“All right.” He would try again in a moment, for he had no doubt she had been struck on the head.
Big hazel eyes framed by dark lashes stared back at him.
Her mouth was pink and lush, although tightly pursed because she was so scared. “Gory, may I help you out of those clothes? The blood has soaked through all the layers, even down to your chemise. I’ll give you my robe to wrap around yourself for now. As soon as I hear the staff stirring, I’ll have Adela’s maid fetch you an outfit from her wardrobe.”
“No!” She groaned. “No one can know I am here. I’ll use your things.”
Julius was not certain what to do. “You cannot walk around in my clothes. They are too big for you and will never fit your slight frame. Besides, you won’t fool anyone into thinking you are a boy.”
She glanced down at her breasts and sighed. “When is Adela due back?”
“You know she and Ambrose are in Oxford for the next few days. They won’t be back until the day after tomorrow.”
She nodded. “They’ve been gone all week.”
“Which is why I was enlisted to escort you around town. But you needn’t worry about the wedding breakfast, all is in readiness. Adela organized everything before she and Ambrose left.” Although what would happen now that Gory was obviously injured? Julius set the question aside for now. The first order of business was to ensure she was comfortably settled and any wounds properly treated. “Will you allow me to help you out of your gown now?”
She nodded again.
He only meant to loosen the laces she could not reach on her own. But once he had done this, she still did not move. His brother, Octavian, now an admiral in the Royal Navy, had told him how some men, when strained to their breaking point, succumbed to battle shock. This is what Gory appeared to be suffering. “Gory, can you undress on your own?”
“No, Julius. Look at me. My hands are shaking too hard.”
Dear heaven, what had scared this fearless girl so badly?
He groaned softly. “May I help you then? Would that be all right?”
The blood was so thick on her clothing, it surely had soaked through to her skin. He would need to wash everything off her as soon as possible.
“Yes, please,” Gory said, obviously mimicking his thoughts. “I cannot bear to look at myself or touch anything I am wearing.”
“All right.” This was not how he ever dreamed of Gory shedding her clothes for him. He removed the gown and undergarments off her with painstaking care, looking his fill only for the purpose of examining her more thoroughly to determine if she had any hidden wounds. Once again, he did not even find bruises or scrapes.
Her body was sweet perfection.
But her eyes looked a bit glazed.
She must have struck her head on something…or been struck, but when he attempted to reach out again to inspect her scalp, she pushed his hand away. “No!”
And yet she made no protest when he cleaned the traces of blood off her stomach and breasts. He stifled a shudder because this girl was beyond perfect and he had lost her to another because of his own stupid procrastination.
Why did he wish to prolong his bachelor life when it was not all that enjoyable? He rarely drank to excess, although he had tonight. Of all the nights to be foxed when he needed to have his head clear! He was not one for gambling, and had not even touched another woman in months because his heart wanted only Gory.
He wrapped her in one of his robes, a black silk banyan that fell only to his knees and had shortened sleeves. He thought she would not be completely drowned in it. His fingers grazed her soft shoulders as he tried to get her arms in the sleeves. “Gory, does it hurt to raise your arm?”
“No, Julius. My arm is fine.”
But she clearly was not.
He sighed, silently debating whether to press her about her injuries. But she was too fragile at the moment, and did not appear hurt other than a blow to her head that she still would not allow him to examine. “All right.”
She was so lovely, she made his heart ache. The robe was too big for her and she ought to have looked ridiculous in it.
She didn’t.
When she shivered once more, he carried her to his bed. “Get under the covers, Gory. You’ll be warmer that way. I’ll pull up a chair beside the bed and we can talk.”
She whimpered. “My uncle is dead.”
