“Aside from a few bruises, your fiancée shows no signs of any other injury.” The doctor’s brows furrowed in concern.
“Bedwell, you need to be checked out.” Chaswick, who looked lighter already with the physician’s report, stared at him in reproval.
“I’m fine.”
“If you would, Your Grace, allow me just a moment, I can be quick with my examination.”
“But I need to go to her—”
“You’ll be no good to her if you’re dead,” Chaswick said. And at Addison’s look of disgust, her brother added. “Allow the doctor ten minutes. She’ll murder me if she discovers I didn’t insist you have your injuries treated.”
“Miss Jones is resting now. I’ve given her a tincture for the pain,” the doctor added.
Addison wanted nothing more than to assure himself she was all right—to hold her. But at the same time, his body protested with every movement he made.
And Chaswick had a point.
It would behoove him to live, especially seeing as he fully intended to marry her tomorrow.
“Ten minutes,” he conceded.
The doctor stepped into the room and placed his bag on one of the small tables. “Let’s take a look.”
Addison raised his hands to remove his jacket, only then remembering he’d wrapped it around Collette. Which had been a blessing. She’d had some protection while he dragged her through the debris. When his fingers fumbled at the buttons on his waistcoat, he glanced down.
Dried blood mingled with a few open cuts.
Chaswick noticed at the same time and crossed to the bell pull in the corner of the room. When a servant appeared not ten seconds later, the baron helpfully ordered hot water and towels.
“I’m always wary of infection,” the doctor explained as he assisted Addison out of his vest. By the time Addison had the tails out of his shirt, and managed to get it over his head, his arms nearly gave out.
“Good God,” Chaswick’s expletive had Addison glancing down. Cuts and abrasions all but covered his chest. He imagined he had some colorful bruises on his back as well.
“You’re lucky to be alive. And Collette…” The baron’s voice caught. “I’m forever in your debt for getting her out.”
“We wouldn’t have made it if you and my brother hadn’t arrived just in time.” Addison scrubbed one hand down his face. “She wouldn’t’ have been in there if not for my stupidity.”
“Mother of God.” Rowan announced his arrival from the door with an expletive of his own. “I will kill whoever caused the collapse.”
His brother’s black eyes looked cold and hard.
“Vandals.” Addison barely had the strength to speak, standing there as the doctor’s hands probed along his back.
“I realize most of this is going to be somewhat painful but tell me if anything hurts worse than the rest.”
“Umph.” Addison grunted. All of it hurt. But he would heal. He was going to be fine.
“This went beyond vandalism. Three of the main supports were sawed through. It was criminal, and trust me, they will hang for this.” Rowan wasn’t one to exaggerate.
“I’m sorry, Row,” Addison managed.
“It wasn’t your fault.” His older brother insisted.
And yet, somehow, Addison felt that it was.
“No, I’m sorry for all of this. For this nightmare of an evening. I was a fool to think mother would be fair—to think she’d ever see people the way I do.” Addison turned to Chaswick. “I hope you’ll accept my apologies for the way you and your wife were treated tonight. It won’t happen again.”
“You are thinking to send the duchess up north?” Rowan was watching him, one brow raised, reading his mind.
