and I will come when I finish tonight.”
“Can you not just tell me who the best doctor is?”
“Yes, of course. Blunt head trauma, gunshot wounds, chest damage…these are my specialties. Now fortunately for you, your fiancée does not sound in critical danger. In fact, I suspect she may recover her sight on her own, but I will come by tonight and verify that is the case.”
Jacko didn’t want to return without a doctor, but he trusted Connors. He recalled all too well how close to death Xavier had been and yet the man had saved him. He let the doctor return to his patient while he left provided his address to the angry secretary.
When he returned to the house, Mr. Hathoway’s mouth fell open when he explained Dr. Connors would come later in the day.
“I have heard very fine things about the man, but he is highly selective in his patients…and for him to make a house call. Well, it is most impressive Señor Bienora.”
***
When Dr. Connors arrived a few hours later, Alice sat in the Hathoway’s parlor with Jacko beside her. She liked the doctor’s voice. It hinted of humor and genuine enjoyment of his profession.
“Do you know what struck you?”
“No, I was too busy running to Jacko’s room.”
Jacko squeezed her hands. “Why?”
“Because the Hathoways would not believe you planned to marry me, and I found it most frustrating. But then while in the hall, a sense of danger overwhelmed me. I feared you were harmed.”
She smiled as Jacko lifted her hand to his lips.
Connors prodded her head. “From the position of the wound, I would think a metal object about two inches wide.”
Jacko spoke. “I recall a bronze statue sat on a side table in the hallway."
Alice nodded. “Yes, a woman dressed in armor holding a sword in the right arm.” She felt more prodding on her head.
“That sounds about right. How much did the statue weigh?” the doctor asked.
Jacko sighed. “I never picked it up, but I would guess twice as much as a brass candlestick like those across the room.”
Alice listened as the man crossed the room and returned. “A pound perhaps. The wound seems to have struck at the height of its arch rather than on the downward motion. Is it possible someone of small size did this?”
Both Jacko and Alice answered in union. “Yes.” Alice continued. “When I woke, I heard a woman I believed to be the serving girl, Maria arguing with a young man, who was my keeper. Maria is barely four and a half feet.”
Jacko sighed. “I agree. She clearly had help moving Alice and her trunk into town, but I think she was the one who attacked Alice, not whoever helped her.”
“What were they arguing about?” the doctor asked.
Alice shrugged. “I don’t know. I couldn’t understand them.”
The doctor then asked her to solve simple math questions and name various shapes. “Raise your right hand. Now wiggle your left foot. Hold up the thumb on your left hand. Touch your nose with the smallest finger on your right hand.”
Dissatisfied with the Spanish doctor’s work, Connors shaved a wider section of Alice’s head. “Be thankful it was the woman who struck you. Had the attacker been taller and stronger you probably would have died on the spot.”
His words caused Jacko to squeeze her hand painfully, which distracted her from her own shock. Life was so fragile. Because they played about in courtship, she had almost lost everything.
“What about her vision?”
She heard the doctor sigh, which meant the news was bad. She steadied herself for the blow.
“I’m not sure. The location of the strike so low on the back of the head is troublesome. The doctor in Spain treated the wound where the swor
d of the statue has broken the skin. However, I am more concerned with the indention below. It is right over the portion of the brain that provides sight. However, the indention is not too pronounced, only a small dip.”
“Which means?” Jacko asked.
“Which means the brain may just be bruised and without further pressure on the area, will heal and Miss Collins may obtain partial or full vision again.”
“And if it’s not?” Alice asked.
The doctor sighed again. “If the brain is still bleeding inside, then pressure could build causing other functions to diminish, and if left untreated, you might even die.”
“No!” Jacko replied.
“That’s the worst case, and I do not believe it will come to that.”
Alice knew, by the tension in his hand, her poor Jacko remained upset. She would never allow him to endure a life with a brainless invalid. She would send him away, while she still had the strength and sensibility to do so. “You said other functions would diminish first. So I will know in advance if that is going to happen, what type of diminished functions should I look for?’
“The inability to understand speech…which you did mention. You said you couldn’t understand them.”
“They were speaking Spanish which I have never learned.”
Dr. Connors chuckled. “Of course, I should have realized the language barrier, since you were in Spain. In that case, you presently show no signs of diminished functions. Your logic is sound, you can tell left from right, you can add numbers, and you properly named the objects I described.”
“So that was the purpose of your strange tests?”
“Yes, and you passed all motor and cognitive portions. Your admission you couldn’t understand your captors had led me to believe you had incurred bleeding into the area, but it had subsided. Now, I suspect no bleeding has occurred at all. This leaves me very hopeful in a week or two, some of your vision will return.”
Alice heard his words more precisely than she wished. “But not all.”
“I do not wish to give you false hope. With such an indentation, it is probable your vision will not be the same as it was.”
Jacko had further questions, but Alice stopped listening. Her thoughts had moved on to her future. How would she run the farm if she could not see well enough to identify diseases, keep the books, or read letters? What if her blindness changed her into a weak and bitter woman? Did she have a right to tie Jacko to such a dire future?
She didn’t even notice when Dr. Connors left. She thought he was still there when Jacko knelt before her and caressed her face with such love, she could feel it radiate about her.
“Alice, speak to me.”
She reached out. As if sensing her wish to touch his face, Jacko guided her hand to his lips and then pressed it to his cheek.
She smiled. “You are in great need of a shave.”
“Perhaps, but I will not let you change topics so easily. Why are you focusing on the worst situation?”
He knew her so well, he could almost read her mind. “I have to, since you will not. Jacko, I cannot marry you until we know.”
“That is nonsense! I love you, Alice, whether you are blind or sighted.”
“And what if I become an imbecile? Or my personality turns bleak and angry over my loss of sight? I would no longer be the woman you loved.”
His hands pressed hard against both sides of her face. “You will always be the woman I love. Nothing can change that. You have always understood me so well, please do not stop now. Consider the situation in reverse. If it were I who was struck upon the head, would you still marry me?”
Alice sighed in misery.
“Would you?”
“I would without hesitation, and I would be most annoyed if you tried to postpone the wedding.”
His lips pressed against hers. “Then you understand me perfectly. We were meant for each other, Alice. Nothing must stand in our way.”
She curled her arms around his neck. “Nothing shall. For better or worse, we shall marry.”
Chapter 28
Alice patiently stood as the seamstress considered how to modify the wedding dress for her marriage in three days.
The problem was her mother had only been fifteen at the time of her wedding to Alice’s father. Thus, her dress was too small.
“The hem can be dropped with no problem, but the waist! I need two inches. The same with the bust.”
“What if she wore a corset?” her mother asked.
Alice was about to object on the possibility she might be pregnant, but the seamstress rejected the idea outright. “It is too late to begin. The corset can do nothing in four days, except break bones instead of bend them.”
“What about putting in a panel down the back that widens and becomes the train?” Alice asked.
Dead silence filled the room, and for a moment Alice feared her hearing had gone. Before she panicked, the far-off voice of her beloved Jacko reached her ears.
“Yes,” the seamstress replied. “I can cut a new bodice from the fabric we remove from the back, and then put a new train of French lace onto the gown, making it both fashionable and wearable.”
The seamstress helped Alice remove the garment and then took measures to create a new bodice.
“Do not grow anymore,” the woman scolded.
Alice doubted she could grow excessively in three days, so she remained silent. Once the woman left, her mother helped her dress.
“You are very quiet, Mother. Do you not wish me to wear your wedding dress?”
A tender kiss planted upon her cheek. “I am honored you wish to do so. My thoughts were elsewhere. I received a notice from the Queen’s Counsel that I must be in London tomorrow for Carson’s trial.”
Alice located her mother’s arm and gripped it. “We will go with you and stay at the Hathoways.”
“Nonsense. I have a home in London.”
Alice hated the London house and its memories. Why didn’t her mother as well? “You cannot wish to stay there.”
Her mother sighed and took her hand. “I love the house. Your father and I spent half of each year in London. That is what I remember when I am there.”
Alice swallowed her fear. “Then we will go with you.”
A soft hand caressed her cheek. “As much as I would enjoy your company, I must decline your offer. I now know what your memories of the place are. Additionally, without your sight, what interests could you find in London? At least here, you can find your way about and engage in conversations you find interesting.”
Jacko entered the room. “Am I interrupting?”
Her mother answered at once. “Not at all. I was just telling Alice that I must go into London for the trial. But I am most hopeful I will return in time for your wedding.”
Alice gasped. Her mother couldn’t be serious! “Hopeful? You have to be at my wedding. We will put it off if you have not returned.”
Jacko’s arm slipped around Alice’s waist and she found solace and security in his embrace. His earthy scent wrapped about her like a blanket. The worst thing about being blind was the feeling she was afloat and no longer part of the world. The touch and scent of Jacko always gave her a strong sense of grounding.
His lips pressed against her temple. “Alice is right. If you are not available, we will delay the wedding. I am certain everyone here will understand.”
Alice hugged him in appreciation for his support. Even as her life changed in so many ways, Jacko remained her rock.
“When are you to go to London?” he asked her mother.
“I am leaving after lunch today, and must be available for testimony until the trial is over. The Queen’s Counsel hopes it will take no more than three days.”
“When does he expect you to testify?”
“Tomorrow afternoon and before you offer‒for I’ve seen similarity in your thoughts‒I do not wish the two of you to accompany me. I am actually looking forward to returning to my house, whereas Alice would be
most miserable there.”
“Will any of your friends accompany you to the trial?”
The protectiveness in his voice made Alice smile. God, how she loved her lion.
“I have no idea. In truth, I would prefer they did not. It is certain to be an embarrassing spectacle. But that is neither here nor there. Your focus should be on my daughter, and she is much happier here than in London.”
Jacko stroked Alice’s hair with tenderness. “She is, under general conditions, but these are special circumstances.”
Alice added to his thoughts. “There are other places we could stay, than your home. The Hamiltons would offer us shelter.”
“Alice, you were ready to strangle Claire when she was last here.”
“True, but she is far more tolerable in her palace where her servants grant her every wish. And I always enjoy Victor’s company.”
Her mother gasped. “Alice! What is Jacko to think of such declarations? Believe me, Jacko. Nothing lies between those two other than a deep friendship.”
Jacko chuckled. “I know that. I’m very fond of Victor, as well. Xavier chose an excellent partner.”
Her mother sighed. “Then let me be blunt. I do not want Alice at the trial. I want her here with you, safe and happy. And I want her married with no further delays or your first born may come embarrassingly early.”
“Mother!” Alice yelped. How on earth could her mother have guessed when Alice’s flow was only five days late?
“I said my piece. Now, if you two will excuse me, I am going upstairs to supervise my packing.”
A moment later, Alice heard the door close.
She felt Jacko shift, no doubt so he faced her.
“Our firstborn?”
“I don’t know what possessed her to say that. I have not said a thing. I would never tell her before you.”
He chuckled and pressed his hand upon her stomach. “So you carry our child?”
She grinned. “I think so, but it is much too soon to be certain. My flow has not come, but it may only be because I am dreading it. I do not know how I will manage the matter being blind. I have trouble enough with daily necessities.”
Jacko pulled her to his chest and held her tight. “I asked Dr. Connors if there were people trained to help the newly blind adjust. He said there were, but to wait another week or two because their instructions create stress, as well.”
A Right to Love: Romantic Spinoff From The Adventures of Xavier & Vic Book 2.5 Page 26