A Promise of Pure Gardenias

by Jackie Williams

  Brendon bent and pressed his forehead to the bedclothes, the tightening in his heart suddenly unbearable.

  “No.” He couldn’t hide the hitch in the single word. His heart felt as though it would split in two. The last twenty-four hours had been the worst of his life. He had thought the feelings when seeing his father lying injured in his bed bad enough, but the emotions eating his soul now made those previous emotions pale into insignificance. He squeezed his eyes shut and clamped his jaw for a few moments, breathing deeply until he was master of himself once again. He sat back again and cleared his throat. “No, nothing has changed. The doctor said it is probably the shock. Her brain is taking a rest while her body heals itself.”

  James drew in a long breath.

  “And we have still not heard from Algernon. Lord save us if there is a disaster going on there too.”

  Brendon sat up straighter.

  “Don’t say it. Don’t even think it. My sister is stronger than any other woman I know. She will be fine and so will Algernon’s heirs.”

  “You cannot know that. Nothing is certain in life. My birth mother died having me.” James choked on his own words, clearly affected by the conversation he’d had with his mother.

  The chair scraped back as Brendon stood up and narrowed his eyes. He faced his new brother in law.

  “Well Felicity won’t. You cannot think like that, James. I know your life has been turned upside down by what we have learned, but they were entirely different circumstances. Algernon will simply not allow Felicity to leave him. And neither will I. I refuse to let her do anything so foolish! If I was there, I would tell her so myself.” He puffed out his chest and fisted his hands at his sides as he raised his voice. He didn’t know how much more he could take and if James didn’t step back and sound a little more positive he was going to... He didn’t have time to decide what he was or wasn’t going to do. A voice came from the bed and he turned to see the most beautiful dark eyes glowering at him.

  “Now what are you going to tell Felicity to do? You really can be a pompous arse sometimes Brendon. Nobody should have to listen to you. Besides, she is married to Algernon now. You can’t tell her to do a thing.” Sophia blinked up at the man who was suddenly at her side.

  Why was he in her room? And why was James standing right beside him? Shock and confusion hit her at the same time as a sharp pain lanced through her head.

  She could have glowered at him for the rest of his life for all he cared, Brendon was so relieved at her waking. He slipped to his knees at the side of the bed and reached out to take her hand.

  “Thank God! I feared you might never wake.”

  Sophia rolled her eyes.

  “Now you are being dramatic. I normally wake in the mornings, Brendon. I don’t see why this one should be any different, but I would like to know why my bedroom is full of men. That certainly doesn’t normally happen.” She drew her hand out of Brendon’s and pulled her sheets to her neck.

  Brendon glanced at James before replying. A worried frown mirrored his own.

  “You are in my mother’s bedroom at Fallows. Don’t you remember?”

  Sophia nodded.

  “Of course. I came to bring the furniture. Where is Anna? It is not proper that you should be in here with me without a chaperone.” She clutched the sheets tighter as she noticed his casual appearance. No jacket, no cravat, his shirtsleeves rolled to his elbows, the loose ties at his neck revealing a triangle of dark hair on his broad chest. Would it be as soft and silky as the hair on his head, or coarse and springy as it curled around her fingers? Heat flooded her cheeks, her heart beat violently, and she shifted her gaze away from the tempting sight. “It is not proper that you should be in here at all.”

  Brendon swallowed as he realized the she couldn’t remember the incident that had her lying in the bed. He took hold of her hand again and this time refused to let go when she tried to tug it away.

  “Sophia, you have taken a tumble.” He began to explain. “Actually a little more than a tumble. You were coming to Fallows to fetch Algernon and were thrown from your horse. We assumed that Felicity’s time had come.”

  Sophia scrunched up her nose as she laughed.

  “Surely you jest. A horse? But I don’t ride. I haven’t ridden for years.” She sighed at him. “If this is your idea of a joke, it is an extremely weak one. I didn’t take a tumble. It was Mr. Dodds who fell from the terrace.” She glanced at James, more embarrassed than she could say at him seeing her in her bed. “Now you two must leave and let me dress, or you will see a lot more of me than you should. I want to get up and you are not going to stop me. If you could send for Anna on the way out. I must return to Sommersford. Felicity will be going mad with Algernon fussing over her constantly.” She waited for a few seconds but when neither man moved she simply threw back the sheets with her free hand and tried to sit up. Nothing happened. She looked down at her legs and tried again, a soft cry of distress leaving her lips as she struggled against the nothingness below her waist. “What...What has happened to me? Why can’t I move?”

  The anguish and fear in her tone nearly killed him. Brendon couldn’t bear it. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her towards him, holding her against his chest as she began to sob uncontrollably.

  “Shush, shush. It will all be all right, Sophia.” He prayed that his words would be true. “The doctor has examined you and says that he can find nothing broken, but you jarred your back horribly when you were thrown from the horse. You need to rest.” Her hair tickled his face and he smoothed it under his palm, stroking the mass of curls as her tears soaked into his shirt.

  Several minutes passed before either of them noticed that James had slipped from the room. Brendon held her until she stopped crying, loving the feel of her in his arms but hating the reason for which she was there. She pressed her palms against his chest and pushed backwards, looking up at him with panic filled eyes.

  “I cannot remember what happened. The last thing I recall is Mr. Dodds dunking his biscuits in his tea.”

  Brendon smiled and passed her his handkerchief.

  “I hope you recall my spectacular efforts more. Four dunks, not three. A clear champion. I have still to claim my prize.”

  Sophia blew her nose and let out something between a sob and a laugh.

  “How could I forget, but it seems I have forgotten several hours of my life. Why can’t I move? And why was James here? It is quite improper for you to invite your stableman into my bedroom. Did you need him to check the balustrade again?” She sniffed and wiped he last of her tears with the back of her hand.

  Brendon shook his head and helped her to lay back on the pillows.

  “No, my darling girl. Let me explain.”

  Sophia lay still, numb with shock. Odd flashes of dreams popped into her head, but she couldn’t tell if they were from her imagination or from real life. She couldn’t recall any of the circumstances Brendon relayed. Not going back to Sommersford, not discovering that James was her brother, nor that Felicity was in some kind of trouble. She certainly couldn’t remember being thrown from any horse.

  “But why would I be on horseback? As I told you before, I haven’t ridden for years.” All the time she had been listening she had been testing her legs beneath the covers while praying that this was some kind of awful dream from which she would suddenly wake. Her legs hadn’t moved an inch and realization that she was in a waking nightmare soon settled in. She bit back bitter tears again as she waited for Brendon to answer her.

  Brendon shrugged.

  “We don’t know why exactly, although we hazarded a guess. You were nearly at the gate. Mumbled something about the babies, said that it was too early.”

  “But you said that you were already on your way to Sommersford. Why? Algernon wasn’t due back for another day. Why were you on the road?” She didn’t want to accuse Brendon of causing her accident, but if they hadn’t been on the road the horse wouldn’t have thrown her.

>   Brendon clearly had the same thought. He rubbed the palm of his hand over his forehead, massaging his temples as though he had a headache, which he actually did, such was the stress of the situation.

  “It was a sudden decision. Your brother doesn’t like leaving my sister at the best of times, but we had worked out why Felicity sent you over with all that extra furniture. Twins.” He let the word hang in the air while Sophia’s guilty expression confirmed the truth. “We men are not quite as daft as you ladies seem to think. Algernon said that their nursery was complete. Why would Felicity want another set of everything, an exact replica of everything she already has, unless she expected two exactly alike babies? And why would she store it with me unless she wanted to keep it a secret? When we looked at it rationally, it wasn’t hard to work out. Naturally Algernon was frantic. He set off for home immediately and being the man I am, I wanted to see you girls and your secrets found out. I decided to go too.” He didn’t mention that he had really been only thinking of seeing her. He cared about his sister of course. Loved her as a brother should, but those emotions were nothing to the feeling he had for the woman in front of him now. He hadn’t been able to stay away.

  Sophia nodded at him, accepting her own guilt and his explanation.

  “So you came hurtling away from Fallows, only to find me on the road coming to fetch you.”

  He nodded grimly.

  “And from the desperate way you spoke, even while grievously injured, we imagined that Felicity needed help urgently. Algernon suddenly remembered about everyone being at the summer fair, but the town is not that far away. We couldn’t imagine why you would ride all the way to Fallows unless it was an emergency. He set off for home again straight away while I brought you back here.”

  Sophia closed her eyes, trying to think. An image came to her. Felicity standing looking down at a puddle of water. The shock on her face as she clutched her stomach. Sophia’s eyes widened in horror as she realized that Brendon had not mentioned anything about either of them becoming an uncle or an aunt. Panic seized her.

  “My heavens! How long have I been laying here? Have you heard from Algernon? Are Felicity and the babies well?”

  Brendon closed his eyes briefly and took another deep breath, hating that he had to be the one breaking the news.

  “We’ve not heard a word. You have been lying in this bed since yesterday afternoon, but I know Algernon will send a note as soon as there is any news.”

  Sophia struggled to rise again as more of her memory flooded back. Felicity’s cries of pain. Anna running for her mother. Mounting the horse and galloping through the rain. She glanced out at the clear sky and fading sunlight.

  “Yesterday afternoon? A whole night and day?” She turned back to Brendon. “But I left Sommersford only just past lunch. That is far too long, surely! I left Felicity with Anna and her mother. She was the only person we could reach. Neither Felicity or myself have ever coped with childbirth of any kind, and anyone that had was still in town. There was some disaster with an escaped bull. It rampaged through the fair and gored several people. Felicity’s water’s broke and the doctor couldn’t come to assist us.” Every detail was suddenly clear, even if her explanation was not.

  Brendon sucked in a breath. He didn’t quite understand the part about the bull, but it was clear that the women had been alone and afraid. He pressed his hands to her shoulders, her satin soft skin warm beneath his palms even with her nightdress covering her.

  “You can do nothing to help now. If you keep struggling you might injure yourself more.”

  She fought him a moment longer before giving up. Unable to gain any purchase with her legs, her efforts were futile, but her frustration built.

  “But we must do something. I cannot lay here not knowing what’s happening.” She threw her arm up to cover her eyes as the consequences of being unable to control her own body almost overcame her.

  Brendon sighed and sat back in the chair.

  “I am worried too, but I will not leave your side. I’ll ask James to go over tomorrow if we don’t hear anything by nightfall, but you will remain in this bed until the doctor says you can get out of it. Rest, he said. Total rest. Nothing else is going to help at this stage. And I am going to sit right here and make sure you follow his instructions to the letter.”

  Sophia uncovered her eyes and eyed him with a frown.

  “What are you talking about, Brendon. I’ve already rested for a whole night and a day. Besides, you can’t stay in my room all night. It is not as if I can go far anyway.” She tried to move her legs again, just to check.

  Brendon leaned forward in the chair, pulling the cushion from behind his back and plumping it several times to make it more comfortable before settling back again.

  “I wouldn’t put it past you to try slithering out of the room on your stomach, so I am staying right here again. Algernon and James will never let me hear the last of it if I allow you fall out of bed and damage yourself even more,” he said as if daring her to argue.

  Her eyes widened as his words suddenly registered in her mind.

  “Staying again?” She whispered from the pillows, her dark eyes never leaving his.

  He took a breath before answering, wondering if he should put his hands over his ears already.

  “You had a nasty bang on the head when you fell and you have been unconscious ever since. You needed constant supervision in case your condition worsened. While you are at Fallows you are my responsibility. Algernon would expect me to give you every care, so I stayed here all last night to do just that. I could do no other.” He couldn’t admit that he had been too terrified to leave her for even a second.

  Her breathing became shallow, her head whirling with the implications of what he had done. She could barely form words.

  “But you could have left the room. Tell me that you left the room, Brendon.” The silence grew louder, until it rang in her ears. She swallowed. She had only one chance left to escape the inevitable. “Who knows that you stayed?”

  Brendon kept his gaze steady. He wasn’t letting her evade him now. He sprung his trap.

  “I haven’t left this room since I carried you up here. And I suspect everyone knows it,” he rasped as though gravel had become stuck in his throat. “Including my valet, Andrews, my coachman, Bilton, Mr. Dodds and his builders who had come back to work, and the doctor who arrived to check up on you earlier than I expected. He woke me as Mrs. Lawson showed him in, so clearly she knows as well. And then there is James too.” He waited for the explosion that never came, not that he cared if she shouted her head off at him, but her silent, accusatory glare felt worse than he expected.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Three is a Crowd

  “Good Lord! What are you doing here, and what the devil happened to you?” Brendon reeled in shock and his fork clattered onto his breakfast plate as a black-eyed Lucas Caruthers limped into his dining room and slumped into a chair.

  Lucas reached out gingerly and poured himself a cup of tea before speaking.

  “The Peckham Pulveriser is what happened. Bastard’s seconds slipped something into my ale prior to the fight. Laudanum, probably. Not enough to knock me out, but certainly enough to make me lose my edge.”

  Brendon’s mouth closed at last.

  “Lose your edge? Looks like you damn near lost your head.” He picked up his fork and dug back into the remainder of his breakfast.

  Lucas reached over the table and lifted a lid from a tureen. His eyes lit up at the dish of kedgeree. He helped himself to a plateful.

  “Didn’t notice anything wrong until I suddenly had double vision as I stood up for the fight, and it was too late by then. Ivan stopped it all after about three minutes, but the damage had been done. There’s been a bit of an outcry since. Fight rigging is strictly against the rules and some of the gaming dens are not happy with the outcome at all. Fortunately I’ve not been involved in any of that. Couldn’t have been. I was unconscious for several hours a
nd scarcely remembered my own name for the first two days. No, I’ve been in bed for a week and eaten nothing but thin soup and mashed potatoes since the fight. Thought I was going to lose my front teeth, but they seem to have settled again. Still, don’t want to test them too much.” He held up his hand in refusal of the proffered crusty bread. “I feel lucky to have arrived in time for breakfast rather than a roast beef dinner, though I am slightly surprised to see you eating at this hour. It is neither breakfast, luncheon, nor dinner.” He added a soft boiled egg to the top of his serving of kedgeree.

  Brendon poured more tea.

  “I had several errands to run and went into town early. Only arrived home twenty minutes ago. But don’t let me hold you back. I think there are some oats in buttermilk here.” He pushed another covered dish towards his friend whose eyes lit up ravenously. “But this is why I hadn’t heard from you. I did write, you know. It has been most frustrating waiting for an answer.”

  Lucas chewed slowly, testing his teeth carefully before attempting any response.

  “I could hardly let anyone else open my mail from you seeing as this affair with your father is all meant to be a secret. Besides, have you taken a look at my hands? I wasn’t entirely incapacitated and did get a few punches back in before I went down. My opponent might have been a cheat, but he has a jaw of granite.” He held out his split, swollen knuckles for Brendon to inspect before continuing his story. “I couldn’t have written a response if I had wanted too. I can only just about lift this fork to feed myself. A pen would have been a nightmare. Decided to give myself a few days recovery time and then travel down here. Damned long way though. Uncomfortable too what with all the bruises I have. And that bed at the King’s Arms!” He shook his head as if truly appalled. “I didn’t think I would be able to walk this morning, let alone sit a horse. I don’t recall it being this far when we used to come to your parents’ house parties.”