The Scoundrel Duke of her Heart by Violet Hamers

Chapter Twenty-Three

“Nicholas?” Jenny called his name softly, gripping his hand as his eyes fluttered. There was no describing the measure of relief that flooded her then.

“Is he waking up?” the dowager asked, rising from her chair and approaching them.

“I think so,” Jenny murmured, watching him and hoping this was the end of the nightmare. With her other hand, she quickly brushed away the tear that ran down her cheek.

“Water,” he croaked, his eyes still closed and his lips dry.

“I’ll get it.” The dowager moved to the table where a pitcher of water and a glass sat.

Jenny was surprised when she gave her the glass and a spoon. She rather thought the woman would try to administer to him herself. It was unlike her to pass up the opportunity to remind people of her power. Placing her hand behind his head, Jenny raised his head so she could give him the water. He took a couple of spoonfuls before he sighed.

“Thank you, Jenny,” he whispered.

“Your eyes are closed. How do you know it’s me?” she teased. She could afford some levity now that he was awake.

He smiled and opened his eyes to look up at her, the vivid blue in them mesmerizing her. She had nearly lost him and she didn’t know what she would have done if she had. “I know your touch.”

That spread warmth across her body and she wanted to lean down and kiss his lips. The dowager’s presence stopped her, however.

“I knew it!” came the dowager’s exclamation. “It will take more than a mere fever to bring a Seaton down. After all, my blood is stronger in his veins.”

Jenny almost rolled her eyes but settled on glaring at her. Moments ago, this woman was telling her to mentally ready herself for Nicholas’s demise. Now she seemed proud of him for waking up. She was a walking contradiction. Nicholas tried to sit up and Jenny helped him, placing several pillows to support his back. “How long have I been sick for?”

“A little more than a day. You gave all of us a fright.”

“Speak for yourself, girl,” the dowager interjected. “I knew he would recover, thus, I had no great concerns.” She settled in her chair and picked up a book from the stack Jenny had kept on the floor earlier.

“Certainly, Your Grace,” Jenny murmured. “You are far tougher than the rest of us.” The dowager did not miss the jab contained in Jenny’s remark and the manner in which she regarded Jenny revealed her displeasure.

“Well, since I did not frighten you, perhaps it is time for you to return to your house and rest,” Nicholas said without looking at his grandmother.

“I will when I see you are able to walk.” She flipped a page from the book in her hand. “A duchess should not be reading such books.”

Jenny did not respond. She touched Nicholas’ forehead before declaring, “It looks like the fever has broken. I shall send for the physician.” She left Nicholas in the room with his grandmother.

Bentley appeared relieved when she informed him of the duke’s condition. The sun was already up and a glance at the clock on the fireplace mantle in the foyer revealed the time to be past six. It was seven when Dr. Jenson arrived and he immediately proceeded to examine Nicholas. “Your Grace, I am pleased to tell you that your fever has greatly subsided.”

“Well, thank heavens,” the dowager said from her seat. She seemed to have taken an interest in Jenny’s geology book.

How ironic, Jenny thought.

“I still feel as though I have been trampled by horses,” Nicholas complained. His voice was hoarse and he slurred his speech.

“It is to be expected, Your Grace. Your body has gone through quite an ordeal. Honestly, I did not think the fever would come down this soon. The state you were in was...rather frightening.”

“So I have been told.”

Dr. Jenson turned to Jenny. “We will hold off on the laudanum and continue to observe him. I will prescribe some medicine that is milder than laudanum. I will also recommend some meadowsweet and ginger tea after each meal to warm and rejuvenate his system.”

“Yes, Dr. Jenson, he needs something to take the chills out of his bones.” The dowager looked up from her book with both of her brows raised. “I heard you have been having cold baths, boy.”

Nicholas glared at her but she appeared to be unperturbed by it. Jenny wanted to ask the dowager how she knew about the cold baths but then she remembered the woman watched their every move in the house.

Dr. Jenson cleared his throat and continued with the instructions he was giving. “I shall return in the evening to check the progress of your recovery. Should my attention be required before then, which I hope not, please send for me immediately.”

“We will. Thank you, Dr. Jenson.”

The dowager stood, following the physician’s departure, and set Jenny's book down. “I shall retire to my own home and sleep. I shan’t be disturbed unless it is an emergency.”

“There will be no emergency, Your Grace. Do have a good day.”

“Likewise.” She paused with her hand on the door. “See that you find something better to occupy yourself with. Geology is no subject for a woman.”

She exited the room before Jenny could respond but the good thing was that she was gone and Jenny was glad of it. “I need a bath,” Nicholas said, reminding her of something she needed to confront him about.

“I learned of a quite interesting matter,” she began, holding his gaze. “Ice baths.”

He closed his eyes and muttered something that sounded like a curse under his breath. “You should not be paying attention to what my grandmother says.”

“Your grandmother said, ‘cold baths’ and I said, ‘ice baths.’”

His body visibly stiffened and he looked embarrassed. “Jenny, I’ve just had one of the worst moments of my life. Surely you can pardon me until I am better.”

She supposed she could wait for him to recover before confronting him. Looking down at his pale face, she decided to take pity on him. “I’ll ring for Ramsay.” She left his side to call his valet.

When the bathwater was prepared, Jenny checked the temperature herself to make sure it was warm enough before approving. Then she left the room to find Mrs. Wells and the cook to instruct them on Nicholas’s meals. He would need his diet slightly changed while he was recovering.

* * *

“Get that vile thing away from me,” he snapped when Ramsay attempted to give him the spoon with the thick, clear liquid in it.

There were few things in the world that Nicholas detested more than the taste of medicine. “Your Grace, you need the medicine to recover. Your fever came back last night.”

“It is not serious,” Nicholas returned, walking to the tall mirror in his dressing room to regard himself. A few days of being ill had done more harm to his body than he would have liked. Sure, he could take the medicine Ramsay was giving him but he hated it. It would take a lot to convince him to swallow that thing.

“Ah, Your Grace.” The cheer in Ramsay’s voice made Nicholas turn around to see who came in. “I have been trying to get the duke to take his medicine.”

“Perhaps I can help,” came Jenny’s soft voice.

“Well done, Ramsay.” He stepped into his bed chamber clapping very slowly. “Tell the duchess, will you? Perhaps she can convince me. How very noble of you.”

Ramsay cleared his throat. “It is out of concern, Your Grace.”

Jenny took the filled spoon from him and nodded, silently asking him to leave them alone. He bowed and left. She turned stern-looking green eyes to Nicholas and he found his throat convulsing as he swallowed.

“Will you take it?” She asked, approaching him.

“Unless you’re going to force it down my throat, I am not taking it.”

She smiled a little, causing his shoulders to relax. “I’m not going to force you but I will have you know that there are people that care about you even if you don’t care about yourself. There are also people that depend on you.”

“Between you and Ramsay, I don’t know who is more manipulating.” He sat down in a chair at the sitting area and picked up the news sheet that lay on the table beside his chair.

“I think your grandmother will take that prize.” She came to stand in front of him. “Nicholas, I am too young to become a widow and I am sure you know what will become of me if that happens.”

He immediately reached for the spoon and swallowed the contents, wincing as he did. If he died without an heir, the title would go to Ernest and although he had no doubt that Jenny would be cared for, he could not bear the thought of her being a young widow. The men that would approach her caused him no small concern.

The image of a certain dandy appeared in his mind. Hell would freeze over before he died and left Jenny to Sir Phineas. He raised his eyes to meet hers. “My grandmother certainly does not take that prize, Jenny. You do.”

She smiled. “I know.” Then she took the spoon from his hands and poured more medicine into it. “Now, be a good husband and finish your dose.”

“I’m only doing this because it’s you.”

“And I thank you for that.” Jenny sat down opposite him after he had taken the medicine. There was a determined look in her eyes and made him somewhat nervous.

“I believe I have given you enough time to convalesce,” she began, “and now I have to talk to you about those baths.”

He knew she would come back to this subject but he didn’t anticipate how early it would be. “What about the baths?” he asked, keeping his tone even.

“I found out you had ice baths nearly on a nightly basis and although Dr. Jensen is uncertain they are the cause of your illness, he is of the opinion that they might have contributed to it.”

“I understand your concern and I am no longer going to have them,” he replied in a markedly brusque manner. They did not need to discuss this in detail.

“I believe you but that’s not the reason I want to talk about it. I know why you subjected your body to cold. Nicholas, there is a solution—”

He raised a hand. “No. There is no solution and I am not going to talk about this any further.”

A pained expression fleetingly passed over her features. “So, this is how it’s truly going to be between us.”He nodded and her eyes darkened. “You would rather harm yourself than allow me to bring you relief.”

Nicholas clenched his jaw. He was not being fair to her and felt like a cad for it but he didn’t know what else to do. He would no longer have cold baths and his future looked rather bleak. But it was a fair price to pay. She was one flower he would not pluck because she might wither. “This conversation is over.”

“Do you have any plans of continuing your line, Nicholas?” she asked quietly.

He did not respond, hoping his silence would make her drop her pursuit of answers. “Nicholas.”

Hell, woman!He snapped and the side of him he had been shielding her from since their reunion surfaced. “You want answers, hmm?” He lowered the news sheet and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

Her eyes widened a fraction but she remained as she was, saying, “Yes, I do.”

“I killed my mother, Jenny.”