The lukewarm temperature of his skin was a good sign, Hadassah thought to herself, her lips pressed to his cheek. Surely it meant he would awaken today, surely it meant he would rise from his many weeks of slumber and return to her arms.
Those were the exact thoughts that ran through her mind every morning, when she would wake up to find Daniel lying still beside her. She would plant a kiss to his cheek and mentally deceive herself that he was getting better. While she knew she succeeded in doing nothing but lying to herself, she knew it was the lie that kept her sane. It was the lie that gave her hope that one day, he would return to her. For nothing else and no one else gave hope to her; not the Physician who thought the injury inflicted to his head would most likely kill him in the end, or cause him to suffer brain damage, ruining him forever. Not Earl Talbot who tried to look hopefully, but could hardly play the part. Not Daniel. Even Daniel seemed unwilling to give hope to her for he laid still and unmoving for three months.
Sighing softly, she slung her arm over his torso and leaned into him. In only a few minutes she would be required to rise from his side and get dressed long enough to accommodate his visitors; his father, sometimes Julius as well, and especially the strange little girl who would sit by his side and murmur to him. Hadassah didn't know who she was, and she hadn't bothered to ask. Today however, she suspected a name would be added to the list of Daniel's visitors; Lady Talbot. She had informed them of her intent to travel once the baby was old enough to travel with her.
Crawling out of bed, Hadassah's feet settled on the carpet, it's hair prickling her bare feet. She jumped into action, changing out of her night clothes and styling her hair into a simple French braid. Turning from the dresser, she stripped Daniel of his night shirt, hefting his form into her arms. By the time she was done dressing him, her arms ached from holding him up for too long. She knew she would get help dressing him if she asked, but she had already relieved the maid with the duty to do so, of her duty. He was her husband and he was in this condition because of her, she would do the work.
Barely an hour after they were both dressed, there was a small knock on the door, indicating the start of the many visitors that would soon crowd the room.
In four months, Hadassah had settled into her routine of caring for Daniel. Lord Talbot announced they would have to leave the Physician's estate and move back to the home Julius lived, his announcement frustrating Hadassah. It wasn't only that she hated Julius greatly, it was that she hated to be near him. But Hadassah managed to keep her displeasure locked in. The little girl however, did not. After going into a hysterical tantrum for hours, she only agreed to stop screaming and crying when Lady Talbot pointed out to her that her actions would worsen Daniel's situation by not only giving him a headache, it might also succeed in deafening him.
Gasping softly, her eyes bulged to reflect her shock, before she clamped her mouth shut, walked over to Daniel's bedside and resumed her position beside him.
Taking the blanket from the armoire, Hadassah sprawled it over Daniel until only his face was left sticking out from the edge. His head was still devoid of hair, the Physician ensuring it continued to be shaved for as long as he needed to inspect the wound the gun had inflicted on his head. But Hadassah thought that now they were no longer in the Physician's home, she would permit his hair to grow out.
She turned to climb into bed beside him, when a soft knock sounded on the door. Sighing softly, she turned to the door and pulled it open.
The little girl appeared, face pale. She peeked up shyly at Hadassah, before glancing down at her feet once more. “May I... Well, I...”
Stepping aside, Hadassah held the door wide open. “You mustn't disturb him.”
“I won't, I promise.” She murmured softly, before scurrying into the room. When Hadassah closed the door, she turned back around to find the girl settled by his bedside, head bowed over his ear.
Crossing the room, she sat by the other side of the bed and waited patiently for the girl to finish. Fifteen minutes later, Hadassah could genuinely say she was exhausted.
“Perhaps it is time to say goodnight?” She rose to her feet.
The girl's eyelids snapped up, eyes watering. Nodding slowly, she stood from her position on the bed and made her way to the door.
Pulling it open, Hadassah followed behind to lock it once she was gone.
“He hates it here.” She froze by the doorway and turned around. “He hates it here.”
Confused, she offered a small nod. “We do not have a choice, we must stay until he gets better, until he awakens.”
The girl shook her head furiously, anger flashing through her bright green eyes. “He won't get better here! We mustn't leave him here! You love him, don't you?! Please my lady, please take him away from here.” She stepped forward and captured Hadassah's hand in both of hers.
Hadassah stood frozen, eyes searching the deepest green eyes she had ever seen. The girl was young, yet, weary lines creased her forehead, her eyes seemed haunted, and the urgency of her pleas filled Hadassah with dread; a deep, undeniable feeling of dread that forced her to nod in agreement.
The girl opened her mouth and a loud sigh escaped. Leaning forward, she wrapped her arms around Hadassah's waist and leaned her head against her. “Thank you.” Her arms weakened around Hadassah and she pulled away. With one final nod, she turned and made her way out of the room.
Hadassah laid in bed the evening, her head on Daniel's chest, her eyes closed, and her mind fixed on the little girl. She remembered her plea and her own agreement to that plea; to take Daniel away from here. Perhaps the girl was right, perhaps he would only recover once he was in his own bed chamber, in an environment with scents and people familiar to him. It only made sense, didn't it? Then there was the look in the girl's eyes, the look of desperation, fear, anger. They were strong emotions for a child and the longer Hadassah laid thinking about it, the more convinced she was that the girl knew something. Not only had she stuck by Daniel's side, she had been with him since the incident. Hadassah had overheard a conversation where the Physician made reference to the girl's presence on the night of the shooting. The butler who shot Daniel had been found before he could kill Julius and the little girl who sat weeping over Daniel's unconscious form. If the Physician hadn't been present on the night of the shooting, all three of them would be dead.
It was day break before she decided she would ask the girl about that night. If she remembered anything, something, perhaps it would help to aid in Daniel's recovery.
The day progressed smoothly. As usual, Hadassah got Daniel ready for the people she knew would crowd his room and as always, those people didn't fail to show up. Lady Talbot showed up that morning carrying the baby, who in Hadassah's opinion, would soon enough cease to be a baby. She scarcely looked at him, but when she did, she found herself fighting the urge to hold him in her arms; something she had never done. She neither held nor fed him nor spent more than a few minutes in the same room as him. The baby in turn, didn't know her. He didn't reach out to her, neither did he cry out for her. She barely knew what he looked like and while she had thought for many months he shared her color of hair, she noticed for the first time that morning, that his hair was beginning to take on a darker shade, just like Daniel's.
Lady Talbot stayed a while in the room, smoothening Daniel's shirt, having the baby sit in his lap -for Hadassah had requested he be placed on the sofa- and reading a book to him. Hadassah thought she recognized the book when Lady Talbot tilted it to turn the page; it seemed like the book Daniel always held before his unseeing eyes.
The girl showed up just as Lady Talbot was preparing to leave. She gave the girl instructions to join them for luncheon before making her way out of the room with the baby, without a sideways glance at Hadassah.
Rising from her position on the edge of the bed, Hadassah decided to busy herself with the laundry until the girl was finished visiting with Daniel. She took the sheet off of the bed and began folding it.
“When are we leaving?”
Turning slightly to the girl, she rose a brow. “Perhaps soon. He is not well enough to travel. ” She gestured to Daniel, causing the girl to turn to him, before turning back to her, a frown creasing her features.
“But he needs to travel to get better.”
“I don't think traveling is a good idea. Still, I shall speak to the physician about it.” The girl looked like she was about to argue but quickly changed her mind. “Do you-” Hadassah shook her head. Perhaps it was a bad idea to ask the girl about the accident, perhaps it would do nothing but traumatize her further. Deciding against asking the girl what happened the night of the shooting, she smiled, “Lady Talbot shouldn't be kept waiting, you should join her for luncheon. Go on.”
That evening she heard a knock on the door once more. Suspecting it was the girl, back again to plead with her to take Daniel back to Birmingham, she decided she would reject her request for Daniel was too sick to travel. When she pulled the door wide open, the sight before her nearly made her faint; Julius. He stood shrouded by darkness, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips.
“May I come in?”
Hadassah felt her fingers tighten around the doorknob, the cold metal pressing her palm as her legs remained frozen on the spot.
“Lady Hadassah?”
She gritted her teeth. “What do you want?” The sight of Julius, standing alone before her and in the middle of the night, filled her with dreadful memories. She almost believed him capable of capturing her and forcing himself on her once more.
“I came to see about your welfare.” He took a step forward and she instinctively backed away, her hand releasing its death grip on the knob. Julius stepped into the room and gently closed the door behind him, Hadassah suddenly feeling the blood drain from her face. “I am not here to harm you, Hadassah.”
“Then leave.” Her voice trembled. Sucking in a deep breath, she straightened her shoulders, refusing to appear weak before Julius. “Leave right now!”
Julius shook his head and took another step to her. “He's never waking up, he's going to die.” He nodded to Daniel. Hadassah shook her head, refusing to give his words room in her heart, refusing to believe what she knew was the truth. Surely Daniel would die, surely he'd never wake up!
Swallowing a sob, she clasped her hands over her lips, her eyes pulling shut. She couldn't lose Daniel, she couldn't lose him! Yet, she knew she would.
Something touched her arm, forcing her eyelids to pull apart. Julius stood before her, a solemn look on his face. He seemed different, she thought, her eyes searching his eyes for signs of deceit but all she found was understanding, and perhaps grief. She shook her head, turning from him. He didn't understand, neither did he grieve his brother.
“While Daniel and I had our differences, I do not wish him dead.” He said solemnly. She wrapped her arms around herself, the room suddenly feeling cold in spite of the fire. “But even you should know his death is inevitable, Lady Hadassah, even you should know I'm the only hope you have left. I can help you, let me help you! ”
No, she wanted to scream. She wanted to scream at the universe for its cruelty, she wanted to scream at God for his neglect! She didn't want help, certainly not from Julius! The only thing she wanted was Daniel.
Daniel is dying. The little voice in her head reminded her. How much longer did Daniel have to live, to survive? He wasn't getting any better, her eyes darted to his still form. If anything, he was getting worse.
“Daniel will die and you will be left without an inheritance, without a means to care for yourself. My mother will ensure of this. She swears to take the child from you, to ruin your name until no man in all of England is mad enough to take you in as a wife or as a maid. Then what, Lady Hadassah? Do you despise me enough to condemn yourself to a life of disgrace, an unbefitting life? Let me help you, Hadassah.”
She knew of the help he spoke of, she knew what he offered but she was too weak, too hopeless to say no. She was too tired to throw him out of her bed chamber. She was too emotionally unstable to push him away even as his arms encircled her. She was too deprived of love and care to do anything but lean into his embrace and bury her face in his neck.
“Marry me.” He whispered solemnly against her hair. “Marry me and I shall protect you.” He leaned back slightly, his eyes fixed on her.
Hadassah didn't think, surely she wasn't thinking. She couldn't have been thinking when she nodded once and captured his lips with hers.
Copyright © 2018 Lily Orevba All rights reserved.
A/N
Hi guys, it's been a while. This update is short, but long, right?That's to make up for all the time spent waiting for an update. I've been busy with exams (hey, if you're following my profile, you'll know of this fact.) And have been unable to update due to it. I'm so sorry about that.
Thank you for reading, don't forget to vote and do leave a comment behind.