Page 59 of The Duchess and the Beast
“I administered a sedative,” came a deep rumble from the other side of the bed. It was the physician, whom Sebastian had barely registered upon entering. “For now, she is unaware of the world around her.”
“What happened?” Sebastian demanded. “Who did this?!”
“A type of poison, Your Grace,” the physician said sternly, his voice betraying years of old age and knowledge. “Mingled with authentic tea brewed from Camellia sinensis leaves. It is quite the case. I have not determined the exact nature yet, but it is fortunate she consumed only a small dose, otherwise...” He trailed off, not willing to speak the rest.
“But she will live?” Sebastian pressed, his voice trembling. “She will... she will wake?”
“That she will,” the man assured him, and relief washed over Sebastian so powerfully, he nearly broke down. “She is strong,” he continued, “a true fighter. I have left medication and instructions with her maid...” His gaze shifted towards the door where Lucy stood silently. “But the best thing for her now is rest. Recovery may take weeks, and she is likely to suffer from dizzy spells, bouts of sickness, and loss of appetite. It will not be easy on her.”
“But she will recover?” Sebastian pressed once more, his grip on Virtue’s hand unyielding, his eyes never straying from her face.
“In time, yes, she should make a full recovery.”
Sebastian knew he should have thanked the doctor. And Lucy, too. He should have fallen to his knees and thanked them both for their quick action in saving Virtue’s life. But there would be time for that later. Right now, there wasn’t a force in the universe that could tear him from Virtue’s side.
He remained kneeling beside the bed, clutching her hand, allowing silent tears to stream freely down his face, indifferent to the eyes that might see him. He even removed his mask, despite the doctor's presence. He needed Virtue to see hisfacewhen she awoke, to understand without doubt that he was there and would remain steadfast by her side.
“You are going to be alright,” he said in a whisper, sniffing away the tears, and forcing a smile to his lips. “You will be alright.”
How long was he by her side that night, he could not tell. Time seemed irrelevant; it stretched and contracted around him in a vigil marked neither by sleep nor sustenance. He did not eat, he did not drink. He simply sat beside her, her hand in his, gently stroking her face, watching over her as she drifted in a restless sleep induced by medicine and weariness. She would recover, he assured himself repeatedly. She would be well again. Yet, such promises did little to assuage the torment that churned within him.
As the night wore on, his thoughts inevitably turned to darker channels—the poison, its origin, and the malevolent force behind it. That it was aimed at Virtue was clear. Ithadto have been someone who knew her, someone familiar enough with her to know of her penchant for exotic teas. But who? And why? Why would anybody dare to hurt her? Even more harrowing, was it linked to Simon’s death in any way? Was someone out to get Sebastian and all those he cared for?
Oh, Sebastian had his suspicions, of course... but they could wait.
A time would come when Sebastian would seek vengeance on whoever did this. And when he did, may God pity them for what he would do. That, however, was a worry for later. Once she woke.
For now, it was enough to remind himself that she would be all right, that he hadn’t lost her, that he would never leave her side again. Before he’d left for London, Sebastian had almost told Virtue that he loved her, and just thinking that she might have perished without ever hearing those words from his lips was unbearable...
Leaning in close, he pressed a tender kiss to her lips. “I love you,” he whispered, a confession meant for her ears alone, knowing she could not hear but believing still that she understood.He loved her, profoundly and truly, and he knew that this moment was not an ending but a new beginning for them both.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Virtue felt she was dreaming.
It was the way that the light cascaded through the window and haloed the figure at the foot of her bed. He was an angel, or so she thought, glowing radiant, almost seeming to float as he looked over her. She couldn’t tell who it was, for his features were obscured by the brilliance that backlit him, face and body too dark to make out. That, and her vision was blurred, such that it burned to open her eyes fully.
Not that it mattered, for she was dreaming. Dreaming of an angel, come to watch over her sleep...
“Virtue?” The muffled voice of the angel parted through her haze. “You’re… you’re awake—" It jumped to its feet and moved swiftly to her side, the light seeming to follow and expand around his silhouette, momentarily blinding her. She moaned and tried to lift her hand to cover her eyes, but she lacked the strength to even do that. “Thank the heavens,” the angel—no,not an angel, she realized—exclaimed as he fell in beside her, taking that hand and holding it. “You’re awake. You’re awake.”
“Sebastian...?” Her mind slowly tied threads of recognition together, the fog of her dream dissipating bit by bit. “Is that you?”
“Yes, it’s me,” he replied, his voice thick and gravelly. “I’m here. I’m here.”
“How?” she murmured weakly, her thoughts grappling with fragmented memories. “I thought... you left.”
“I never should have.”
“London,” she whispered, at half-formed images of his departure.
“I came back.”
“Where... where am I? What is going on?”
Memories trickled back into Virtue's consciousness like rain through the leaves of a dense forest. Sebastian leaving for London to investigate the death of his friend, the peculiar tea Lucy had brewed, the excruciating pain that followed, and then the enveloping darkness...
“You fell sick.” He held her hand to his lips, kissing it. “But you are going to be all right. You are going to be fine.”