Page 22 of Ravished by the Beastly Duke (Regency Beasts #1)

CHAPTER 22

E veline had heaved a sigh of relief when her husband had finally stepped out of the room.

However, now, after leaning back and lying in bed for so long, she was beginning to get bored. It was a shame that she could not even leave the bed because of her injured foot.

Her foot still throbbed, but now, it was a dull pain. And yet the pain at its worst was not as inconvenient as her husband hovering over her as though she would drop dead any moment.

She shook her head in disbelief. She had always thought her husband a brave man, but ever since he found her by the stream, he had changed totally, and not in a positive way.

He had been pale with fear when he saw her bloodied arms, and his hands had shaken terribly while he tried to tend to her at the stream. Even when his horse took them home, his body had been tense and his brow furrowed with worry. He had refused to listen to her even as she repeated over and over again that she was not dying. And even her attempts at making light of the situation had fallen flat.

However, none of that was as ridiculous as his suggestion that she might die from a twisted ankle.

When the chamber door opened again, she dreaded his entry. She was, therefore, relieved to see that only Gracie had come in to change her clothing.

“The physician shall be here soon, Your Grace,” Gracie said sympathetically as she helped her out of her riding habit.

“Where is the Duke?” Eveline asked.

It had been far too long since he had left, and she was rather surprised that he hadn’t even bothered to check on her while they waited for the physician.

“His Grace went to fetch the physician himself,” Gracie explained.

Eveline was taken aback. Why did he go fetch the physician when sending a message would have sufficed?

She shook her head in disbelief. Nothing her husband had done ever since she fell off the horse made much sense to her. She was, however, relieved when the physician arrived with her husband in tow.

The physician was a polished, older man who wore a long blue coat and carried a walking staff. He also had brought two apprentices with him.

Eveline remembered the physician who often came to treat her and her sisters when she was a little girl, and she noted that he did not look as refined as the one her husband had brought her.

“Look into her eyes,” William urged. “Examine her. She might have suffered a concussion.”

The physician smiled. “I shall check for all the conditions you have mentioned in due time.”

“William, you have been hassling the poor gentleman, have you not?”

“His Grace can hassle me all he wants,” the physician said with a chuckle. “After all, he graciously offered to pay me what I would earn in a month if I canceled my other appointments for the day and followed him.”

Eveline could not believe her ears.

“Why would you do this?” she asked angrily.

“I must know that you are fine, and time is of the essence,” William said.

The physician approached her and, like her husband, peered into her eyes. “Did you hit your head when you fell, Your Grace?” he asked.

Eveline shook her head. “I do?—”

“It is quite possible that she does not remember,” William cut in.

Eveline could not help but be annoyed.

“Shall I respond, or would you rather do it on my behalf?” she snapped.

The physician turned to William. “I would rather hear directly from Her Grace.”

William nodded, then began to pace the room, glancing at her every so often.

“If the Duchess did not suffer a blow to the head, there is no reason to suspect a concussion,” the physician said.

William stopped pacing upon hearing this, and Eveline could tell he was about to argue.

The physician must have noticed too because he added, “However, I shall conduct a proper examination to rule it out.”

William gave a satisfied nod.

“Do you feel dizzy, Your Grace?” the physician asked.

“No, I do not,” Eveline replied.

“What is your name, Your Grace?”

“I do not quite understand what this question has to do with anything,” Eveline responded.

“I need to ascertain that there is no form of confusion,” the physician explained.

“If I was confused, I suppose I would not have been able to query you, don’t you think?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Perhaps not. Some concussed patients would be able to answer certain questions, but they would be confused when it pertains to answering questions that require them to think.”

“In that case, my name is Eveline,” she grumbled.

“How many sisters do you have, Your Grace?”

“I have two. Ava and Stella.”

“And how many brothers?”

“I have no brother.”

The physician turned to William for confirmation, and he nodded.

“I suppose there is no sign of a concussion. However, to reassure His Grace, I shall quickly examine your head.”

Eveline sighed in exasperation. “I would argue that my ankle and arms require your attention rather than a head injury that does not exist.”

“Your Grace, it will only be for a moment,” the physician reassured her.

With that, he touched her head all over.

Once he was satisfied, he declared, “There are no bumps, bruises, or fractures. It is safe to say that there is no concussion. I shall now proceed to inspect your arms and ankle.”

William did not seem too pleased by this, but Eveline was only too happy to have the physician stop prodding her head.

He only took a moment to inspect her arms before he moved to her ankle.

He touched her swollen ankle, and she could barely suppress a yelp. She glanced briefly at her husband, only to see him staring at her, his face contorted with worry.

“Can you move your leg?” the physician asked.

“I am not so certain. It is quite painful,” she replied.

“I would like to see you try, even if only for a moment. Try to move your foot,” he urged.

Eveline took a deep breath, bracing herself for the pain. She gritted her teeth as she rolled her foot.

The pain was intense, but she pushed through it.

“Since you can still move your foot, albeit with pain, then it is only a twist, not a fracture.”

Eveline was relieved.

“How long would it be before I can walk again?” she asked.

“If you rest and do not exert yourself, you should resume walking tomorrow.”

Soon enough, the physician was writing the prescription while instructing his apprentices on what to do. One of the apprentices soaked a fabric in cold water and vinegar, then slowly rubbed her foot with it.

Even though the pain was quite intense, Eveline did not make a sound. Yet, her husband came rushing to her side.

Afterward, another apprentice bandaged the foot and placed a pillow beneath it, so it would stay elevated.

“Your leg must stay elevated at all times, Your Grace,” the physician said.

Eveline nodded.

The physician handed the prescription to William. “These are the herbals Her Grace will need,” he said, then turned back to Eveline. “You can start walking around tomorrow. However, it will take a few days to be fully healed.”

“Are you certain that she will be fine?” William asked, his eyes still wide with worry. “Perhaps you need to check her body to see if she sustained an injury to her spine.”

Eveline could not believe her ears.

“I assure you, Your Grace,” the physician replied, “the only injury Her Grace sustained has been attended to.”

With that, he left with his apprentices.

Finally, Eveline was left alone with her husband.

“Are you now satisfied that I am not about to drop dead?” she asked.

When she turned to him, however, he did not seem to be relieved or reassured.

“It is all my fault,” William said in a low voice.

“What nonsense are you saying?” Eveline was surprised by his words. “Of course, it is not your fault.”

“But it is. I persuaded you to come riding with me.”

“This is only but a minor injury. This could have happened even when I was in the castle. I could have slipped while walking down the stairs.”

“And yet it happened when you went horse riding with me. I failed. I had only one duty, and that was to protect you. And yet I let you go riding on your own. It could have ended worse.”

“But it did not. I am fine, save for a twisted ankle, which will heal in a matter of days.”

William shook his head vigorously. Eveline was not quite certain he heard her at all.

“You could have been badly injured,” he repeated.

“And again, I am letting you know that it was an accident—an accident that could have occurred in this castle.”

“You are right, Eveline,” William sighed, taking her hands in his own. “This could have happened anywhere.”

Eveline was relieved. She was glad she was able to talk some sense into her husband.

“Do you now know that it was not your fault?”

William smiled in response as he rose to his feet.

“Thank you, Eveline. You have told me everything I need to know, and now I know what I should do.”

With that, he walked out of the room.

While Eveline was glad he had finally snapped out of his panic and self-blame, she could not help the nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach telling her that things were, in fact, not fine.

William had been in his study for hours, and yet he had not been able to get any work done.

In fact, he had canceled his plans for the day. His heart has been in turmoil all day. He could not think quite clearly, and it disturbed him terribly.

Eveline’s fall had affected him a little more than he could have imagined, and no matter what happened, he could not help but blame himself for it.

He opened the curtains to let in the night breeze while he wondered for a moment how she was feeling now. However, he could not bring himself to stay with her for another moment.

Even staying with her under the same roof was pure torture, and he could not stop himself from thinking of all the things that could go wrong, all the ways in which she could get hurt and maybe even die.

Eveline was not wrong when she told him that she could have had the same accident in the castle. He knew now that nowhere was safe, not even their home.

Anything could take her away. Just like his mother, she could get pregnant and die while having the baby.

The mere thought made William shudder uncontrollably. He suddenly felt hot all over, and even the cool breeze did not seem to make much of a difference.

He felt suffocated, and it was not just the study. He needed to leave the castle.

He decided to take a stroll then. He was not quite sure where he was going at first until he found himself in the garden.

He took a seat in the pavilion and took a deep breath.

There, in the garden, he felt free, and he could escape the panic that had been bubbling inside him for a moment.

There, in the garden, nothing else mattered. His mind was calm, and his inner turmoil had subsided.

It was just like old times, when he would escape from his father to the garden, the only place he knew his father would never step foot in. Now, however, he was escaping from his own thoughts and his mind.

He found it rather ironic that the same pavilion that his wife had erected was now the same place he was hiding from his troubles.

Memories of the last time he and Eveline had visited the pavilion flashed through his mind. He remembered just how raw and vulnerable he had been with her that night. And then the night ended on the most romantic note.

William’s heart ached, knowing that his wife was up in her chambers, confined to her bed while he sat there.

At that moment, he could not help but wonder if falling in love with his wife and baring his heart to her was a bad idea. He wondered for a moment if it would not have been better if he had stuck to his earlier resolve to never fall in love.

After all, love only brought pain. He had seen it with his father. He had witnessed how the pain of losing the one person he loved had driven him to cruelty.

And now William could not help but see a glimpse of his father in himself. His father had fallen in love and then gone mad once he lost his love. William, on the other hand, had fallen in love, and when the woman he loved had gotten injured, he had been so terrified that he had lost his mind for a moment.

It is all my fault.

After all, if he had not fallen in love with her, he wouldn’t have been so terrified by her little accident.

He had been blinded by his emotions and momentarily forgot that love was pain, but it was now time for him to remember.

Eveline had assured him that he was not broken, but now he knew she only said that because she wanted him to let go of his past. He knew now that he could never do that. His past has broken him, and a broken man he must remain to protect himself and, most especially, his wife.

He would always be scared of the future, the inevitable. He would always be scared of losing the woman he loved. He could never escape his fear of her getting hurt—certainly not now, when his fear had become a reality.

For a moment, he wondered what would happen if they had a child. What would he do if, during childbirth, his wife died? Would he terrorize his son as a punishment for her death? Would he hate his own child solely because of that?

William knew that he had made a mistake by allowing himself to feel, to live. Now, he has to fix it. He needed to make this right, not just for himself but also for his wife.

Having now made a decision, he left the pavilion and went back to the castle.

His mind had quietened down, and he was not quite as disturbed as he had been before. He now had one goal and one goal only, and right from that night, he planned to work towards it.

Therefore, instead of returning to his wife’s chambers and retiring for the night, he decided to spend his night in his study.

However, just as he had stopped in front of his study, he started doubting his earlier decision.

There was nothing he wanted more than to be in his bed and have his wife curl up against him while he showered her with kisses.

For a brief moment, his resolve faltered. He turned back, heading towards her chambers. He opened the door and stepped into the room, but the sight that greeted him stopped him in his tracks.

There his wife was, sleeping soundly in the bed they had shared for the past few days. Aside from her leg, which was still resting on a pillow, she looked quite peaceful in sleep.

She was radiant as ever, and with her chestnut-brown hair fanned over the pillows, she looked like an angel.

William was torn between joining her in the bed and returning to his study. He wanted so badly to join her and enjoy the warmth of her body. However, he knew that if he did, he would have to resign himself and her to a lifetime of hurt and pain.

Therefore, he turned around and left for his study.

It was certainly a difficult decision, but a necessary one nonetheless.

While staying away from her was hard, William knew that what he had to do the following day would be harder.