The King's Falcon (Roundheads & Cavaliers Book 3)

by Stella Riley

  Athenais was distantly aware that his grip had stopped the blood supply to her hand and was possibly crushing her bones. It didn’t matter. His eyes were shut tight and his brow furrowed with a mixture of pain and inflexible determination. She used her free hand to brush back a lock of damp hair and whispered uselessly, ‘Stop being a hero. Yell if you want. No one will think less of you.’

  He didn’t answer. His mouth remained set in a tight line and his chest laboured to suck in sufficient air. Although she was careful not to look at what Pauline was doing, Athenais began to realise that, slight as they were, Ashley’s reactions were filling in what her eyes couldn’t see. The moment that the needle pierced his flesh, the slow pull of the thread, the needle again as it exited. The mere thought of it was nauseating and she began to feel light-headed. A ripple of cold perspiration slithered down her spine and the edges of her vision blurred, causing her to shake her head in an attempt to clear it.

  On the other side of the bed and intent on her task, Pauline muttered, ‘I hoped he’d pass out by now. Why the hell hasn’t he?’

  ‘Obstinacy and guts,’ returned Francis. And then, ‘Ah. That’s unfortunate. Next time, I’ll listen to you.’

  Pauline glanced up just in time to see Athenais slide to the floor in a boneless heap, her hand still trapped in Ashley’s. She said, ‘Next time? God save us all from that. In the meantime, let’s get this over with. Take a breath, Ashley. You’re doing well. Just two more and we’re done.’

  Ashley unlocked his jaws long enough to say, ‘Athenais?’

  ‘Out cold.’

  ‘Lucky girl.’ He forced his fingers to relinquish their hold and felt her arm slip away. And braced himself for the last excruciating stitches.

  * * *

  Athenais came round when Francis picked her up and carried her to the shabby day-bed in the adjoining room. She said groggily, ‘I’m sorry. I never fainted before. How silly.’

  ‘We’ll forgive you,’ he said, setting her down. ‘Sit there and put your head between your knees for a few minutes. You’ll feel better.’

  ‘No.’ She started to get up. ‘Ashley?’

  Francis dropped one hand on her shoulder and used the other to push her head down.

  ‘Ashley is as well as can be expected under the circumstances. Pauline is dressing the wound and cleaning him up so he can be made more comfortable. There’s nothing for you to do at the moment.’

  Without warning, Athenais’s nerves snarled into a painful tangle. A shudder ripped through her and the tears she’d held back earlier arrived in a flood. Through chattering teeth, she said, ‘I th-thought he was going to d-die.’

  Francis refrained from remarking that if, on top of the blood loss, infection set in, he still might. Patting her shoulder, he murmured that Ashley was fit and healthy.

  ‘I know.’ She swallowed the stupid tears and mopped her face on her skirt. ‘I know. But it was hurting him so much. I couldn’t …’ She stopped, drew a deep breath and sat up. ‘Do you know what happened?’

  ‘Some of it.’ He related his conversation with Cyrano de Bergerac and then added, ‘Jem has just come back. He says Ashley met him somewhere near the Palais Royale before returning from the theatre. I can only assume that, since his assailants weren’t ordinary thieves, he must have been followed. But we won’t know the full facts until Ashley is well enough to talk.’ He smiled briefly. ‘And now I’m going to help Pauline tidy up – and you can look after the patient. He’s likely to feel cold, by the way. Severe blood-loss does that.’

  In the other room, Pauline had tossed the blood-stained linens into a corner and was pouring reddened water into a bucket. She glanced across at Athenais and said, ‘Better?’

  ‘Yes.’ Athenais looked down at Ashley, silent and pale, now decently covered up to his chin with a sheet. She said, ‘I’ll find some blankets and put a brick in the oven and – and perhaps some warmed wine?’

  ‘All of those,’ agreed Pauline, with something that might have been a smile. ‘And then you can settle in for what’s left of the night. Someone needs to stay with him in case his condition changes – and in a few hours we can send for the doctor.’

  Athenais nodded and, scooping up an armful of dirty towels, headed briskly for the door.

  Francis watched her go and then, turning to Pauline said softly, ‘She’s in love with him.’

  ‘More’s the pity,’ came the typical reply.

  He placed his hands on her shoulders, his eyes reflecting a mixture of amusement, admiration and something that wasn’t either of them. Then, when she looked back at him, he said, ‘I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone who could do what you’ve done tonight – and all without a single question. You’re a truly amazing woman, Duchess.’ And he dropped a light kiss on her lips.

  She stepped back abruptly so that his hands fell away and thought, Don’t put foolish ideas in my head. And don’t call me Duchess. I already like you better than I should. But what she said was, ‘I didn’t notice you sitting down with your hands folded, either.’

  He shrugged. ‘He’s my friend. So you must allow me to be grateful.’

  ‘Willingly,’ she replied with a flicker of mordant humour. ‘And you can prove it by carrying the bucket downstairs.’

  * * *

  By the time Athenais and Suzon returned bearing blankets, a flannel-wrapped hot brick and a mug of warm claret, Ashley was flickering back and forth between unconsciousness and an uneasy doze. Athenais tucked two of the blankets around him, slid the brick in by his feet and set the claret on the hearth to keep warm. Then, having made up the fire, she wrapped the remaining coverlet around her shoulders and sat down to watch and wait.

  He slept for almost an hour and then awoke, shivering.

  Muttering something, he tried to curl up as if to warm himself. Inevitably, the movement jarred his wounded leg and brought him fully awake on a grunt of pain, followed by a mumbled curse.

  ‘Lie still,’ said Athenais quickly. She disentangled herself from the blanket and placed it over him. ‘There. You’ll be warmer now. But you mustn’t move or you’ll damage your leg.’

  ‘Feels damaged enough already.’ And, swallowing with apparent difficulty, ‘Throat hurts.’

  Athenais got the wine from the hearth, sat down on the bed beside him and helped him to sit up a little. ‘Here – drink this. It will ease your throat and help to warm you.’ His skin still felt icy but, aside from building up the fire again, she wasn’t sure what else she could do. Searching for more blankets – and God only knew if there were any – or fetching another hot brick meant leaving him alone and she was reluctant to do that in case he tried moving again.

  Ashley drank the warm wine and subsided again on the pillow with closed lids. His arm felt sore and fiery spears were stabbing his thigh, sending pain ricocheting from his toes to his groin. But the alcohol went to his head with unusual speed and, despite the severity of his discomfort, he gradually dozed off for a time.

  The respite was even briefer than before and, once more, he awoke shivering. Watching him clench his jaw to stop his teeth chattering and seeing him become restless, Athenais started to worry. Francis had said he might be cold but she hadn’t expected it to be as bad as this. She had to get him warm somehow … and the only thing she could think of that might do it was to use her own body heat.

  She sat beside him, being careful not to jar either of his injuries, and slid her arms about him so that his head nestled beneath her chin. He muttered something and seemed to lean closer. The shivering eased a little but didn’t completely stop and he was still cold to the touch. Athenais decided that, if this approach was to be properly effective, she was going to have to intensify it.

  She stood up – to a grumble of protest from Ashley – and fumbled for the laces of her gown, reasoning that the thick material was probably holding her warmth in rather than sharing it with him. As she stepped out of her voluminous petticoats, she was quite glad of two contradictory things.
First, that his awareness was seriously impaired at present; and second, that she was wearing her new under-garments. Then, when she had stripped down to shift, corset and stockings, she crawled gingerly under the blankets at his side until the whole length of her body lay close against his.

  Ashley muttered again. Something that sounded suspiciously like, ‘Nice.’

  Athenais blinked back more tears and cradled his head on her shoulder. Little by little, she felt the tremors subside and his muscles start to relax … until finally, he fell asleep.

  * * *

  Between her anxiety over Ashley and the strange feelings proximity to his naked body aroused in her own, Athenais had not expected to sleep – but the next thing she knew, greyish light was creeping through the window and Pauline was standing in the doorway, holding a tray.

  ‘Well,’ remarked that lady caustically, ‘I suppose that’s one way to do it.’

  ‘Do what?’ In her attempt to sit up, Athenais discovered that her arm had gone numb and that the Colonel had somehow managed to pin her waist with his uninjured one. She extricated herself as gently as she could and managed to slither out of the bed. ‘He was cold and Francis said to keep him warm.’

  ‘That was handy.’ A tiny smile flicked the corners of Pauline’s mouth and she walked into the room to deposit the tray on the table. ‘And now you’d better put some clothes on before the doctor gets here. We wouldn’t want him to get the wrong idea.’

  ‘Like you, you mean?’

  ‘Exactly like me.’ She eyed Ashley thoughtfully. ‘He’s starting to stir. Go and tidy yourself while I check his dressings and try to get some beef tea into him. You can use my room.’

  Yawning and trying to rub the pins and needles from her arm, Athenais retrieved her gown and petticoats from the chair. She said waspishly, ‘You just want to see him naked again.’

  ‘And you don’t?’ retorted Pauline.

  The doctor arrived half an hour later by which time Ashley was fully awake and once more in severe pain. Doctor Odelle examined Pauline’s handiwork and was pleased to pronounce it exceptional. He could not, he admitted, have done better himself and was therefore loth to interfere. But he produced a different pot of salve which he said would help to reduce both the inflammation and the risk of infection and also gave Pauline a twist of paper containing opium grains – along with strict instructions on how to administer them. Then, turning to Ashley, he said, ‘You’re a very lucky man. This lady’s prompt attentions may well have saved your leg – if not your life.’

  Aside from the throbbing agony which now seemed to be invading his whole body, Ashley was getting tired of being poked and prodded and was also uncomfortably aware that he needed to relieve himself. However, he managed to find sufficient good manners to say, ‘And I’m grateful. When I’m on my feet again --’

  ‘Ah yes,’ interrupted the doctor. ‘As to that, you will need to remain abed for at least a week.’

  ‘A week? I can’t stay in bed for a week!’

  ‘You can. And, unless you want to undo all Madame’s good work, you will. The stitches will hold and the flesh will start to mend if you keep the leg elevated and still. If you don’t, I won’t be responsible for the consequences.’ He turned, smiling at Pauline. ‘I will call again in two days, Madame. But if there are signs of fever before then, you should send for me.’

  Downstairs after Pauline had shown the doctor out, Athenais sniffed the new pot of salve, grimaced, and said, ‘Yours smells better.’

  ‘Thank you.’ Pauline frowned thoughtfully. ‘He’s going to be a bad patient. You realise that, don’t you? He can’t be idle at the best of times, so keeping him immobile for a week will need some organisation. As soon as the pain eases – if not before – he’s going to try to get up. And, if no one’s there to stop him, he will.’

  ‘A round-the-clock guard, then?’

  ‘Yes. And don’t think it will be fun. He’s going to be anywhere between moody and downright furious. Remember Rosalie in The Compliant Wife? All sweetness and light and infuriating serenity? That’s your role. So go and offer him something light to eat – but don’t be surprised if he throws it at you.’

  Upstairs, meanwhile, Francis lounged in the doorway and regarded Ashley cautiously.

  ‘How do you feel?’

  ‘Bloody awful.’

  ‘Care to tell me what happened before that fellow de Bergerac came along?’

  ‘No. Help me up, will you? And find a sodding chamber-pot.’

  Francis couldn’t quite suppress his grin but he shook his head, saying, ‘No. You heard the doctor. If you want to keep your leg, you’ll do as you’re told. But since I sympathise with your current need, I’ll send Jem up with a bottle.’ And he vanished.

  No sooner had Francis gone, than Athenais appeared, wearing an expression he hadn’t seen before and instantly distrusted. He didn’t know that, behind it, parts of her body were melting and her brain along with them. When last she’d seen him, he’d been lying flat, covered up to his neck by a sheet. Now he was sitting propped against the pillows, his torso bare but for the bandage around his left arm; and the sheer beauty of his physique made her breath catch and produced an urge to do more than just look.

  Realising that Rosalie’s smile had slipped, she pinned it back on and said, ‘You look a little better, today. I was so worried last night.’

  Ashley searched his mind and found two things. One was a hazy recollection of lying on this damned bed without a stitch on in full view, not just of Pauline, but also Francis and Athenais; the other was the bizarre notion that, at some point during the night, Athenais had been in bed with him. The first brought a hint of ridiculous colour to his cheekbones; the second he dismissed as some kind of pain-induced hallucination.

  As evenly as he could, he said, ‘I apologise for both the anxiety and the disruption. I also realise that this is your bedchamber and --’

  ‘Don’t worry about that. I can sleep on the couch in the dressing-closet.’

  He stared at her, utterly aghast. He might be wounded but he wasn’t dead. And God alone knew just how many humiliations the lack of privacy caused by her presence in the next room was likely to heap upon him. The mere thought was enough to send his muscles into spasm. He said, ‘I can’t possibly allow you to do that. Perhaps Francis and Jem could help me upstairs?’

  ‘I daresay they could,’ she replied dulcetly. ‘But they’re not going to. The doctor said you’re to stay where you are for a week and that’s an end of the matter.’

  Ashley decided that he was extremely tired of the doctor.

  ‘I can lie in my own bed just as easily as in yours. Not that I see the need to --’

  ‘No. We realise that.’

  ‘We?’ The word cracked like a pistol shot.

  ‘Yes. Pauline and Francis and myself. We’ve decided that, for the next few days, someone should be nearby to stop you disobeying orders.’

  ‘I am not a child!’ he snapped, his temper rising. ‘And I most assuredly don’t need a nursemaid!’

  ‘Unfortunately, as things stand, you do.’ Her smile was breathtakingly sweet and her tone, downright maddening. ‘Also, no one in this house is going to help you to cripple yourself. So you may as well accept the situation and try to make the best of a bad job.’

  ‘Finished with the platitudes, have you?’

  ‘For the moment.’ She took in the sulky set of his mouth and the baleful gleam in his eyes and said kindly, ‘I know you’re in pain and I understand that a week in bed sounds like a lifetime in purgatory. But when you’re thinking more clearly, you’ll appreciate that there really isn’t any alternative. So … do you suppose you might manage a nice coddled egg?’

  Ashley’s eyes narrowed still further. He had a suspicion that she was being deliberately provoking and was strongly tempted to tell her what she might do with her coddled egg. Fortunately, before he could do so, Jem Barker hove into view on the landing, clutching a stone-ware bottle. The notion tha
t relief was at hand was great enough to banish every thought save the immediate need to be rid of her.

  He said sardonically, ‘That sounds delightful. And if you are good enough to prepare it, I’ll certainly do my best.’

  Athenais considered admitting that, if she cooked the egg, he’d be able to bounce it off the wall and then, with regret, decided that it wasn’t at all Rosalie-like. Tilting her head slightly, she said, ‘Or perhaps you’d prefer some calves-foot jelly?’

  ‘Thank you. The egg will be fine.’ It wouldn’t, of course. It sounded like exactly the sort of pap he most disliked; but the jelly sounded worse and he’d agree to eat any blasted thing she liked, if only she’d just go before his bladder exploded.

  ‘And later, we’ll make you a custard,’ she announced happily. ‘Or a blancmange.’

  Ashley narrowly avoided grinding his teeth. If he had a blancmange right now, he knew what he’d do with it. He said gratingly, ‘By all means. But the only thing I really want right now is the opium – which is the one thing I haven’t been offered. And, if you look behind you, you’ll see that reinforcements have arrived, meaning that you may safely leave me.’

  She turned her head to impale Jem with a very un-Rosalie-like scowl and, reluctantly switching to English, said, ‘’E’s not to be allowed up – no matter what ’e says.’

  ‘No, mamzelle. No matter what.’

  She nodded and stepped aside to let him pass.

  Jem grinned at Ashley and brandished the bottle.

  ‘Morning, Colonel. His lordship says you’ve a need for this.’

  There had often been times when Ashley wanted to murder Jem. This was one of them.

  Athenais stared blankly at the bottle for a second before comprehension dawned and she flushed in mortification. Forgetting Rosalie, she muttered, ‘I’m so sorry. I’ll go.’