Читать книгу Haloran Hall - Myrna G. Raines - Страница 5

Shalan awoke in the late afternoon. Feeling rested and invigorated, she rang for Addie to prepare her bath, and the first thing she asked as her maid entered the room was, “How goes he?”

“My, my, we are quite interested in the gentleman, aren’t we? You most certainly can’t deny that he is a handsome one,” she said to Shalan’s flushed face, as she herself chuckled then quickly sobered. “He’s doing quite well, actually. You know the physician said the wound was not as bad as it looked, and evidently it wasn’t. He has shown no sign of fever and is anxious to get out of bed. If it weren’t for the bump on his head, I doubt if he’d have lost consciousness.”

By the time Shalan was ready to go to the sickroom, she was all atwitter, thinking about the nice looking gentleman and what making his acquaintance might bring about. She did wonder, however, what his business was on her father’s property and why he was attacked and left for dead. Perhaps when she talked with him, some answers would be forthcoming. She was also very anxious to discover who he might be. His clothing was of the finest cloth, and expertly tailored so he must be a nobleman of the realm.

And she was so very glad the trip to Haloran Hall had been postponed. What if she had been making ready for the trip instead of being out with Foxy on the moor? This man’s life would have more than likely been forfeit while she was preparing to visit some stuffy old earl. She’d heard some stories about Lord Haloran and how he played with women’s affections, and then left them as if they had meant little, if anything to him. It sounded as if he’d taken after his uncle, Lord Chester Haloran, and had no intention to ever marry. To die a bachelor. But inheriting Haloran Hall had the man desperately seeking a wife. Well, she would not succumb to his wishes. If perchance, the earl did show an interest in her, she would most succinctly turn him down.

Walking down the long hall, she didn’t know what to do with her hands. They itched to touch the man who was her patient, and when she entered the room, she was very upset that he was asleep. Evidently having taken the draught for pain, he was in none, which permitted him to rest, and which, if truth be known, was the best thing for him at this point.

“No, Dolly! Stop! I don’t... You’re mistaken… Get away...”

Goodness! Had the medicine, perhaps, given the man a nightmare? Shalan ran to the bed, shaking him in an attempt to wake him from the dream he was having that must be very disturbing to him. He didn’t wake. Instead his eyes rolled back into his head, and it scared Shalan so badly that her knees buckled. Feeling his forehead, she discovered he was burning with fever. Oh no! This couldn’t be happening now! He was doing so well!

Running for Addie, she encountered her papa coming out of the door to his chambers. “What’s wrong, child? You look as if you’ve seen a ghost.”

“He’s worse, Papa. Feverish. We have to summon Peterson as soon as possible. Something has gone terribly awry.”

“I’ll send someone for him, my dear. You go stay with him and I’ll send Addie up to you. Don’t worry. I’ve seen this happen before.” He had seen the interest in his daughter’s eyes as she studied Lord Haloran, but unfortunately, she had not been apprised as to who the gentleman was that she had literally dragged home. Her interest would flag once she did discover his identity, as Shalan was aware of the gossip that surrounded him. Besides, she had no desire to marry as most young women did. And Lord Haloran was most definitely searching for a wife. Hence the invitation they had received to visit with him at Haloran Hall.

Practically running back into the room, Shalan found her patient thrashing about on the large bed, his arms flailing. What was going through his mind? She didn’t have long to discover what disturbed him so.

“Bart, not... my doing. She threw... at me. I... not want... No, Bart!” and nothing else was forthcoming. He slumped back into a deep sleep, but his head was hot as ever. She hoped Addie would think to bring cool cloths.

And she did. A pan of cool water and cloths preceded Addie as she stepped into the room, ready to battle the fever. Pulling a bottle from her pocket, she hurriedly poured a small dose of the potion down the man’s throat, hoping it would break the fever, and then set about with the cloths, bathing him down. At one point, Shalan left the room, as Addie had no qualms about seeing or showing a man’s private parts. She had volunteered as a nurse when the British and the newly formed government in the colonies had fought the battles in the years of 1812-1815. Trade restrictions and conscription of American sailors into the British navy had set the colonials to wage war once again with Britain. Shalan remembered waiting for Addie to come back home from London and although she was away from the keep for only months, it seemed like years to Shalan. Mazie was adequate as her maid, but she wasn’t her Addie.

Standing in the hallway, Shalan wanted so badly to peek as Addie bathed the injured man with the cool cloths, but could not bring herself to do so. She’d never seen a man before, without clothing, that is, and she was curious. After all, she would be eight and ten years on her birth date, and had never even been kissed by a gentleman. Living in the north of England as they did, and with the death of her mother, her season in London had not as yet transpired. And she was glad she had not had a season as yet. She’d never wanted to attend all the balls and parties, to be critically judged, and then sought after. If she did meet the man of her dreams, she wanted it to be spontaneous with no question as to his intentions.

Peterson came in all due haste and was accompanied above stairs by Lord Kiley. The physician examined the patient and told them the wound was coming along nicely. It must have been the bump on his head that had caused this sad turn of events. He must have received a much harder blow than they’d first thought, was his opinion. Nothing much you could do about a head injury. Just keep him as quiet as possible, restraining him if need be. Hopefully, the man would ride it out, without a seizure, and everything would be fine. Then there was the alternative.

“But Lord Haloran can’t die!” Lord Kiley exclaimed. “He just now was declared heir of the Haloran fortune, and if he dies, the next in line is a mouse of a man, or so I’ve been told. It would not do at all.”

“Lord Haloran?” Shalan fairly shouted. “This man is Lord Haloran? But he can’t be! For one thing, he’s much too young, and I’ve heard he is vicious and cruel, that he treats ladies shamelessly. I did not sense those traits in him at all.”

“It just goes to show, my love, that you should not believe everything you hear.” Lord Kiley placed his arm around his daughter drawing her closer. “Perhaps a few saw him that way, and you know how rumors spread. From what little conversation I had with the man, he seemed gentlemanly enough. I am a little concerned about those cousins of his. Things do not add up, what with an attack on his life, plus several on the next in line to inherit. It seems that someone is out to do away with both of them.”

Shalan was disappointed, to say the least. Lord Haloran. Why couldn’t this man be anyone except him? Having discovered that the man she had saved was indeed the earl, her attitude toward him altered considerably. Her anticipation of his coming to himself changed, but she still sat with the man, taking her turn bathing down his face and arms. That was as far as she would go. Addie took over at that point, in an attempt to fight the fever. Shalan could hardly look at the broad expanse of bare chest without blushing, much less touch him further. He said not another word, but she had heard him speaking to someone named Dolly, and then to a person by the name of Bart.

Lord Haloran was not left alone after the onset of the fever. Either Addie or Shalan was with him at all times, only taking their turns at rest. Shalan had trays sent up to them so they wouldn’t have to leave him to eat. There were other servants who could have taken over, but the two seemed to want to be there. And he would not respond, no matter what they did and although she had learned he was the loathsome Lord Haloran, she wanted him to live so badly, simply because she had discovered him and nursed him as best she could.

Early on the second day after the onslaught, the fever broke.

Shalan had been reading, and dozing, sitting in the wing chair near the bed, when she heard in a raspy voice, “Lady Shalan?” coming from the vicinity of the bed. She hurriedly rubbed her eyes and looked toward her patient. He was leaning up on his elbow, his head in his hand.

Having been awake for quite a while, he had been staring at the sleeping Lady Shalan. She was a very beautiful sight sitting there, her book splayed open on her lap, her long lashes lying ever so gently on her slightly tinged cheeks. He almost hated to wake her, but something dire had happened to him and he knew not what.

“I am suffering a devil of a headache. And I feel I’ve been ill for a time. What has transpired?”

“You developed a fever, sir, and Peterson said it must have been that you were hit quite heavily on the head. It is most fortunate for you that you have come out of the stupor. According to him, it could have gone either way. I am glad you have awakened.” Although her words were sincere, she delivered them quite tersely, which had him wondering why her attitude toward him had changed.

“I too, am glad. I believe I would have detested the alternative.” And a small smile showed at the corners of his mouth. “How long was I out? I don’t recall much. You, speaking with your father, and some woman who would not leave me alone.”

“That would be Addie, my maid.” She hung her head. “Unless, of course, you were referring to the woman in your dreams. Dolly, wasn’t it?” Why should she feel a small hint of jealousy at the mention of the woman in his dream? She straightened, determined not to allow anything of that nature to affect her emotions.

“I spoke of Dolly? She is my Cousin Bartholomew’s wife. Why would I mention her?”

“I do not know, sir,” she said breathily, relieved for some odd reason. “I only know what I heard. You did speak of Bart, also. You did not call him Bartholomew.”

“I wouldn’t. He has been my favorite cousin, although I have looked after Peyton since he was the weak one. Has he not arrived yet? As you must have gathered, I was on my way to him when we were so unfortunately waylaid. Peyton is almost a brother to me as we were raised up together. I am very distressed at what has befallen him.”

Could this man be so bad if he constantly had a worry for his cousin? But one concern did not make a man one way or the other. Perhaps he only had a penchant for this one Lord Peyton and cared nothing for anyone else. That could be the way of it as he did say the man was as a brother to him.

“Addie,” she said to the maid who had entered the room. “I am so glad to see you. Our patient has awakened, and he is suffering from the headache. Would the draught Peterson left perhaps ease it?”

Addie reached in her voluminous pockets and came out with the draught. “Perhaps. It is for pain, is it not? Would the potion know which way it was supposed to go inside the body? Who knows?” And Shalan laughed. Addie was always coming up with presumptions that no one could ever answer.

As soon as she had the dose in him, Addie ran to have Ardith prepare him a bite to eat and to arrange for his bath. His nightclothes, borrowed from Lord Kiley, were soaked in sweat, and she must take care of that as soon as possible. She would have to bathe him down; the bedding would have to be changed…

On the stairs she met Lord Kiley and another gentleman, a small, pale man, making their way up from the main floor. It seemed as if the man could hardly put one foot in front of the other on the long, winding stone steps, and was glad for the respite when his host stopped to talk with the servant.

“He’s awake, Your Lordship. The fever has broken and it seems that he shall be all right. I must get him some food, though, as I dosed him with the draught. If I don’t, he’ll be most dreadfully ill. If you have need of me, I’ll be in the kitchen.”

“Very well, Addie. Is Shalan with Lord Haloran?” And the servant answered that she was, as she ran on down the stairs to attend to her duties.