Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
The physician was taking too long to arrive.
Silas could not tell how much time had passed since he sent Simon off in search of help and did not know how long it had been since his footmen left to capture his assailants.
All he knew was the worry and fear weighing his heart down.
Lewis had retreated to a corner and sat there silently with his hands in his hair, likely bemoaning the decisions that ultimately led to his destruction.
The Duke did not care one bit about him, more concerned that the love of his life was still yet to regain consciousness.
His own subconscious was startled at the admission of the role she played in his life but accepted it fairly quickly.
He did care for her deeply, and try as he might to deny it, it was obvious that he had fallen for her deeply a long time ago, and all his actions of late had just been pointless posturing.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, holding her closer and burying his lips in her hair. “I am so sorry, Agnes. For dragging you into this mess that did not concern you… for failing to be honest…”
He inhaled shakily, forcing himself to keep going, desperate to do something other than sit in the dirt and wait for God knew how much longer.
“I’m sorry for being such a fool. I’ve been a coward, trying to avoid the possibility of getting hurt by denying any potential emotional attachments.
I was stupid… absolutely idiotic, to tell myself I did not deserve your love…
I suppose I have always been that way since we met, right?
Desperate to oppose you and to tell you what to do.
I should have known better than to make you feel as though you were not entitled to give your love.
I am truly sorry, Agnes. I do not want to run away anymore – I won't. If … if you still love me after this, I will gladly spend the rest of my days by your side, riding our horses. So … please. Please just open your eyes.”
He heard footsteps approach the stable house and reluctantly looked up, wondering how terrible he must look for his grandmother’s expression to morph from one of concern to dismay as soon as she laid her eyes on him.
“Silas,” she softly called out, “Darling, what happened?”
Silas swallowed with difficulty, forcing the words out from around the lump in his throat.
“She … she fell. I think she hit her head as she went down. There’s blood –”
“Do not worry, Your Grace,” the physician spoke up, reaching for Agnes. “I will do everything I can to help her.”
Silas reluctantly let him lift her out of his arms to lay her back on the floor, with Silas’ jacket folded into a makeshift pillow her head to rest upon.
While the physician examined her, he moved to his grandmother’s side, allowing her to run her hands up and down his arms in an effort to soothe him.
Her gaze wandered off for a moment, and she spotted Lewis in a corner and frowned at his presence.
“What is he doing here? Was he the one who hurt Agnes?” she asked.
Silas didn’t even spare his cousin a glance as he shook his head.
“No… but he was partly responsible. He has crimes he needs to answer for. I’ll explain everything later,” Silas said, knowing that it would be quite difficult to do so.
He did not need to imagine how devastated his grandmother would feel when she learned the true story behind the death of her husband – especially that it was caused by people they had trusted and treated like family – because his own heart already ached each time he remembered the confessions he had heard.
“Your Grace,” the physician spoke up, walking towards them. “Do not worry, she will be just fine. Her injuries are merely superficial, and I have cleaned the wound to avoid any chances of an infection. She should awaken soon.”
Silas nodded, and Lady Anna reached out to pat his shoulder reassuringly, but he felt undeserving of the act of comfort as much as he desired it.
“This is my fault,” he whispered, hanging his head low.
“I am sure that isn’t true, Silas,” Lady Anna refuted softly. “Do not make yourself shoulder this weight. She will be fine. Our Agnes has the tenacity of a bull and the stubbornness of a mule. She’ll be up soon and go off in search of a horse to ride.”
A laugh bubbled out of Silas’ throat, and he nodded, trying to let hope grow within him.
“I pray she is all right after this. She… she is a blessing my grandfather would have wanted and adored relentlessly, and I was a fool not to have appreciated her as she should have been. I shouldn’t have given in to my fears and let my grief turn my heart to stone.
I just need one chance to do better. To be better… ”
Agnes’ godmother was still patting his shoulder, but he quickly forgot about her as he noticed Agnes’ brows furrow and her eyes flutter open slightly.
“I am sure you will, dear. You both are meant for each other –”
“She’s awake,” he breathed, staring right at his betrothed. The other women followed his gaze, and when they saw for themselves that he was indeed telling the truth, they rushed over to her side and began fussing over her, overjoyed over her wellbeing. Agnes, however, kept her eyes on Silas.
He contemplated stepping towards her but stopped as her voice reached him first.
“Did… did you mean what you said? Earlier? All of it?”
Silas nodded slowly, balling his hands into fists by his sides, needing to feel grounded as he spoke.
“I meant it all. Henceforth, I will do everything in my power and beyond to be the man you deserve, every day for the rest of our lives.”
“For the rest of our lives… that is a long time, Silas.”
He agreed easily. “I know. Still… that is what I wish for.”
She stared at him silently for a moment and then spoke,
“I will be the judge of whether you are capable of doing that. And depending on what my verdict is, we may or may not have our wedding in two days after all.”
Her words were fair, and she was worth agreeing to whatever terms she might issue.
He had put her through so much, and the least he could do was prove himself trustworthy, and if he fell short, it was within her rights to call off their marriage.
He would respect her decision – he owed her that much.
“All right. You have yourself a deal.”
She shook her head but accepted his help to get her off the floor.
“No more deals or contracts or clauses. Just… do your best.”
He intertwined his fingers with hers and gave her hand a small squeeze, promising softly,
“I will.”
The constables arrived moments after that, two of them going to arrest Lewis while the other supervised the Safield siblings – who had been successfully captured by Silas’ footmen.
The inspector came forward and asked to speak to the Duke concerning the matter, and he nodded, nudging Agnes towards her godmother.
He had started to follow them, then he walked in the other direction towards Lewis and retrieved the antidote from his pocket.
Then, he went back to Agnes and handed it over to her.
“This is the antidote for Scar. Please administer it to him right away.”
She glanced at the small vial in her hand and looked back up at him.
“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather do it yourself?” she questioned uncertainly.
He nodded, “I’m sure. I trust you. You have always done what’s best for him ever since you first met him that evening in the rain. I know that he’s safe with you.”
She dropped her gaze back down to the item in her hand and quietly said,
“All right. I’ll give it to him right away.”
“Thank you,” he told her sincerely, then walked forward and offered his elbow to his grandmother. “You should come with me, Grandmother. You need to hear this, too.”
She didn’t question him; she just put her hands on his elbow and let him guide her towards the constables.
Retelling the story felt as though he was back in the carriage again, scared and scarred at the sight of his grandfather, bleeding before his eyes.
Except this time, he wasn’t alone. This time, he had answers he had sought out for months after the accident.
Neither of the culprits could look at Silas or his grandmother while he relayed the necessary information as best as he could – also mentioning the attempt on Agnes’ life two weeks ago.
At the mention of that incident, Lewis spoke up and disclaimed his involvement, stating that it had been Marion’s idea, as she had hoped that they could scare Agnes away to keep the Duke from obtaining the rest of his inheritance.
His outburst earned him a look of disappointment from the Dowager Duchess, and he fell silent again, joining the others in hanging his head in shame.
The inspector promised that they would be severely punished for their crimes.
As they dragged the perpetrators away, Agnes returned to them with a smile.
“He’s feeling much better! He recovered so quickly, it startled me.”
“He’s a strong horse. Much like his owner,” the Dowager Duchess remarked gently, lifting her hand to stroke Silas’ hair the way she used to when he was younger. Then she beamed at Agnes and queried, “So, darling, how do you plan on testing my stubborn grandson’s loyalty?”
Agnes glanced between them and smiled a little. “I’m not sure, to be honest. I don’t have anything specific in mind right this moment.”
“Do not fret, love. I think I have just the thing. Let’s discuss it further later.” Silas’ grandmother winked at her and walked off to her friend.
“I think I should be concerned over my well-being,” Silas mumbled, staring off after his grandmother.
“Perhaps you should,” Agnes winked coyly.
They returned home, everyone worn out from the day’s events.
Even Agnes showed no disappointment over being unable to compete after all the preparations she had made, merely expressing her concerns over Scar’s health.
Silas assured her that the horse would make a full recovery and even put the creature back in his stall in the stables himself.