“It fits you to perfection. She’s the best modiste in London. I’ve brought you this cider, should you be thirsty, and somebiscuits to calm your stomach. The club is mad packed tonight and everyone is dashing about like chickens without their heads.”
Horace turned to Gideon. “Reggie’s trying to handle the crowd at the door until Pudge returns. And Michael’s walking the gaming floor handling his tasks and Joss’s. The patrons are asking for you. What should I tell them? Will you make an appearance and mollify them?”
“No appearance tonight. Just tell them that I’m here but too busy to come down again tonight. They know I’m around because they saw me earlier, so no need to make up a story. Keep it simple.”
“Yes, Mr. Knight,” he said, and scurried out.
Once they were alone again, Gideon sat at the edge of the bed and raised Berry’s gown to her thighs. “Both knees are badly scraped, love.”
He left her side a moment to fetch a handkerchief from his bureau, since he’d probably run out of clean cloths to use. He then brought it over along with a bottle of brandy. The mattress dipped as he settled on it. “This will sting,” he warned, pouring the brandy onto the handkerchief and then applying it gently to her right knee and then her left.
She had never experienced so much pain in her life.
It was not only that the brandy burned as he cleaned the blood from her knees—the burning sensation ran up her body into her head, which was already pounding and ready to crack wide open at any moment.
The stinging sensation of the brandy also revived her nausea. Gideon’s valet had just returned with a fresh chamber pot when she began to heave again.
“Horace, bring it here!” Gideon cried, getting it under her just as she cast up her accounts again.
This had to be the second worst night in her life, the first being when she had learned her parents had died. No child should ever hear such news. She had never been so scared, only eight years old and suddenly alone in the world. But Lord and Lady Berwick had come quickly to take charge, to take her into their hearts and into their family.
She needed to know that Lord Berwick was all right.
Why hadn’t anyone sent word yet?
She finished heaving and sank back against the pillows, struggling not to cry again.
“Berry,” Gideon said softly, “take a sip of cider.”
“No.” She was afraid to drink or eat because she did not think she could hold anything down yet. Where was Dr. Farthingale? “My head hurts so much.”
“I know, love. Just lie back. The doctor will be here very soon.”
But he sounded worried.
So was she. Not for herself, but for Lord Berwick.
Where was he?
“Gideon, please. Is there something you are not telling me? Why aren’t your men back yet?”
Chapter Fifteen
“They must beat the magistrate’s office giving statements.” Gideon hoped this was enough of a response to Berry’s question to calm her. “I’m certain my men and Lord Berwick will turn up soon. These things take time.”
But he was worried and grew more so as the minutes ticked by and he heard nothing.
Berry was right. Whyhadn’this men returned?
He dared not leave her side to find out.
Horace had gone out to scout the streets, but came back to report there was no sign of Lord Berwick, his carriage, the assailants, or Joss, Pudge, and Henry anywhere nearby.
As the night wore on, Gideon knew he could no longer delay reporting the incident to Lady Berwick or Berry’s staff. He sent one of his lads off to the Berwick residence with a hastily written note to assure her that they were doing everything in their power to get her husband safely returned home.
He sent another lad to report the same to Melton, and then instructed him to summon Bonham, too. With all the upheaval going on, Gideon needed his best friend to take on his share of the work at the club, at least for the next few hours while he joined in the search for Lord Berwick.
The Musket Club was their headquarters and where everyone reported to him and Bonham, but it was also their practice to personally go to each of their other clubs in the morning tomake certain all was in order. He and Bonham had established an efficient routine. While Gideon tabulated the previous night’s take and expenses, Bonham would inventory the stock at each gaming hell, taking account of all supplies, such as the liquor, food, linens, silverware, glasses, decks of cards, chips, and the like.
