“I certainly would not mind the company.” Richard began gesturing for the footman to bring another chair but Spencer stopped him, lowering himself to the floor instead with his legs stretched out before him.
“Any news?” Spencer asked as he poured the brandy and handed one of the glasses to Richard.
“She sleeps,” Richard said with a shrug.
“I suppose that is a good thing. From my experience, sleep is the fastest way to recovery. That and some good food!”
Richard couldn’t disagree with that. Leaning forward, he clinked his glass against his brother’s and took a sip, grateful for the drink’s soothing effect. “I just wish that she would wake up and let us know how she is feeling.”
“She will,” Spencer assured him. And then, “I bet you must be pretty angry with Carthright.”
Stiffening, Richard allowed a slow nod. “Angry does not begin to describe how I feel about him. Whatever he did toward me, this is so much worse.”
“Perhaps I should warn you against punishing the fellow any more than you already have done?”
“That will not be necessary. I realized this evening that it was my blind path to revenge that has led to this very moment. Without it, Mary might not have gotten shot since Carthright would not have had a reason to challenge me. Christ, Spencer! Pistols weremychoice!”
Spencer snorted. “If you start thinking like that, you will never stop. The point I was trying to make is that I spoke to Lady Foxworth earlier. Rest assured that she will not allow Carthright to go unpunished.”
“What can she possibly do to justify his actions? He is not even her son.”
“Do not underestimate the lady, Richard. I find that women have a tendency to achieve their goals in the most extraordinary ways.”
The door to Mary’s bedchamber opened and both men got to their feet as the lady in question appeared. Her anxious expression was not the least bit comforting. “She is developing a fever.”
Richard tried to look past Lady Foxworth but she blocked his line of vision. “How bad is it?”
“I think you ought to fetch the doctor.”
Richard didn’t question her for a second. He just handed his glass to Spencer and left at a brisk pace, returning with the doctor just a few minutes later. But when he tried to follow the doctor into Mary’s room, Lady Foxworth stopped him. “She is not decent, Mr.Heartly. Please try to understand.”
The door closed in Richard’s face and for a long drawn out moment, he just stood there staring at it, unable to comprehend that he was being kept away from the woman he loved while her life hung in the balance. “Damn Society and its ridiculous rules!”
“Hear, hear,” Spencer muttered. Leaning against the wall, he’d waited for Richard to return.
Casting a look over his shoulder, Richard said, “I ought to break this bloody door down.”
“I can help you, if you like.”
A tempting idea, though one that would probably not be well received by anyone else. So he waited, glanced toward the clock. Almost an hour ticked by at a murderously slow pace before the doctor himself re-emerged. From behind him, Richard could hear Lady Foxworth bustling about in an agitated way that only served to heighten Richard’s concern. “It does not look good,” the doctor pronounced. His apologetic manner grated.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Richard asked.
“The wound does not look infected, but her fever is steadily rising. If we fail to stop it, then there is no telling what might happen as a result.”
“In other words, she might die,” Richard said, speaking almost mechanically.
“That has always been a possibility,” the doctor said, “but now... perhaps a more likely outcome unless we can manage to bring her temperature down.” Lowering his voice he whispered, “Her aunt believes that she should be kept warm—that the fever is a good thing and that we should allow it to grow, which of course is a misconception. In my experience, the best results are achieved when the fever is reduced, but Lady Foxworth is in a state of panic and refuses to listen to reason.”
“Then what would you suggest?” Spencer asked with the sort of calm that had long since departed from Richard.
The doctor hesitated briefly before saying, “She must be cooled, so perhaps if a bathtub can be brought up, then—”
“No,” Richard said. “That will take too long.”
“I agree,” the doctor said, “but what else...”
He wasn’t given a chance to complete his question as Richard pushed past him, entering Mary’s room in a few short strides.
