Chapter 35
"He needs a physician immediately, My Lady,” the driver said. “I found him a while ago, and I am returning him to the manor.”
“Yes. Let us go,” Natalie replied. She felt some relief knowing that he was still alive, but there was a cut on his forehead that had been bound with a flimsy strip of linen. Albert rode beside them. “What happened?” she asked the driver.
Jasper was so pale, and she had to put a hand under his nose to ensure he was breathing. He was, but barely.
“Someone ran him over, then left him. I found him and took him into my house to warm him but I think some of his bones are broken, and the cut on his head does not look good. I wanted to wait until the snow subsided before setting out but I reckon he needs a physician.”
She rearranged the blankets around him before pulling the hood of her cloak over her face. The snowfall was heavier here than in town, and knowing that Jasper had been out here for a while made her more fearful. Her grip of his hand tightened, and she tried not to think as they journeyed.
Most of the guests had left when they arrived, but there were a handful of carriages in front of the manor. She jumped down from the wagon and ran to the front door, slamming the brass knocker against the wood. As soon as the butler opened, she told him that Jasper needed help, and within seconds, the butler and several footmen rushed out to carry him into the house.
“Be careful with him,” she said before going to seek out Phoebe.
She found Phoebe in one of the drawing rooms with a guest. “Natalie—”
“Jasper is hurt!” she blurted, and Phoebe blanched. “He needs help.”
“I-I will send for the physician,” his aunt managed as Smith appeared.
“I have sent for him,” he said, and Natalie and Phoebe hurried up to Jasper’s chambers to be with him before the physician arrived. They sat helplessly in his sitting room as Wayne and Smith made him comfortable and warm in the bedchamber.
The physician arrived shortly, and after two hours that felt like an eternity, he met an anxious Natalie and Phoebe, wearing a grim expression.
“The Duke suffered a concussion, a broken arm, along with several ribs,” he informed them. “I have done my best. He needs to rest, and we should pray to God so that His mercy may see him through this."
"Oh, my!" Phoebe choked out, collapsing onto Natalie. She held her tightly, struggling with her tears, and tried to reassure her. Now was not the time for them to crumble. They needed to stay strong for Jasper, especially Natalie. He had to wake up for her.
George and Hannah arrived and they all sat in Jasper’s sitting room while he fought for his life. Natalie refused to allow herself to think of the curse he had told her about. It was too much.
The night was a brutally long one with no signs of light, and it was almost sunrise when Natalie encouraged Hannah and George to return home while she decided to stay. They were no longer traveling, and she was going to stay in the manor until he recovered.
A full forty-eight hours passed, and Jasper remained unconscious, but not unchanged, for a violent fever gripped him. The doctor came to see him, as usual, but there was little he could do.
"I am sorry. I truly am," he said. "I wish there was more I could do.”
Natalie collapsed into a chair after the doctor's departure, endeavoring to be as brave as she could, but her traitorous tears came pouring forth.I should not cry,she reminded herself to no avail.
She had done nothing to deserve the pain she was feeling, but she had to hope. It was all that she could hold onto. Phoebe wrapped an arm around her shoulders to console her.
At least we have each other in the darkness,an encouraging voice in her mind said; though all Natalie wanted was Jasper. He was her heart, and she could not bear the thought of a world without him in it.
She sat by his bed with a damp cloth she used to cool his brow and mop his sweat. The physician had stitched his wound, and he had advised them to keep it dry and clean under the bandage. She would gently touch his face while she spoke to him. Natalie told him stories from distant shores, where there was light and laughter. It helped her breaking heart and occupied her thoughts.
Phoebe returned to the room after resting, and she encouraged Natalie to rest, too.
"You have also hardly eaten, Natalie," she said. She was right, and Natalie reluctantly relinquished her spot by Jasper's side, as Phoebe replaced her.
"What is this?" she heard her say as she made for the door. Stopping, she turned to see Phoebe removing a black mask from Jasper’s nightstand drawer. “I thought I would find a book here but certainly not this. Is it a mask?”
Phoebe studied it carefully, her fingers trailing over the lacey fabric. Natalie wanted to tell her that it was perhaps nothing, but Phoebe turned it around, as if inspecting some precious gem.
“It looks awfully a lot like the Rogue’s mask,” she noted. “Natalie, does it not?”
Natalie bit her bottom lip, wishing to tell her it was a mere coincidence, or that perhaps someone dropped it there. It would sound silly.
“Uh…I’m unsure,” was all she said.
