Unconventional Suitors 02 - Her Unconventional Hero (20 page)

After a long bath in front of the fire in her bedchamber, Adel was finally feeling somewhat revived. Aunt Tabitha had tried to convince her to remain in bed while she sent for a tray of food to be delivered, but Adel was anxious to check on Griffin and knew that staying locked up in her chambers would only frustrate her.

As she approached Griffin’s bedchamber, the physician slid from the room, pulling the door shut firmly behind him. “How is he?” she asked with concern.

The older gentleman gave her a kind look over the rim of his spectacles. “He is still burning up with fever. I just administered another dose of laudanum to assist with his comfort. A maid is in there now bathing him with cold cloths.”

Adel wrung her hands nervously. “Is there more that can be done?”

The man was thoughtful for a moment. “If his fever does not break soon, the only thing left to do is to let his blood.”

She closed her eyes against the thought and sighed, “If it will help, then it must be done.”

“Yes, my thoughts exactly.”

Adel watched as the physician retreated down the hall. She paused before Griffin’s door, wishing she could go to him but knowing she would only get in the way. Finally, she withdrew, reluctantly finding her way to the breakfast room where several people were breaking their fast.

Katherine rose from the table immediately, coming to stand before her. “Adel, are you certain that it is wise for you to be up?” Hooking her arm round Adel’s, she began directing her back where she had come from. “I will assist you to your bedchamber.”

Adel pulled her arm from Katherine’s. “I appreciate your concern, but truly, I think that I am well enough to partake of breakfast. In fact, I am feeling quite famished.”

“But of course,” Katherine said as she led her to a seat at the table then grabbed a plate and moved to the sideboard to dish up a plate of food for Adel.

Adel looked around at the faces at the table, all intently staring at her. Her father looked relieved to see her up and about. She gave him a warm smile before glancing at Aunt Tabitha then onto Rose. As her eyes settled on the girls swollen and bruised face, she couldn’t help inhaling sharply.

“Rose, I’m so sorry,” she exclaimed. Both of Rose’s hands went up to self-consciously cover her face as Adel continued, “I want you to know that I did not pen that article about your husband. I would never have done that to you. I quit writing for
The Morning Post
before I came to Kent.”

Adel was aware of all eyes in the room staring at her as she spoke, but her main concern was for Rose. She watched as the girl slowly lowered her hands and nodded. “I did not think you would ever do such a thing,” she answered timidly.

“I assure you that I wouldn’t have. But what of your husband now? Surely you cannot go back to him after he has done this to you.”

Her eyes looked to her father, hoping that he would somehow know how to help Rose, to keep her safe. He cleared his throat loudly. “You haven’t heard?”

Adel shook her head. “Heard what?”

Her father glanced to Rose before turning back to her. “Lord Moncreif killed himself after wounding Lord Straton.”

Adel let out a sob. Turning to Rose she said, “I hadn’t heard. I am so sorry.”

Rose smiled wanly at her. “I am not sorry, as horrible as that sounds. I am finally free from the tyrant. I’m just sorry that because of him Griffin may die.”

The room filled with a stony silence, concern for Griffin etched on everyone’s faces. “There’s got to be something more we can do.” Adel finally broke the silence.

“If his fever doesn’t break soon, the physician said he will need to let his blood,” her father said.

“It’s too bad we do not have any leeches,” Katherine added thoughtfully. “I hear recovery is much more likely if leeches are used as opposed to the traditional method of purging the blood.”

An idea popped into Adel’s head. “Katherine, do you remember that time we were wading in the pond and a leech attached itself to your foot?”

Katherine shuddered. “It was the most vile thing that has ever happened to me. Even though it was ages ago, I’ll never be able to forget it.”

Ignoring her sister’s repulsion, she said excitedly, “Perhaps we can go to the pond and collect some leeches for Griffin.”

Adel looked at the disgusted looks on everyone’s faces, frustrated that they did not share in her excitement. “I know the prospect of gathering leeches sounds revolting, but I will do anything to help Griffin.”

When no one responded, she rose from her chair, “I guess I will go to the pond by myself.”

Katherine rose quickly besides her. Though her face looked pale, she managed to squeak out bravely, “I will go with you. Let us fetch some sort of container for the dreadful things from the kitchen.”

She smiled gratefully at her sister. “Yes, a very good idea indeed.”

Adel followed Katherine to the kitchen where they quickly procured a glass jar and a rag to contain the slimy creatures should they be so lucky to find any. She admired her sister’s courage as they fled from the house and headed towards the pond. She remembered all too clearly how upset Katherine had been the day the leech had attached itself to her foot that long-ago day at the pond. It had scarred her so deeply that she had refused from that day forward to ever set foot in the water again. Truth be told, Adel had been somewhat hesitant as well.

Katherine began talking as they walked, in an effort to distract herself from the gruesome task ahead. “Father is not pleased to learn of your role as Mrs. Tiddlyswan.”

Adel’s heart sank. She wished that she never had to speak of it again. “I am sure he is severely disappointed in me.”

“I think more than anything he is shocked by your actions, as Aunt Tabitha and I are as well. How could you have kept that a secret from us all of this time?”

Adel shrugged her shoulders as she continued to look at the ground. “I couldn’t very well have told you what I was doing. You never would have approved.”

“You are right about that, I most assuredly wouldn’t have. Why did you do it? It is so unlike you to be rebellious like that.”

“I didn’t do it to be rebellious,” she exclaimed with frustration. “I did it for my amusement, as a distraction from the pain of missing mama.”

Katherine gave her a strange look. “Attending parties every night wasn’t distraction enough?”

“Not entirely. I can see now that my actions were foolish, I should never have written for the scandal sheets, but at the time I didn’t see how doing so would cause anyone harm. I regret my actions now, especially since they led to Griffin’s injury. If he dies, I will never be able to forgive myself.”

Katherine came to a halt, searching Adel’s face she asked, “You love him, don’t you?”

Adel nodded. “I do. I used to find him incredibly vexing but that was before he…”

“Risked his life for yours?”

“I fell in love with him even before that,” she admitted candidly. “And I fully intend on marrying him, so let us not waste any more time, let us go fetch some leeches.”

Katherine stuck her tongue out as she made a disgusted face. “I’m only agreeing to help you because I love you and I want you to be happy. Lord Straton really is your hero after all, isn’t he?”

“As unlikely as that may have seemed to me before, you are right, he is.” Adel giggled as she grabbed Katherine’s hand and began running down the hill towards the pond.

Adel wasted no time removing her shoes and stockings as they approached the edge of the pond. Katherine stayed back, holding the glass jar tentatively in her hands. “I will hold the jar, but do not expect me to get in that water.”

“Oh, I don’t,” Adel said as she slid her feet into the shallow water at the edge of the pond. She closed her eyes and took deep fortifying breathes as she walked along the murky bank, trying to block the images of the black slimy creatures from her mind, lest she lose her courage completely.

She tried to keep her skirt lifted high above the water, but the hem of her gown still dragged along the water’s edge as she walked. Stuffing her skirts between her legs, she bent over and tugged on a large rock, exerting all of her strength to lift the bolder and toss it a few inches out of the way, knowing that leeches were often found in such places.

She cringed as she slid her foot into the mossy, muddy ground, feeling the slime squish between her toes. She swallowed down the urge to retch as she looked towards Katherine. “I hope this does not take long.”

“I hope so too,” Katherine shuddered. “All I can say is that I’m glad it is you and not me in there.”

Ample time passed as the sister’s made small talk in an attempt to distract them both from the gruesome task at hand. Finally, when Adel was certain she could not take it much longer, she lifted one foot from the water to inspect it. She was disappointed to find nothing but mud and bits of moss clinging to her foot. With a frustrated sigh, she replaced it into the water with a splash and pulled the other from the mud.

Bending forward, Adel saw two long, black leeches clinging to her foot, the sight of them making her gag. She began to dry heave as she fought her impulse to scream and shake the creatures from her foot in disgust.

“There are two on my foot,” she called out shakily to Katherine before clenching her teeth tightly together in agony.

Katherine ran towards the water’s edge, extending the jar towards Adel. “Quick, grab them and put them inside before they attach to your foot and we cannot get them off.”

Adel looked at her, “Won’t you do it? Please?” She stuck the foot containing the offending creatures out towards her sister.

Katherine shook her head vigorously. “I can’t do it, I promise you I cannot.”

Taking a deep, fortifying breath, Adel bent down, gagging once more as her fingers enclosed around one of the slimy, squirming leeches. It would do no good to stand on one foot and argue with Katherine. She pulled it angrily off of her foot and screamed as she nearly missed the jar in her attempt to throw the thing in.

Katherine jumped back as she squealed, “Hurry, get the other one.”

Adel did as she was told, just as repulsed with touching the second leech as she had been with the first. As soon as both leeches were in the jar, Katherine slapped the rag on top, holding it firmly in place and extending the jar towards Adel.

Adel scurried from the pond, shuddering once more as she checked her feet to make sure they were free of leeches. She was certain she would have nightmares about this day for years to come. Though if it helped save Griffin’s life, it would all be worth it.

“You carry them,” Katherine ordered, shoving the jar towards Adel.

“You are such a coward,” Adel exclaimed as she took the jar roughly from her hands. Truth be told, she had been hoping that Katherine would carry the disgusting things.

The sisters ran all the way back to the house, leaving their stockings and shoes on the bank of the pond. Ignoring the strange looks she was receiving from the servants, Adel rushed through the house barefoot, straight up to Griffin’s bedchamber and pushed the door open with a flourish.

Griffin was lying lifeless in the middle of the bed, the physician bent over his extended arm, a scarificator pressed firmly against his forearm. “Wait,” Adel called out as the physician turned at the interruption.

“Get out of here, my lady. This procedure is not for the faint of heart.”

Adel ignored him, walking towards the bed where she noticed that Griffin was alert, but only barely. His eyes found hers and the slightest of smiles spread across his face before vanishing as fast as it had come. “Adel, please leave. I do not wish for you to see what is about to happen.”

She shoved the jar containing the leeches out in front of her. “I brought you these.”

Griffin’s eyes squinted. “I do not understand,” he answered with confusion.

Turning to the physician, Adel held the jar out to him. “They are leeches I collected down at the pond. They will be much more effective than cutting open his vein.”

The physician looked at her in awe. “Yes, they will be. However, I’m not sure that two leeches will drain enough blood.”

Adel did not hesitate, “I will go collect more. I will do whatever it takes.”

Taking the jar from her, the physician smiled sincerely before saying, “I will let you know if that will be necessary. Thank you, my lady. Now if you will kindly leave, I will attach these at once.”

Adel turned to look at Griffin one last time. Tears filled her eyes to see her strong, handsome hero looking so pale and weak, a shadow of his former self. It amazed her how much change had occurred in his appearance in such a short time. “I love you,” she somehow managed to squeak out over the emotion threatening to clog her throat.

He flashed her another one of his brief smiles before mouthing the words, “I love you,” back to her, before losing his strength and closing his eyes.

Adel stayed rooted in her spot, unwilling to look away from him for even a second. What if the leeches didn’t work? What if instead of making him better, they only made him worse? The idea that this could be the last time that she saw him alive instantly produced a stream of hot tears running down her face.

She was convinced that she would have stood there forever, despite the gruesome procedure that was about to take place, had the maid who was assisting the physician not forced her from the room. As soon as the door clicked shut behind her, Adel slid to a heap on the ground, pulling her legs beneath her and resting her weary head on her knees as she began to cry harder than she had ever cried since her mother had died.

A weary but grateful Adel sat at Griffin’s bedside, watching him as he slept. The two leeches she had caught hadn’t been quite sufficient enough, so the physician had sent Adel to retrieve more. She had gladly done it hoping it would help Griffin.

With nearly a dozen leeches eventually gathered and attached to his arm, a prodigious amount of blood was extracted from his body, enough so that he had eventually fainted from the loss of blood. There had been several times over the last three days when the physician had been unsure of his body’s ability to recover, but after the second day his fever had finally broke and things had begun to look hopeful.