The implication was clear and he nodded. “I just want to see for myself that she is all right,” he said quietly.
The countess gestured toward the hall. “I’ll go up with you.”
The two ascended the stairs and the countess led the way down the hall to Jenna’s room. Her lady’s maid was coming out as they approached the door. The countess nodded at the maid and swept past her into the room.
Gray was unprepared for the sight of Jenna’s pale face and heavily bandaged shoulder. She looked so quiet and peaceful. Too peaceful. Ignoring her mother, he neared her bed, kneeling down beside her head.
He could hear her soft breathing and relief filled him. In an automatic movement, he smoothed the hair from her cheek then leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead. He closed his eyes as he kissed her one last time.
Fighting the sting of tears, he abruptly stood and strode to the door. He stopped as he passed the countess who looked at him with a peculiar expression. With an elegant bow, he offered his apology. “I regret that we met under such circumstances, my lady. Give Jenna my regards when she is feeling herself again.”
He hurried past her and down the stairs. The men waited at the bottom, their expressions steely. He ignored them, brushing past them and out the door. He climbed into his carriage and leaned back as it rolled toward home. Around him the world went on as usual, but his had come to a crashing halt, splintering around him in a million jagged pieces.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Jenna struggled to filter through the haze of pain and confusion. Her eyes opened but she immediately closed them again as piercing pain assaulted her. She hurt. Her shoulder hurt. Bits and pieces of the day’s events swarmed through her mind like angry bees.
“Jenna?” Her mother’s soft voice soothed some of the ache.
Her mother? Her eyes flew open and she squinted against the throb in her temples. “Mamma?”
Her mother’s beautiful face came into view. “Yes, darling. I am here.”
A cool hand slipped comfortingly over her forehead, and she closed her eyes again.
“Jenna, my dear, it’s your father. Can you hear me?”
She opened her eyes again searching for his face. “Papa, is it really you? I thought I’d dreamed it all.”
The earl bent over and kissed her forehead. “You gave us quite a fright, young lady.”
Her unfocused gaze flitted between the two concerned faces in front of her. She licked her dry lips. “Gray. Was he hurt? And Stuart?” Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. “He shot the viscount.”
“We know,” her mother said quietly. “Mr. Douglas told us everything.”
Jenna searched their faces, knowing they had to have found out about her and Gray. Disappointment lurked in her father’s eyes, and sadness was reflected in her mother’s.
A tear slid down her cheek. “Mamma, Papa, I’m...”
“Shhh, my dear,” her mother said gently. “There will be plenty of time to talk later. You must rest now.”
She nodded weakly and closed her eyes once more, exhaustion crowding her consciousness.
The countess rose and gestured for her husband to follow her out of Jenna’s room. The two closed the door behind them and the earl enfolded her in his arms.
“Oh, Pen. She looks so tired and vulnerable.”
“We are lucky to still have her.” He slipped an arm around her and escorted her down the stairs to the study. Though all traces of the shooting had been removed from the drawing room, she still could not bring herself to go in.
“We shouldn’t have left her. I had hoped her stay in London would be a good experience for her.”
“Catherine, you can’t blame yourself.” He handed her a drink he’d poured from the decanter. “Drink this. We could both use one, I think.”
She accepted the glass, watching as the earl drained his.
“We had no way of knowing she would do something so drastic,” he continued. “And I don’t regret taking you to the continent.”
She smiled up at him, remembering all too well the delights of their trip. She set the still-full glass down beside the decanter and sighed heavily. “Pen, what if she loves him?”
