“She’s alive,” David answered. “The worst has passed, and she was able to move her upper arm a little while ago.” He didn’t look at her, but the relief that struck her was so strong, Amelia went to embrace him.
“I’m so glad.” She waited for his arms to come around her, for him to share in her joy. But he held himself back.
“I need to go to her. Forgive me.” He extricated himself from the embrace, and it was as if her own limbs had turned to ice.
Amelia’s heart was aching, but she didn’t follow. She needed a few moments to gather her composure. As soon as she entered her room, the tears blinded her. She sat in a chair numbly, so grateful for her stepdaughter’s life. But she didn’t know how to bridge the distance with David. He continued to shut her out, and she didn’t know what to say or do now.
You’re overreacting, she told herself.He was simply hurrying to see Christine.Though she wanted to believe it, she wasn’t quite certain.
Amelia sat for a long while, fighting back the tears, until she had control of herself. When at last she had locked away her emotions, she returned to see her stepdaughter.
Inside, the room was hot and stifling. Christine was awake, while Dr. Fraser was taking her pulse. David was seated beside his daughter, and his eyes were heavy from the sleepless night.
Amelia crossed the room and pulled the white rose bloom from Christine’s hair. “You see. Your mother was watching over you.”
The young girl slowly lifted her hand to take the blossom from her. “I think so, yes.” She managed a smile. “And I had another mother with me, too.”
She wasn’t prepared for the catch in her heart. Never had she imagined Christine would accept her as a stepmother.
“Yes,” she said quietly. “You had me, too.” She smoothed back the girl’s damp hair. With a teasing smile, she asked, “Has Mrs. Larson been in to douse you with water again?”
“It worked,” Christine said. “She can pour water on my head as much as she likes.”
Lightly, Amelia kissed the girl’s temple. “I’ll go now, and let you rest.” She didn’t speak to David, but crossed the room. Inwardly, she felt brittle, like a piece of cracked porcelain.
“Will you stay a little longer?” she asked Dr. Fraser.
“I’ll stay a few days more,” he said. “Until I know she’ll make a full recovery.”
“I am grateful to you for all that you’ve done,” David said to the physician. “There are no words.”
Dr. Fraser nodded. “I’m glad the lass has improved. Now, I think you should be getting a bit of rest yourself, Lord Castledon.”
The earl nodded. “I think I will.” He leaned in and ruffled his daughter’s hair. “Sleep well, my dear.”
He walked past Amelia, and though he ventured a relieved smile, she sensed the distance between them.
“Amelia asked to accompany us back to Falsham for a visit,” Dr. Fraser informed him, after David stepped out of Christine’s bedroom. “If you don’t mind her spending time with her sister.”
It had been several days since his daughter’s illness had abated, and Christine was now able to move all of her limbs, though she’d been weakened severely.
“If she wants to go, she may,” he agreed. But it made him realize how he’d neglected Amelia these past few days. He’d been so caught up in helping his daughter to get well, he’d barely given any attention to his wife.
She’d never once left Christine’s side, nor his. And though he’d been so consumed by worry, he’d taken comfort from having her there. Her quiet presence had given him strength when he’d reached the end of his reserves. It had felt right to have her there, and he’d been grateful.
David started to continue down the hall, but the doctor stopped him. “If it were me, I wouldna be letting her pay a visit to Falsham just now. The lass has that look in her eyes, of a woman hurting. But ’tis no’ a physical wound.”
“She’s tired,” he agreed. “We both are.” It had been a grueling week, one he wanted to forget. But the look on the doctor’s face suggested that there was more Fraser wasn’t telling him. “Why? Has she said something to her sister?”
“Aye. And women are complicated creatures. If it were me, I’d be finding out her reasons for the ‘visit.’”
David wasn’t certain he understood what the man was implying by emphasizing the last word. “She is free to travel as she chooses. I have no quarrel with her.”
The Highlander sent him a twisted smile. “My God, your head is made of wood, is it no’? Go and seduce your wife, before she leaves you.” With that, he moved toward the staircase, leaving David more than a little confused.
Was he implying that Amelia wanted to leave their marriage? Whatever for?
David continued toward his wife’s bedchamber, and when he knocked, she called out for him to enter. He turned the door handle and found Amelia seated beside the window. Her belongings were packed in a trunk that suggested she intended to stay with her sister for quite some time. His instincts grew uneasy, for itdidlook as though she intended to leave him.
