“That is to be expected. The physician warned us that you would be weaker upon awakening. Of course, we were not sure when exactly that would happen. It is a great relief to see you talking and aware after two days of you lying still on that bed.”
“Two days?” Duncan was visibly shocked. He had felt as though he had slipped into a night of sleep, not knowing how much time had truly passed. “What transpired in my absence? You must tell me. I saw that you were speaking to Barbara outside. What business does she have visiting?”
“Oh, mother informed some of her friends that you were ill. Barbara came to visit just now, but not to worry, I sent her away. I knew you would not want to be disturbed by her of all people.”
“You are correct. It is a different kind of horror to wake up and have Barbara’s voice be the first thing that enters your ears.”
Jacob laughed at that.
“I am happy to see that at least you still have some of your sense of humour intact.”
“You still did not answer my first question, Jacob. You must sympathize with me. I have woken up confused in a bed with halfof my strength. I do not recall something so drastic happening that landed me in this position,” Duke said.
“You collapsed in the hallway two days ago and landed on broken glass, injuring yourself. The physician told us that you had been poisoned.” Jacob’s voice dropped low.
“Poisoned?” the Duke repeated, aghast. “I am not sure if I am following you.”
“Someone laced your tea with poison. I assume you must have drunk it sometime in the evening. It took a few hours for the effects to take place,” he explained.
Duncan scrunched up his nose, trying hard to recall his memories from the day.
“Tea… well, I remember sharing a cup with Sophia. She had made it for me specifically. Are you telling me that it was laced with poison?”
“It knocked you out for nearly two days,” Jacob replied with a frown. “But Sophia is not to blame. She was sent the tea in a package from her aunt, but we suspect that it was not her aunt that actually sent it. Someone out there is trying to cause you harm.”
Jacob’s answers had only served to confuse the Duke even more. He attempted to get up from his bed, but Jacob pushed him gently back onto it.
“Where do you think you are going?”
“I must speak to Sophia about this, of course. She must be worried sick about me if I have been passed out for the last two days,” Duncan replied.
“Sophia is not here,” Jacob’s stated, short and to the point. He avoided the Duke’s gaze.
“Where has she gone?” Duncan demanded, but then he remembered that he had just overheard Jacob speaking to Barbara and telling her that Sophia was visiting her aunt. His mind was still woozy, and he was not processing information as he normally would.
“Her aunt’s house,” Jacob confirmed.
Duncan raised an eyebrow. “Did she know of my condition?”
“Yes.”
“You are being suspiciously succinct in your answers, Jacob. What is it that you are not telling me?” Duncan demanded, raising his voice.
“Calm down, please. There is no need to react so strongly. Sophia would not like it if I told you the reason why she departed.”
“And how is that any reason to keep it from me?” Duncan asked, growing annoyed with his brother. “You do realize that she is my wife, and I have a right to know these things?”
“Yes, of course, but I think you are not in the right state to know these things,” Jacob sighed. “We have already alerted the police, and they are working on finding out who is behind the poisoning. Once we know for sure, and once you make a recovery, I am sure that Sophia will return to you.”
“I need to see her now.” Duncan tried to get up from the bed again.
“Fine, if you really must know, then I shall tell you the reason,” Jacob said in a hurry. “She told me that the reason she is leaving is because she no longer has any feelings for you.”
Duncan blinked, not believing what his ears were hearing.
“Pardon me? Am I hearing that correctly?”
“Yes,” Jacob stated. “She told me that she…”
