The Aristocrat's Lady (Love Inspired Historical) (21 page)

Lightning flashed, and all three were silent for a moment.

“That’s good news, sir! With all this lightning, we ’ave to get you two under cover as soon as we kin. I’m worried about pulling you both at the same time. There’ll be more movement than I want, but we got a
better chance of catching you both ’ere if we do it that way. Downstream may be even worse than this. What do ya think, sir?”

“Good man! That should do the trick. Count to three and get both those ropes over here at the same time. Neither of us will try to grab for them.” He added an aside to Nicole. “Do you understand that, Nicole?” He said nothing further to her, expecting her complete cooperation. Then he returned to Toby. “You will need to throw them as closely as you possibly can to each one of us. Very slowly we will pull each rope near us and get it around us with as little movement as possible. Once the ropes are latched, we will let you know. Then you and Orion will need to begin to pull us free. As long as we are both secured, all we need to do is to wait until Orion pulls us. It may not even matter in which order.” Devlin knew they had already said all of this, but he wanted to be sure each of them had heard the plan, had understood it, and would stick to it.

“My lord, I’m tying the ropes with slip knots and when I get ’em ready, I’ll count three and throw.” While they waited, Devlin sent up his first prayer to the God that his grandmother and Nicole depended upon.
God, if this does not work, let Toby use all his power to save Nicole and forget about me. Amen.
Nicole had talked to Him as a friend when she prayed. Devlin hoped God allowed that kind of friendship on a first attempt.

He, at least, had a chance to save himself if the bridge collapsed. He wanted to be sure that Toby knew that was what he wanted, but Nicole would protest such
an order, and they could not afford to waste energy now. He must depend on Toby…and God.

The count of three came all too soon, and the two ropes landed on their clasped hands. Devlin watched as Nicole slowly lifted one rope with her hand and put it over her head. He heard her talking, but it was not to him. “Lord, he does not need my hand, he needs Yours. I will let go of him only because I know You love him as much as I do and Your power is sufficient.”

Then she did the hardest thing she had ever done in her life. She let go of his hand.

Devlin took the other rope and broke the hold they had on one another. He had never felt so bereft in his life. He could not think about that now; there was still a long way to go. He moved slowly and deliberately, struggling without a word.

“Toby, I think we are ready.” The water was accelerating, and he cursed as some piece of debris knocked into him at breakneck speed.

“Pay ’ttention, you two, it’s time. I’m gonna count to three and we’re going to tug. You ain’t going to move very far, but at least if the bridge or bank gives way, we’ve got you safe ’til ’elp gets ’ere or we ’ave to make another tug. One more thing…this may ’urt. I’m not sure what shape either of you is in, but ’aving a rope pulled tight ’round your chest ain’t gonna be a picnic, even in the best of conditions.” Toby was silent for a moment. “Are you ready?”

“Nicole, my brave stupid girl, are you ready?” Devlin quietly called to her.

“Yes, Jared,” she said.

Lord Devlin gave Toby permission to start the count. Devlin heard her speaking again, but it was low. He strained to hear, but he could not make her words out.

“I love you, Jared. I am sorry for all of the pain I have caused you.”

Toby began to inch Orion backward, and as he did, Devlin held his breath as he noticed the bank next to Nicole sliding dangerously. He knew if her meager weight could cause that much damage then the bridge was sure to go. He was afraid Orion might not have the strength if it fell. He watched as Toby slowly turned Orion in the opposite direction so he could pull with all his might, in one swift yank, to get them both free. Devlin knew this could backfire, but he silently congratulated the man for giving them the best chance.

“I’ve got Orion ready,” he began. “One…two…” And without saying three, Toby hit the horse hard on the rump to make him pull forward with all his strength. The horse, startled, dug in his front hooves and pulled ahead, trying to run, not understanding the weight holding him back. Orion managed almost ten feet before he calmed down and Toby could handle him.

Both Lord Devlin and Nicole groaned as the ropes pulled hard under their arms and around their chests. The bridge split in two pieces and was carried away by the swift water. He and Nicole slid through the mud, and he knew one second’s peace. Then Devlin heard a loud clap of thunder and saw the flash of lightning hit the oak tree overhead.

He also heard the crack of a branch breaking free
and watched, as if in slow motion and helpless to do anything, as it fell on top of Nicole.

His own injuries forgotten, Lord Devlin moved to her as quickly as he could, numb with cold and terror. Toby arrived at the same time. They realized as they reached her that the widest section of the limb had hit her squarely on the head, and she was no longer moving.

Devlin’s heart stopped, and in a fleeting moment he thought she might be dead. He found himself paralyzed in fear.

“No, my lord,” Toby said, choking back his own reaction. “She’s alive. But she’s bleeding pretty bad from this cut. We’ve got to get ’er out of this rain.”

“Get Orion, Toby. I will get her to the house.”

“Can you ride, sir?”

“I am scraped and stiff, but I can ride. In any event, I do not think Orion would allow you to ride him, as nervous as he is. I am not letting all of your hard work go to waste now. We would have been dead without you, and a bump on the head is not going to take her from me. If you can hand her up to me after I get on Orion, I will get to the house and send a horse back for you immediately.” The horse
was
skittish but recognized his master’s voice and settled down while they seated Nicole sideways in front of Devlin. He wrapped his arms around her as her head rested on his chest, and he gripped the reins.

Before he kicked the horse’s side, he looked down at Toby and said, “This is the second time you have saved
my life. I am forever in your debt, Toby, and I find I do not mind owing you such an obligation. You did the work of three men today—smart, brave and loyal all.” Devlin’s voice cracked on his next words. “But even more than that, you protected her. I will not let you down again where she is concerned. I do not know how to thank you.”

There were tears mirrored in the servant’s eyes as he said, “You keep ’er safe and we’ll be even, my lord.”

Devlin rode off toward the house as fast as he could, while trying to avoid shaking Nicole any more than necessary. He had never felt this way before. There were so many events totally out of his control. For a brief moment he thought he understood Nicole’s faith. You had to believe that
someone
controlled the situations mere humans could not. He had to trust in her God to make things right; she had to be fine. “We are almost there, love. I am sorry if I am hurting you. I need to get you warm and in bed.” He knew she could not hear him, but he had to keep talking to her to keep reassuring himself she
would
survive another ordeal. Why had his pride made him such a fool?

“I am glad you
cannot
see me now, sweetheart. I am covered in mud and soaking wet. I do not believe even you would favor such a sight.”

He had ridden this way a thousand times in his life and it had never taken so long. Why was it doing so today?

When he finally came into view of the house, he breathed a sigh of desperate relief. “We are here, Nicole. Everything is going to be fine,” he whispered, even as
he yelled to the house in general that he had found her. He saw Lady Beaumont come running outside, then heard her gasp, but he could not take the time to explain things to her now. He slid Nicole into the arms of one of the waiting footmen, then dismounted.

He picked Nicole up and walked quickly toward the house. He gave orders with each step. “Robbie, get Orion to the stable and take care of him. Send another horse down to the stream. Toby is coming back this way on foot. Bring him here quickly. Higgins, send for the doctor. Tell him it is an emergency. Mrs. Higgins, we will need plenty of hot bath water to get Lady Nicole warm. Toby will need it, too, so he does not catch his death.”

Devlin was in the house now and saw his grandmother, in her chair at the bottom of the steps. Just the sight of her made him tear up; she should be telling him everything would be all right, just as she always had. But she looked pale, and they could not comfort each other now. “Ma’am, I am sorry I have no time to explain this. I do not know the extent of her injuries, but if you could keep Lady Beaumont’s courage up, that will help tremendously.”

Finally, as he carried Nicole close to his heart and gently up the stairs, he said, “Grandmother, could you also send for the vicar? I think Nicole would like to have him here when she wakes. She will want to tell him of all the answered prayers we have had today.”

Please, God,
he thought,
give us one more.

N
icole lay unconscious for three days. The doctor came very soon upon the heels of Devlin settling her lifeless body into her room. He pronounced her lungs clear despite the complete drenching. He determined her limbs were sound except for the slightly sprained ankle. But he sorrowfully acknowledged that there was nothing he could do about her head wound except to bandage the cut and put ice on the swelling. The doctor had researched several such cases with his colleagues in London last year, and their only conclusion had been that no two cases were the same.

Lady Beaumont tearfully explained her concern, this having been the second time in her life that Nicole had received such a blow.

The doctor did not appear pleased with that complication, but, being a comforting man on the whole, he remained firm that they must not let their imaginations run away with them. All they could do for the nonce was give Nicole the time and rest she needed.

An express had been sent to Dr. Morrison’s office
in London, informing him of this new setback in Nicole’s health. The doctor had responded immediately with an urgent missive assuring them he would leave town three days hence to assist the local doctor in any way he could. He was not an expert in head injuries, but he had not forgotten the special woman who had sat in his office that day, and he vowed to himself he would do everything that he could to help.

Dr. Morrison also added an unusual postscript to his communiqué. He bade them not to lose hope, as several of his associates had recently come to the conclusion that unconscious patients might be aware of what was going on around them, even though they were unable to communicate. He encouraged them to consider her cognizant of them until he arrived.

Lord Devlin would not leave Nicole’s bedside. The doctor’s words had been enough for him. He read the newspapers to her in the morning and books to her during the day. Her mother had given him a Bible and showed him some of Nicole’s favorite passages. He read them to her with reverence and hope.

He did his best to get water and soup into her when he could, and he kept the drapes open each day so she could feel the healing heat of the sun on her face. He kept from completely breaking down at her continued insensibility by grasping at the small hope Dr. Morrison had given them. The vicar came often, and Devlin would stand quietly holding her hand as he listened to the soft-spoken prayers the man constantly lifted up on her behalf.

But the nights were the worst. They never failed to
weaken his resolve. With the house so quiet and Nicole so still, he knew a fear stronger than he could ever have imagined. Even the rages of his father when he was a small child dimmed in comparison to the dreaded thought of losing her.

Those hushed hours also gave him time to reflect on his past mistakes. They ate at him. He knew now that he was in love with her—a love so deep it was almost beyond his comprehension. Nothing could have prepared him for such a desperate dependence on someone else to ensure his happiness. He berated himself over and over for his behavior to her when she had needed him the most. He knew love could involve getting hurt, and he had not been sure whether he was ready to risk it. But after his recent visit to his grandmother’s, Peter had quietly reproached him, letting him know he
was
taking a risk…a risk that a lifetime of complete love and devotion might get away.

That problem had seemed secondary at the time, as he’d assumed Nicole would never forgive him for his boorish actions. He had, therefore, decided he must let her go. He knew now he would not be so foolish again. He intended to show her he could be depended upon in good times and in bad.

Sitting beside her bed at night, the irony of his actions haunted him. After openly accepting the fact that he loved Nicole, he had come back to his grandmother, hoping she could tell him how to soften Nicole’s heart.

Yet when he had stumbled upon Nicole at breakfast the morning he had arrived, had he asked for an opportunity to speak with her? Had he thrown his arms
around her and begged her to forgive him? No, he had allowed his surprise to override any intelligent action, and had actually scared her into running from his very presence. Not only bolting from him, but unabashedly entering the dangers she faced bravely on a daily basis without sight!

So he remained by her side and prayed to a God he knew only from a distance. He asked for the chance to make all of this up to her, knowing he did not deserve it. He would convince her to marry him, and they would have a partnership that even Lord and Lady Hampton would envy.
Please, God!
he prayed.

It was the worst time of his life and yet the most enlightening. As he thought about all that had come before, he realized it was what had brought him to this moment! Had he met Nicole as a younger man, before his marriage, would he have been interested in her intelligence and humor? Of course not! He would have appreciated her beauty, made her his flirt for a while and then he would have moved on to his next conquest.

Could that be the secret? Was everything that happened in life actually controlled by this all-powerful God? Did each episode in life give you the opportunity, the choice, to make you the person you will become? He did not know. He could have chosen not to marry Vivian, but then he would never have been brought to this exact moment. Apparently the choices he made
did
play a major part. He should have been gaining wisdom from each of his experiences, but he
chose
to respond with a hardened heart and the attitude that life owed him much. Then Nicole entered his life. Only now did
he see that she had responded to the hardships in her life with unselfishness and a loving heart.

He sat holding her hand in the dark, and the words poured forth from his own heart asking forgiveness and promising different responses from now on. He would do it whether Nicole accepted him or not. But was it too little, too late for God to consider his prayers for Nicole? No! He would spend his life learning from her, if God, the one he now recognized as being the true God, gave him the chance.

But Devlin was not the only one who was loath to leave Nicole alone. Lady Beaumont was constantly present, and Devlin could not hear enough about Nicole’s childhood. They vowed they would include her in their conversations whether Nicole acknowledged them or not.

In addition, Toby came to the sickroom like clockwork and usually carried Lady Augusta with him. Thus they joined in a vigilant effort at willing consciousness back into Nicole.

One day when they were all gathered together, Toby spoke his mind. “My lord, me and the doctor was talking a while ago and ’e said ’e saw a case once where a lady like Miss Nicky finally come out of ’er stupor by ’earing familiar voices and ’aving familiar things about her. ’E says we’re still doing all the right things now, you know, reading to ’er and all, but I was thinking maybe I could ride and get Miss Chelsea. Surely Lady Nick would recognize that bundle of mischief.”

Lady Beaumont was the first to respond. “Toby, that sounds like such a good idea, but I do not know what
to do.” Her expression went from joy to nagging fear in the blink of an eye. “What do you think, Lord Devlin? Might it be too much activity for her? And there are already so many of us imposing on you and Lady Augusta. Oh, I wish I knew what to do,” she cried, as bottled-up emotions flowed freely. “I cannot bear the thought of losing her again.”

“Now, none of this talk of losing anybody, Beatrice,” Lady Augusta chided. “I think Toby’s idea to get Nicole’s sister is a sound one, and would at least allow us to do something for Nicole besides boring her to tears.” Devlin appreciated her practicality and gruffness; it became a balm to the flammable situation. “But you are a better judge, dear. Would seeing Lady Nicole in such a state be harmful to her sister? From what Jared has mentioned, your youngest daughter sounds a resilient child, but you know best.”

Lady Beaumont was not the least hesitant in her response. “No, Lady Augusta, Chelsea would not be overwhelmed. She will be sad and a little scared, I think, but she was quite the impetus behind Nicole’s first recovery.”

After five days, neither of the physicians remained hopeful as to Nicole’s recovery. She was not getting enough nourishment, and there had been no reaction to the presence of Chelsea.

Chelsea had been horrified when she’d heard about the accident, and had cried quietly for hours after her first visit with Nicole. She then began a brave assault
on Nicky’s mind. She took over Lord Devlin’s role of communicator when he had to leave her.

Lady Beaumont and Lady Augusta tried to keep their spirits up, especially when Chelsea was about. The pall that settled over the house, however, made it seem as if death had already claimed Nicole.

Late one night, Devlin awoke with a start. His head had fallen forward in sleep, and his stiff muscles screamed to move about. The candle in Nicole’s room had long gone out, leaving only the light of a very dim moon. But it was still high in the sky, and looking out the window he suspected it was only a little after midnight.

He went over to the fluttering curtain billowing into the room, deciding to close the window against any chill Nicole might feel. He stayed there awhile, fear overwhelming him. Lowering himself to the window seat he put his head in his hands, the welling tears a contrast to his physical strength.

He spoke softly, but aloud. “God, I do not know how to pray yet. I do not know how to put it into words that arouse Your compassion and induce You to respond. I do not even know if that is how it works.” He stilled and remembered the vicar, only this morning, talking to God as a friend, no prosy sermons, only feelings from his heart.
That
he could do.

“God, I know I cannot offer my life in exchange for hers, at least not physically. But I offer my life to You for whatever purposes You have for me. I think Nicole would laugh at me, trying to make a deal with You.”
He felt useless and inadequate. Could God possibly be listening to this? He determined to trust that He was.

“I no longer ask that You return Nicole for myself. I do not deserve her. But, God, I ask now on her behalf. She has been through so much, and yet she enriches everyone she comes into contact with, even amidst the trials. She is much more valuable to You here, God. Please allow her to flourish again. And if that means—” tears rolled freely down his face “—life without her, so be it. Please just bring her back to us.” He mumbled a quick “Amen,” then sat listening to the silence.

The opalescence of the moon shining through the window naturally turned his thoughts to another night when he had gone to get fresh air on a secluded balcony and had been enchanted by the woman who lay so still behind him now.

How sorely he wanted to be on the terrace with her again. He imagined them teasing and flirting in the way he had come to need from her. He wanted to be married to her and to sit in the moonlight with their eyes closed, identifying smells around them. He wanted to be kissing her; he could not let go of the dream.

The decision came as quickly as a flash of lightning during a summer thunderstorm. It was a sudden revelation disrupting his longings. He would take her out to his grandmother’s terrace this night and enjoy his musings, holding her, talking to her. No one would know, and he thought God would forgive him this selfish act.

He went to the bed and lifted her, the coverlet still around her. Her head seemed to naturally rest on his
shoulder, and he tucked the blankets about her sides and legs for warmth. He carried her down the main staircase back to his grandmother’s sewing room. He went directly through it to the terrace that overlooked his grandmother’s favorite view.

He slowly lowered himself into one of the many chairs his grandmother had randomly placed to enjoy her beautifully manicured lawns. But he had no interest in the landscape; he turned the chair so they would be facing the moon. He settled her in his lap and made sure she was covered completely, then sighed as he rested his cheek on the top of her head.

He talked to her as he had on that night weeks ago when they’d first met. He teased her about letting him “blow a cloud,” and knew if they were married she would tell him what a nasty habit it was. He reminded her of their misunderstanding that night, that he had assumed she had followed him out onto the terrace to trap him into marriage! His eyes welled with tears as he recalled the anger that had flashed in her eyes for just a moment. They were eyes that he wanted to look into and read the feelings there. He wanted to “show” her what she could not see.

He could pretend no longer. He shut his eyes in quiet agony. Theirs was a once-in-a-lifetime relationship.
When
she awoke, he would not doubt God’s love for her, he would try to woo her back and prove he could be worthy of her love. He buried his face in her hair and continued to hold her in the moonlight.

“Mmm, that feels good,” was the whisper he conjured in his head.

Now he was not only remembering their time together, he was imagining the responses he anticipated from her. He must get her back inside before he lost his mind altogether.

As he tightened his grip, preparing to rise with her, she spoke, sending an overpowering shock through his very soul.

“Can we please stay out here a little longer? The air feels so fresh, and it is so warm inside. Please let me stay.”

Devlin was afraid for the second time in his life. He was afraid to move. He was afraid to breathe. Nicole was definitely speaking to him, but he did not know if her words were lucid or demented. Had the blow caused damage they had not even considered?

“Nicole,” he said softly, trying to hold her still as she struggled to submerge further into his embrace. Fighting to keep excitement and relief out of his voice, he said, “Are you sure you are warm enough?”

Nicole stiffened a little as he waited for her response.

“Jared?”

“Yes, sweetheart, I am here. You have had an accident, and we have been very worried about you.”

“I know. It was a fire.” She shook her head, trying to remove a week of cobwebs brought on by her concussion. “But I did not know you then, did I?”