Peter rubbed his forehead and then pressed his fingers over his lips. “Very well.”
She readjusted one of the pillows behind her head. “I expect you’ll send for Mother shortly. I cannot imagine why she let me out of the house without Esmeralda.”
He turned to her quickly. A flash of hope shone in his eyes. “Who is Esmeralda?”
“My lady’s maid, of course. Is she here? Did she witness my fall? Did you send her home to fetch Mother?”
The hope blinked out of his eyes. His hands fell to his sides. “No. She’s not here.”
“I can’t imagine where she’s got to. It’s quite unlike her to leave me.” She gasped and put a hand to her throat. “She wasn’t injured, was she?”
Peter turned toward her. “No,” he assured her. “She wasn’t injured. I believe she, er, left before you were injured.”
“I don’t remember being hit, you know,” she said. “I’ve no idea how it happened.”
“I saw it,” he admitted, looking at her with that same intensity. “You were in the street, the coach came around quickly. I was too far away to—” His glanced away, his words trailing off, and he stuck out his cheek with his tongue.
She waved a hand in the air. “Oh, Peter. Please don’t blame yourself. I know you would have saved me if you could.”
He swallowed. “I’m merely glad you weren’t hurt worse.” He shook his head. “Now, do you remember anything else? Any names or, say, what you were doing this morning?”
“This morning?” She furrowed her brow and searched her memory. “You know. I cannot recall. In fact, now that you mention it, I don’t even remember our visit.”
He narrowed his eyes on her. “Our visit?”
“Yes, I was visiting, wasn’t I? Before the coach hit me, I mean. I assumed I’d been on my way home when—” Panic filled her chest. She clutched at the bedsheets. “I don’t remember anything. I don’t remember anything about this morning. Before the accident.”
He put his palms in the air and slowly lowered them. “Don’t worry. You’ve had quite a scare. You should rest. Just rest. You’ll remember soon. I’m sure of it.”
“Are you certain, Peter?” The panic slowly receded from her chest. She didn’t remember Peter being so calm and caring. Usually he was more brusque and authoritative. She appreciated the change in him, especially now when she was so frightened.
He nodded. “Yes.”
She expelled her breath, loud and long. “Thank you, Your Grace, for making me feel better.”
“I’m … my pleasure.”
“I do hope I’m entirely back to normal soon, however, because there are so many details to the wedding left unplanned.”
He cleared his throat. “Yes, well. There’s no need to worry about that now.”
She rested her head back against the down pillows. “It’s not every day that a duke and the daughter of an earl get married, you know.”
“No,” he agreed, a wry smile on his face.
“Mother says we’re certain to empty every hothouse in the countryside of flowers, and of course we still haven’t decided upon the menu and what with the Prince Regent coming—” She stopped abruptly. “Oh, Peter. You’re looking green. Perhaps you should go lie down.”
CHAPTER NINE
Adam pushed open the door and strode into his brother’s study. “It didn’t work. All my questions seemed to accomplish was frightening the poor girl and—” He stopped short when he saw his oldest brother sitting behind the desk at the far end of the large room. Years of military training could not be denied. Despite the fact that the former lieutenant general was his brother, Adam stood at attention.
A wide grin spread across his brother’s face. Derek pushed back in his chair and crossed his knee over his opposite leg. “Go on,” he said. “I suppose congratulations are in order.”
“They most certainly are not,” Adam replied.
Lucy, who was curled up in a ball in one of the wide leather chairs that sat in front of Derek’s desk, laughed.
“But what’s this I hear about your being engaged?” Derek took a sip of brandy from a glass that sat on the desk in front of him. He pushed himself out of his chair. “Allow me to get you a drink. We must toast your impending nuptials.”
Lucy raised the teacup she cradled in her hand and smiled widely at Adam.
“I am decidedly not engaged, sir,” Adam replied.
Lucy patted the leather chair next to her, indicating to Adam to take a seat. “We were just discussing what to do next.”