Chapter 10
Gabriel re-lit his candle, and the flame flickered back to life. He had been correct about what he had seen.
Lady Agnes was standing in the hall—not at all in the library, where he had been heading, expecting that he would find her reading there, intending to offer her some company if she wanted it.
It was odd. He knew that he had promised to leave her in peace to read tonight.
He had intended to do just that. But as he’d sat in his study, he had found himself unable to forget the conversation they had been having.
It didn’t feel as if it had concluded. He had found himself wanting to go and find her, to continue the conversation they’d begun at the ball.
Why would he want such a thing, though? They had been arguing at the ball, hadn’t they?
He was certain the answer was yes, and yet he couldn’t remember feeling angry or distressed about it at all. He had enjoyed it, somehow.
Every moment with Lady Agnes was so strange.
Now she was standing in his hallway, though, and what was more, Helena was with her. How had that happened?
“What’s going on here?” he demanded of them. “Helena, what are you doing out of bed in the middle of the night?”
It was Lady Agnes who answered. “I think she’s sleepwalking, Your Grace,” she said.
“I’ve never encountered it before, but I’ve read about it.
She came into the library in this state, you see, and I thought the best thing for me to do would be to try to get her back to her bed, only I don’t know where it is.
I was hoping I might come across someone who could help—so I’m very glad we found you when we did. ”
Fear spiked through him. “Sleepwalking?” he repeated.
“Does she have a tendency to do that?” Lady Agnes asked him. “I mean, is it something you’ve seen from her before?”
“I haven’t known her to.” But now he was worried. Was it possible that Helena had done this before? Had she been walking around the manor at night? “What’s the matter with her? Will she be all right?”
“She’s perfectly fine,” Lady Agnes assured him. “I don’t think you should worry at all. But I do think we should get her back to bed. Can you lead the way?”
“Shouldn’t we try to wake her?” He was already moving down the hall in the direction of Helena’s room, and Lady Agnes was following, still leading Helena along. He wanted to see her eyes clear. He wanted to hear her voice, to have her tell him that she was all right.
“I don’t think she would wake easily,” Lady Agnes said. “According to the reading I’ve done, you have to be in a very deep sleep to begin sleepwalking in the first place. The best thing is just to get her to somewhere she’ll be safe.”
“This is her room.” He opened the door. He frowned for a moment, then swept his niece up in his arms and carried her the rest of the way to her bed. Walking to the wall, he pulled the bell that would signal her maid. “I don’t think she should be alone.”
“I agree, for now,” Lady Agnes said. “For your own peace of mind as much as anything else, it seems a good idea to have somebody sit with her for the next little while.
“I just don’t know about this,” he said, wringing his hands. “What if it means something is the matter with her? I think maybe I should call the physician after all. This isn’t normal behavior.”
The maid appeared in the doorway, looking flustered. “Your Grace. What’s the matter?”
“I need someone to sit with Lady Helena tonight and make sure she’s all right,” Gabriel explained. “Apparently she’s been sleepwalking, and I don’t want it to happen again.”
The maid looked rather pale, but she nodded. “I can do that,” she said.
“If she tries to get up, just guide her back into bed,” Lady Agnes said. “She’ll be easy to lead. All you have to do is make sure she stays in this room.”
The maid nodded. “I’ll keep her here. Don’t worry, Your Grace.”
But Gabriel was worried. Sleepwalking! He didn’t know what to make of it. He left the bedroom and stood in the hallway for a moment, trying to decide what he ought to do next.
Lady Agnes paused beside him. “Why don’t we go to the library?” She suggested. “I really have read about this, Your Grace. I can see that you’re concerned, and I might be able to answer some of your questions for you. Maybe I can put your mind at ease.”
His first instinct was to lash out, to deny that she could do any such thing. She might have read a few books, but she had no real medical knowledge—what could she possibly tell him about Helena’s well-being?
But she looked so calm. So certain. Gabriel was man enough to admit that a little calm and certainty were just what he needed right now. There was no harm in hearing what she had to say. Maybe it would put his mind at ease.
He followed her to the library. Her candle was burning low. Her book lay open on the seat of her chair—she must have abandoned it there when Helena had come in. He cleared his throat and sat down. “Thank you for taking the time to help her.”
“Of course,” Lady Agnes assured him. “It was no hardship to me, and I would never want her to be in any danger.”
“So you do think she’s in danger?” He sat forward, anxious.
“Not now,” she told him, taking her own seat.
“Now that she’s in bed, she’s fine. Sleepwalking—it’s sort of like having nightmares.
It comes upon you when you’re sleeping very deeply.
It doesn’t necessarily mean anything is terribly wrong.
It’s just the mind playing tricks on you in your sleep.
In a nightmare, you see things that aren’t real, and when you’re sleepwalking you get the urge to move about when you really shouldn’t. ”
“I see,” he said slowly. Comparing it to a nightmare did make him feel somewhat better. That was something he could understand. “Why did you speak of danger, then?”
“Only because walking around without a good sense of what you’re doing might lead to an accident. I thought of her falling down the stairs or something of that nature.”
Gabriel flinched away from the thought. “If she does this regularly—how can I prevent that? I can’t ask the staff to sit with her every night. That’s far too much to ask of them, and besides, she deserves to be in peace when she sleeps, and not to be watched all the time.”
“Yes,” Lady Agnes agreed. “It’s very troubling to be watched all the time.” She smiled slightly. “I don’t think you need to worry. Put a lock on her door from the outside.”
“She’ll despise that. She’ll say I’m keeping her prisoner.”
“I understand,” Lady Agnes said. “I would react the same way.”
“Then what do I do?” He shook his head. “I make so many mistakes bringing her up. Sometimes I feel as if it’s just one failure after another. Now I have to lock her in her room. I know she’ll hate me for it, and yet, what else can I do?”
“You should talk to her,” Lady Agnes said softly.
He looked up at her. “What?”
“Tell her what happened tonight,” Lady Agnes suggested.
“Tell her that you fear for her safety, and that you want to think of a way to prevent it from happening again. Tell her you thought of locking the door front he outside so that she can’t wander, but that you knew she wouldn’t like the idea and you wonder whether she has a better one.
Perhaps the two of you can come up with something together—and if you can’t, at least she’ll get to see that you tried.
She’ll know that you cared enough for how she would feel about it to make that effort.
Once she sees that, I’d be willing to bet she’ll take to you doing what’s necessary a lot more easily. ”
Gabriel smiled. “You understand young ladies pretty well.”
“It wasn’t that long ago that I was one myself,” she said with a smile.
“And sleepwalking—what an odd piece of knowledge to have at the ready! But it certainly came in handy tonight,” he said.
“I have to admit that I do feel better having spoken to you about this. I agree that we probably don’t need to bring in a physician—we just need to take steps to make sure she doesn’t wander the house at night. ”
“I’m glad I read the book that gave me that information,” Lady Agnes said. Then a smile crossed her face. “Perhaps now you can see the value in allowing a lady to read?”
A laugh burst out of him in spite of himself. “I suppose you have a point there,” he said. “So you’re not just interested in reading scandalous literature, then?”
“Oh, no. I have a wide variety of interests.” She smiled. “I just don’t happen to need your help to access books about most of them. Although I must say, Your Grace, your library is divine. I could spend days in here reading to my heart’s content.”
“You’re welcome here anytime,” he said. “Even once we finish your list and end this courtship, I’d be happy to have you come by and read—though we might have to find a better way to do it than to have you sneak in during the night,” he added with a chuckle.
“Maybe I could begin hosting dinner parties with my friends and yours, and you could spend some time reading then.”
She laughed. Gabriel felt mirthful too—but he also felt a sense of hesitation about this conversation.
Was he jesting? Or had he meant that, about the dinner parties?
The truth was that he wasn’t entirely sure, and neither could he be sure how she had taken it.
What he did know was that a tension deep within him had eased at the idea that he would be able to have an ongoing friendship with her when all this came to an end.
I don’t necessarily want her out of my life when this is over.
How strange! He had truly thought of her as a malign influence and someone not to be trusted—but tonight she had helped both him and Helena, and he couldn’t ignore that fact.
He had danced with her and talked with her, argued and laughed, and every single minute of it had been enjoyable in a way he had rarely experienced with anyone.
“I ought to let you get back to your book,” he told her, rising to his feet.
She shook her head and stood up too. “I think I’ve had enough excitement for one evening,” she said. “Would you mind directing me to my bedroom? I can get a few hours of sleep in before I have to wake up and sneak out at the sunrise.”
He paused a moment. “Don’t concern yourself with that,” he said. “I don’t mind if Helena knows you’re here. You can sleep as late as you would like, and we’ll just make sure that you get out without being noticed. We can manage that.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” he said. “It’s very late. I want you to get enough sleep, not force yourself to get up at the crack of dawn.”
She smiled. “I’m very grateful, Your Grace,” she said, and her green eyes twinkled. “Truly and genuinely—very grateful for everything you have done for me.”
She paused to pick up the book. Then, flashing one more smile at him, she turned and saw herself out of the library.