JAMES LEISURELY SIPPED his coffee as a footman passed him the morning paper. He was quite exhausted from last nights events. In the early morning hours, another physician had been brought in, making the same decisions as the previous one—irking James to a greater degree. However, this physician recommended moving the woman to a more comfortable room while applying cool cloths to reduce the heat. James had instructed that the chit be taken to one of the guest rooms on the upper floor while assigning a couple of maids to tend to her every few hours. So far, she had yet to wake up.
Shuffling through the pages, James eyes landed upon the politics section. Parliament would be beginning soon, and he would have to avoid all the gentlemen trying to gain his support for whatever bill they were proposing. It was tedious work being so influential, but it was not as though he was doing much at the manor either. Maybe he would invite a few of his Eton friends for a few days so they could go hunting together. It was quite boring doing it alone when he had neither competition nor any stakes.
Finishing up his breakfast, he walked up the stairs to his chambers when he heard the muttering. It was coming from the woman's room. He moved towards the noise and pushed the door open, his eyes taking a moment to adjust to the darkness. The curtains were drawn and he tugged on them to let in some light. The room was empty, except for the woman on the bed.
"-Agatha, no, don't go."
He heard the pain in her soft voice. Relieved to know she was not dead after all the effort he had expelled the night before, he drew closer to the bed. She was thrashing wildly, as if someone was holding her tightly against her will. Frowning, James drew a chair and settled in beside her. He raised a hand and hesitantly placed it at her temple before drawing it further back into her matted hair.
He kept quiet and continued with his comforting motions until the thrashing stopped. James thought she had fallen asleep but seconds later, a pair of green eyes opened gradually and fell upon his face.
That is when she screamed so loud, nearly blowing off his eardrums. James quickly stood up, as the chair stumbled and fell behind him.
"Martin!"
His butler rushed through the door seconds later. James pointed towards the bed, "Call Mrs. Shrine, she's awake. And get the first physician from last night to come once again."
Martin bowed, "Very well, Your Grace."
The next few minutes were a flurry of activity as his housekeeper and a few maids stepped in the room. The girl was still staring at them all, but she was not screaming—that was a relief to say the least.
"Is she mute?"
Mrs. Shrine looked at him startled from his fussing. "I do not believe so Your Grace, she screamed loud enough that the stable masters outside must have heard."
"Fetch her water then."
***
Vivienne glanced at the scene before her, she didn't know where she was, but she felt comfortable and safe for the first time in weeks. She could see their mouths moving—the tall man wearing what could only be gentlemen's clothing and the short stout women whose hands seemed almost maternal. However, there was a loud ringing in her ears, and she could not make out the words that they were saying.
A pitcher filled with a clear liquid was brought forth and the stout woman poured some into a glass before setting down the rest on the table beside the bed. The woman placed it in Vivienne's hands who took a sniff—it did not seem like poison. Bringing it up to her lips, she took a small sip before downing the entire glass. Her hands trembled as she went to lift the pitcher to drink more water but the same woman who had given her the glass in the first place assisted her.
After drinking three full glasses, Vivienne felt a greater sense of clarity. She seemed to be in someone's house—aristocracy based on the quality and style of clothes the gentleman was wearing.
"Where am I?" she thought she asked but couldn't hear her own question.
The gentleman came closer and he opened his mouth and said something, but she could not hear. Alarm swept through her body, why could she not hear what everyone around her was saying?
She glanced at him in panic as tears begun to swell in her eyes. "I cannot hear what you are saying."
Brown eyes, the colour of brandy met hers in alarm. Based on his expression, she knew that she'd gotten her point across. He turned towards the door and said a few sentences, but Vivienne did not know what they were. She watched the girls who stood huddled there left the room. It was suddenly difficult for her to breathe, the aching pain in her chest increased and she could feel the walls closing in around her. Her eyes fluttered shut as she brought her knees to her chest and curled into a ball. What was happening to her?
Warm hands stroked her hair and she glanced up to see the gentleman move to her side. She read one word on his lips, "Breathe."
Vivienne took deeps breaths as the feeling of closure subsided. She could see him mouthing something else, but it was too fast for her comprehension. There was another flurry of activity at the door and she only caught it from the corner of her eyes as another figure approached her dressed in less formal clothing while carrying a bag filled with various items.
The man with the brown eyes and the newcomer exchanged a few words before he proceeded to lightly touch her shoulders. She recoiled at the touch, itching the sheet order her body. The man's eyes met hers, "Physician," he mouthed.
Vivienne's gaze swung to the other gentleman with the brown eyes and he gave her a single nod, indicating she could trust him. Hesitantly, she lowered the sheet and allowed him to look further.
***
James watched like a hawk as Ballard tended to the girl. He was not surprised the man returned after his prompt dismissal the night before—after all, he was a duke, and one did not simply deny his requests. He was however, surprised at the chit. She was skittish, that much was evident—it was clear that she had been through quite the ordeal before arriving at his estate.
"Why can she not hear us?"
Ballard took a moment from his examination to answer his question. "There could be a plethora of reasons, Your Grace."
"Enlighten me," he demanded.
"She could have sustained a head injury, been exposed to loud noise, or simply have problems with her ear canal which prevents her from hearing."
"Well which was is it, damnit?"
"It probably is one of the first two options, as you've said that the girl herself was wondering why she could not hear."
There was a tug on his coat sleeve, and he looked down to see the chit staring at him. Her eyes were green—the colour of fresh, well-tended leaves. He could see the fear and questions on her face. Hesitantly, he placed his hand over hers—the gesture would not be considered proper in society, but he let that thought sod off. The girl needed reassurance and for some reasons, she had chosen him. The least he could do was curb her fears.
His gaze spun as Ballard approached the girl with a foreign object. His grip tightened on her fingers and the physician continued to fuss over her ear. Not once did she flinch but he could feel the shivers through her body. She ignored the physician while training those hauntingly green eyes upon his own. It was a strange feeling; James could see the pain and anguish reflected in them and it had an impact on him. He wanted to protect her from whatever horrors she had witnessed.
"That should do it."
Both James and the girl turned towards the physician.
"I can hear again," she said, her voice in awe and a bit rusty from the lack of use.
"I told you it was temporary," Ballard mumbled.
James ignored him and fixed his gaze on the chit instead.
"What is your name?"
***
Vivienne nearly shivered at the sound of his voice, it was deep and held a note of authority she had not experience before. She hesitated in answering his question, but the lack of patience in his tone was evident.
"Vivienne, my Lord."
The man looked at her for a moment before his lips turned upwards, it wasn't a smile but there was something taunting about it. "The proper address is 'Your Grace.'"
Vivienne's heart nearly stopped, she looked at him blankly. That meant she was in the home of a duke; this was much worse than she'd expected. Duke's did not have time for anyone—she would probably be thrown out of his household back onto the streets in the next few minutes.
Thankfully, the physician interrupted preventing her having to reply. "It is best that she stays in bed for a few more days, Your Grace. Although a bath may help her feel better."
Vivienne scrunched her nose and realize for the first time how unclean she was. There was plenty of dirt and grime under hair nails and she could not imagine the state of her hair. All in the presence of a duke—she was unworthy.
"—The bandages should be changed every other day but for the most part, she seems in good health."
The duke nodded once at the physician's instructions. "Martin will escort you out and settle the payment."
Vivienne watched as the physician left and at the last moment her lips burst open, "Thank you," she called to his retreating figure.
He stopped and gave her a kind smile before he left the room as well. The duke, whose name she did not know turned towards the portly women.
"Mrs. Shrine I place her in your care. If the situation worsens, get someone to alert me but until then, I'll be in my study."
Mrs. Shrine nodded and the duke left the room without another glance. Vivienne nearly sighed with relief, there was something snuffling about his energy which made her weary. He filled the room with his presence and after his departure it was clear how much more relaxed the servants became.
"Let's get you in the bath now," Mrs. Shrine said as she helped Vivienne from the bed.
Another maid came to her side, and they gingerly made their way towards the bathing room. Every step of the way was a struggle, the callouses beneath her feet had yet to heal so she could not place much weight on the blisters. After what seemed like forever, she settled into the bath and slowly began cleaning herself with the water and tonic laid at the edge. It took a while to remove all the grime of the last few weeks but when she finally felt clean, she left the bath to put on the plain dress that one of the maids had left.
When she made her way back to the room, she saw that the dirty sheets had been replaced in favour of fresh bedding. She crawled into bed and faced the window, thinking about Agatha. Where was her governess now? Was she even alive? Everything had happened so quickly, one moment she'd been receiving compliments from the baker's son in the village and the next, there were men and flames all around. She'd ran to her home, only to see it ransacked and Agatha yelling at her to flee north. As she had been instructed, Vivienne had fled as fast as she could, until the shadows of her home disappeared from her gaze. Somehow, after weeks of not coming across any civilization she ended up here, wherever this place was.
A sense of loneliness filled her, springing tears to her eyes. She did her best to wipe them away as there was a light knock at the door. Heart pounding, she thought it might be the duke but instead, it was Mrs. Shrine, the housekeeper.
"I thought you might feel like eating supper now that you are better," she said, placing a tray filled with food in front of her.
Vivienne shot her a weak smile, "Thank you."
As if sensing that Vivienne needed solitude, Mrs. Shrine said, "I'll be leaving now. If you need anything ring for me."
Vivienne nodded and watched as the door shut, leaving her with her thoughts once more. The food remained on the bedside and as a soft breeze made its way through the window, she curled up into a ball clutching the pendant at her neck, praying that Agatha was alive somewhere— and that she would finally be safe here.
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Our main characters have finally met (consciously). It seems like Vivienne has a lot of secrets that we might be exploring ;) Please vote or comment if you enjoyed the chapter.