Page 3 of Better Not Bet a Bluestocking (Ladies of Opportunity #3)

Fernleigh House

Rose bedchamber

Georgine swallowed a moan.

She wasn’t dead then.

Dead people didn’t feel pain. So great was the agony thrumming in her shoulder that, for an instant, she wished she had expired.

Sweet Jesus , has someone impaled me with a molten fireplace poker?

Memories came flooding back .

Not stabbed—shot.

Sharp , throbbing heat radiated from the wound, and each breath sent a fresh, tormenting lance through her.

An insidious, clawing pain dug into her flesh and refused to relent.

Her feeble attempt to shift only worsened her discomfort, and a small, ragged gasp escaped her lips before she could suppress it.

Eyes closed, she struggled to recall the details of the shooting.

That blackguard Desmond and his thugs stormed into the garden, threatening Roxina and the others. Then Shelby Tellinger appeared— Robyn Fitzlloyd and Quentin Honeybrook too.

Georgine scrunched her eyebrows together, relieved when the minuscule movement did not cause another stab of agony.

Then what?

Oh , yes.

She remembered now.

Several volleys of gunfire had been exchanged, killing Desmond and one of his men.

Georgine vaguely recalled Aubriella exclaiming, “ You’ve been shot, Georgie .”

How peculiar that I didn’t feel any pain in the garden, yet now this burning in my shoulder makes me nauseous and nearly causes me to swoon.

A tremor of consternation rippled through Georgine , making her break out in an icy sweat.

She had been shot.

Not merely grazed, but wounded severely enough to render her insensible. She remembered objecting to Robyn scooping her into his arms and racing toward the house, shouting orders, but nothing after that.

What if the bullet had shattered bone?

Had she lost the use of her arm?

What if an infection sets in?

Muted whispering roused Georgine further, but she didn’t have the strength to open her eyes at the moment.

“ How is she?” a man asked, his tone low.

Robyn Fitzlloyd? —

Not quite Georgine’s nemesis, though a constant, irksome pebble in her slipper, he now spoke with a note of concern that seemed almost genuine—a disconcerting novelty from his lips.

“ Doctor Tinsdale believes Georgie will probably not rouse until morning, Robyn ,” his sister, Matilda , said. “ She lost a significant amount of blood, and the shock alone is enough to keep her abed for some time. He’s wrapped her arm against her torso to prevent any movement of her shoulder.”

Doctor Tinsdale ?

A doctor has been here ?

What was Georgine’s prognosis?

“ Did he leave instructions?” Robyn asked, a touch of impatience tempering the question.

Because of the inconvenience Georgine had caused his household?

She could hardly be faulted for taking a lead ball meant for another.

How long had she been unconscious, anyway?

“ The physician removed the ball and sterilized and bandaged the wound, but because the bone was chipped, Doctor Tinsdale would like her monitored throughout the night.” Utter exhaustion leached into Matilda’s voice.

“ He left laudanum. Georgine will be in extreme pain when she awakens. He also advised that movement will worsen her discomfort, so we are to keep her as still as possible. Oh , and only small sips of water tonight. She’ll be thirsty, but he does not want to risk her vomiting and tearing the sutures. ”

“ Understandable ,” Robyn murmured.

The sound of paper crackling carried to Georgine .

“ He left a daily regimen, too, and said he would leave instructions with Mrs . Fennick on how to prepare the various tonics as well as what Georgine should eat to help her heal.” The paper rustled again.

“ She is to have warm bone broth with a spoonful of honey and garlic syrup in the morning. Midday , yarrow or thyme tea. Evening : elderberry cordial or chamomile tea with honey, and as needed, garlic-vinegar-honey tonic, but only small sips.”

None of which sounded the least appealing.

In truth, revolting better described Georgine’s invalid’s menu.

Robyn made a rough sound in his throat.

Annoyance ? Displeasure ? Frustration ?

Disgust at the unappetizing menu?

“ I’m relieved that’s not my fare. Poor Georgine .” Again , a note of genuine concern tempered his reply.

Well , that answered that question.

Georgine released a long, shallow breath.

How much would a chipped bone delay her recovery, and what did that mean for the use of her arm?

Alarm thrummed through her.

Would she have the use of her arm?

Matilda murmured something Georgine could not make out.

“ Ah , I see.” Robyn’s tone was impossible to decipher. “ Well , this should prove quite interesting.”

What should?

“ Doctor Tinsdale will call in the morning to check on her progress,” Matilda said, scarcely above an exhausted whisper.

“ You look done in, Mittie .” Weariness and affection tempered Robyn’s mellow baritone. “ Why don’t you take a dinner tray in your room and then retire for the night? It is nearly half of nine already. Since it’s unlikely Miss Thackerly will awaken, I’ll have Agnes sit with her.”

Robyn might be a controlling bugger, but he adored his younger sister.

“ Oh , Robyn .” Genuine dismay colored Matilda’s exclamation. “ With all the commotion, I forgot to tell you. Agnes’s mother took a nasty fall this afternoon.” Fabric rustled a few feet away. “ She will be absent for several days.”

A resigned masculine sigh echoed throughout the chamber.

“ I shall stay with Georgine then.” He did not sound thrilled at the prospect. “ You need to rest.”

Wait .

Hold on a moment.

Georgine’s sluggish mind tripped over itself.

Robyn will what?

He cannot stay here.

With me.

Alone .

“ Are you sure, Robyn ? You must check her wound for bleeding, oozing, and signs of infection every two hours.” Concern and a touch of doubt edged Matilda’s question.

“ Besides , it is highly improper for you to be with Georgine unchaperoned. You know how fussy she is about propriety. If she were to awaken, she would object most strenuously.”

Yes , I most certainly would!

I do!

I object most vehemently!

Why couldn’t Georgine speak?

Even as her mind raced, her tongue seemed swollen to twice its normal size, and the ability to form words proved beyond her.

“ Well , given she’s as white as the sheets she is lying upon and in a near stupor to boot, she cannot object, can she?” Warm and unrepentant humor riddled Robyn’s tone. “ What she doesn’t know cannot hurt her. Besides , her reputation is the least of her worries right now.”

The least…?

The gall of the cocky bounder!

If Georgine could crack her eyes open, she would incinerate him with a murderous glare.

However , the simple movement would require more effort than she could summon, and besides, the infernal man probably smirked like a gargoyle, which would only annoy her further.

She could hear the jollity in his voice—the smug certainty, the mischievous lilt that suggested he was wholly unbothered by decorum or propriety.

The arrogance!

The sheer audacity!

This is not a minor infraction—this is…ruinous.

The moment someone discovers that he remained alone with me overnight, my reputation will be in tatters.

There will be whispers.

Speculation .

Perhaps even demands that he do the honorable thing and—good God —marry me.