Chapter 23
“Aww, the little lad is asleep,” Jeremy whispered.
Damien gently pressed his palm to George’s back and saw him taking slow, deep breaths.
He had no idea how much time had passed since he had let the boy rest his head on his shoulder and snuggle into his chest, but he had never once thought about putting him down.
He had never held a child like this before.
Yet when George came to him, a deep urge to protect and soothe took over, and he sat there quietly.
Finally, he lifted his eyes, searching for Caroline.
He saw her staring at him, looking as if she was about to dissolve into tears at any moment.
He wondered what he had done to make her so upset, but then a slow, affectionate smile spread across her lips, and he realized they were not tears of sadness but of joy.
“What do I do now?” he whispered.
Caroline let out a soft laugh as she sniffled and brushed a stray tear from her cheek.
“Lay him down on his back on the blanket here,” she said, patting the spot beside her. “Gently. Mind his head. Yes, that is the way.”
Damien fought the panic rising in him as he lay the boy down, worried that he was not moving slowly or gently enough.
He cradled George’s head even after he had him laid down, as if just the scant space between his hand and the blanket could hurt him.
Eventually, though, he managed to pull his hand away and took a long look down at the sleeping child.
“He has had quite the day,” Jeremy whispered.
“He certainly has,” Caroline agreed, gently stroking a strand of George’s brown hair away from his forehead.
Then her eyes met Damien’s, and he felt his heart tighten as he saw the warmth shining there.
“So have you, it seems,” she mused.
Damien huffed out a chuckle as he looked down at George again, still in shock that not only had the boy come to him for comfort, but that he had actually managed to provide it.
After all those years of living in rage, he thought it was impossible.
With Caroline, it was different. She had always made him feel different.
It now seemed that George could reveal his softer side as well. A side he had feared he would never have for children. That was why he never wanted to have any. His and Jeremy’s father’s rage seemed to only intensify when it came to children, and he had been terrified he would become the same.
A buzzing sound erupted in his ear, and Damien waved a dismissive hand at the nearby bee as he looked down at George again.
I did that. I made him feel safe enough to fall asleep.
“Shoo,” Caroline murmured, and a moment later, he felt her soft touch brush against his chest.
Damien looked up just in time to see a bee fly off his shirt. It seemed angry at Caroline’s interference, because it flew straight at her.
“Go away,” she whispered, swatting at it through the air. “Pesky things.”
Her hand missed the bee, and Damien watched as it landed on her neck.
He reached out to her immediately, but before he could seize the infernal creature, Caroline let out a hiss of pain and jerked.
His annoyance shifting to anger, he grabbed it and crushed it in his fist, then tossed it away from them.
“Are you all right?” he whispered, his fingers already moving back to the small red welt on her throat. At the last moment, he realized what he was about to do and stopped himself.
“I am fine,” Caroline said softly. “It was just a little sting.”
Damien’s eyes narrowed as little red veins started to fork from the welt.
Caroline cleared her throat again, the sound drawing Damien’s eyes up to her face. Worry spiked through his veins as he watched the color drain from her cheeks and her brows furrow with doubt.
“Caroline?” he asked, inching closer.
She parted her lips, trying to draw in a breath, and coughed.
“I…” she said, her voice beginning to tremble as her hand tightened around her throat. “I feel strange. It burns.”
Damien shoved himself up to his feet, his hands outstretched to her.
“I am sorry, but I am breaking your rule. Come here,” he commanded as he watched her eyes grow glossy.
She looked up at him, confusion and fear filling her gaze as she swayed. Damien grabbed her shoulders before she fell, and without waiting for her permission, lifted her into his arms. He barely had her against his chest before her eyes rolled back, and another shallow breath escaped her lips.
“Caroline!” Jeremy exclaimed, jumping to his feet to stand by Damien’s side. “What is the matter with her?”
“Bring George inside,” Damien commanded, already moving toward the house.
Not waiting to see if his brother was going to obey, Damien quickened his pace into a run as he felt Caroline’s breathing slow.
“Mrs. McClain!” he shouted, running faster as he held Caroline closer, “Call the physician! Get him here now!”
“She does not look fine!” Damien snapped, glancing down at the still-sleeping woman. She still appeared too pale, too still, too small and fragile.
Wake up! He mentally willed.
“I assure you, Your Grace, that your wife is perfectly all right,” the physician stated calmly, putting his tinctures back into his leather satchel.
“She had a minor reaction to the sting. I suspect it was her first ever, which is probably why her airway seized and she collapsed. However, I am leaving behind a recipe for a poultice that will draw out the poison. Your housekeeper will just have to keep the ingredients on hand.”
“If she is ‘perfectly all right,’ then why will she not wake up?” Damien demanded, not at all soothed by the physician’s calm assurance.
“She lost her ability to breathe for a few moments,” the physician explained. “That can wear the body quite a bit. However, she is breathing well and strong now. You can check for yourself if you do not believe me.”
Damien did not waste any time, not caring about any of Caroline’s rules in that particular moment, and leaned down to place a hand on the left side of her chest. He closed his eyes and sighed in relief as he felt not just her breath drawing in and out, but the strong, rhythmic beating of her heart.
“Thank you for your assistance,” Jeremy said behind him. “Perhaps you should go now. Mrs. McClain will be happy to settle your fee.”
“Indeed,” the physician muttered, and a moment later, Damien heard the door to Caroline’s room close.
“Brother,” Jeremy said, his deep voice calm. “She is going to wake up.”
Damien gritted his teeth. Somewhere in his mind, reason was trying to tell him that it was the truth. Even so, he sensed he needed to see it for himself before he could well and truly calm down.
“How is George?” he asked, not willing to discuss his fears.
“The boy is fine,” Jeremy replied. “Slept through the whole thing. We do not need to tell him about this. I believe he would be just as frightened as you are if he were to know.”
“I am not...” Damien started to snap as he shot a look over his shoulder. Yet as he caught sight of his brother’s tight jaw and raised brow in a rare look of challenge, he stopped himself. Jeremy knew the truth, and Damien no longer wished to fight it.
He had never been more terrified before in his entire life.
“Those infernal bees,” he said through gritted teeth as he turned his gaze back to Caroline. “I should burn the entirety of the gardens down. If there are no flowers, then they will have no reason to come here.”
Behind him, Jeremy chortled.
“A bit over the top, don’t you think?” he remarked.
Damien shook his head.
“You do not understand,” he said, moving his hand up to caress Caroline’s cheek. “When she fainted, when she stopped breathing, I...”
My heart stopped. I thought she was gone. Before I could make things right. Before I could show her how much she means to me.
“Do not burn those beautiful flowers,” Caroline murmured.
Damien let out a husky laugh as he heard her soft voice, and bowed his head as relief made him weak.
“There you are,” he sighed, raising his head after giving a silent prayer of thanks. He found her beautiful brown eyes still cloudy, but at least she was awake and looking at him.
“I mean it,” Caroline said as he pulled his hand away from her cheek. “Do not dare burn those flowers. Their beauty is a gift.”
“To the devil with their beauty,” Damien retorted, sitting up a little straighter. “If it means keeping those wretched creatures away, I will do it.”
Caroline tsked her tongue as she pushed herself up upon her pillows.
“There are other ways to handle problems without destruction, you know,” she scolded.
Though he could see she was clearly worried he was going to burn the gardens, Damien could not help but smirk.
“Well, pray, give me another solution to keep those stinging demons away from you, and I will try that first,” he replied.
Caroline shot him a disapproving look, making both him and Jeremy chuckle.
“So that is what happened then?” she asked, reaching up to touch her throat.
Damien caught her hand and gently lowered it, startling her.
“Sorry,” he muttered, letting go of her with a quickness. “The physician made a poultice for the sting. It needs to dry completely before you wash it off or touch it. And to answer your question, yes. It seems that you have an intolerance to their sting.”
“How bothersome,” Caroline muttered, staring off at no particular place.
Then she shifted her gaze to his, and as she smirked, Damien felt his heart flutter.
“Still,” she went on, nudging his thigh with hers.
“That does not give you the right to burn anything down. It is unnecessary and ridiculous.”
Fire flicked up his thigh where she had brushed against him; even through his breeches and the blanket over her legs, it sent desire coursing through his veins and made his body crave to touch her.
Knowing he could not, he let out a scoff as he moved off the side of her bed and headed for the door.
His body ached with longing with each step away from her, deepening his darkening mood.
“When are you going to understand, Caroline?” he bit out, gruffer than he intended as he opened the door. “I would burn the entire world down if it meant keeping you safe.”