Page 61 of The Duchess and the Beast

“That is quite all right—you are unwell, after all. You cannot be expected to remember everything,” he chuckled. “Now, shall we...” He indicated down the flat garden path for them to continue walking.

“Yes, I think I shall.” She straightened up as best she could, employing all her strength and vigor. “And if you wish to accompany me… I suppose I can tolerate your presence.”

“So very gracious of you.”

As said, it was not Sebastian who angered her. On the contrary, she often wondered how she would ever manage without him. From the moment she had awoken from her illness, he had been a constant presence in her day: soothing her pain, catering to her every need, and providing unwavering support as she regained her strength.

And he neveroncecomplained. He never showed vexation at how long she was taking to recover. It was nothing but smiles and jokes and pure happiness. It very much seemed that he was just glad she was all right and everything else was merely an added blessing in his eyes.

Not that this made Virtue’s situation any better. It was a week now since she woke fully and still, she was no closer to recovering than the day she had opened her eyes. Or so she felt. And yes, Sebastian would praise her and lovingly recount all her progress. He would remind her that on the first day, she could scarcely even sit up in bed on her own, that it wasn’t until the third when she was able to walk, and yesterday was the first day that she felt strong enough to leave the castle and stroll through the garden... albeit with his help.

Clearly, she was recovering. She no longer felt the sickening dizziness, and she could now hold her food down withoutdiscomfort. An entire day had passed without collapsing, vomiting, or losing consciousness. The recovery process was slow and steady but progressing. She just wished it would do so faster!

“Shall we take a detour around the tree?” Sebastian asked her, his voice gentle.

“I suppose so,” she sighed.

“Exciting, I know,” he grinned. He held her by the elbow still, bearing her weight as they ambled along the path.

“A real thrill,” she muttered bitterly.

“The most fun I have had all week!” he exclaimed cheerfully.

She wished he would stop being so darn cheerful. And for what? A walk through the garden! A very slow walk, at that. As grateful as she was for the way he was behaving, she would be remiss if she didn’t admit that it was grating on her nerves. This wasn’t the Sebastian she had fallen for. This wasn’t the passionate, smoldering, temperamental monster who had once enraptured her. That version of Sebastian, she had not seen all week!

And she knew he must have been enraged by what had transpired. Someone had tried to poison her! She suspected he was looking into it. That he was planning something. Last night, for example, she had made her way to his study on her own to find him bent over his desk, scribbling furiously, almost snarlingas he worked. The sight had sparked a thrill in her—this was the Sebastian she knew and loved. Yet the moment he noticed her presence, his demeanor softened, returning to the gentle caregiver she had come to know over the past week.

She wished he would involve her. That he would stop treating her like an invalid. But she also supposed for that to happen, she would need to recover first.

“So,” she ventured cautiously as they approached the tree, “any progress?”

“Meaning?”

“Who did this to me,” she stated plainly. “I assume you have some ideas.”

She could sense his body stiffen, even if he held his smile and cheery tone. “Best that you not worry about that for now.”

“Why not? I have a right to know.”

“Focus on your recovery, dear,” he continued, his grip on her elbow subtly tightening. “Once you are healed and back to your old self, aye?”

She sighed but nodded in resignation. Why bother arguing when she knew Sebastian wouldn’t rise to the bait?

They reached the tree in the corner of the garden with the intent of strolling around it. The walk itself had only been five minutes or so but already Virtue felt herself tiring. Her legs pained. Her body began to sweat. Her breathing grew labored, but she would not give up. She could not show Sebastian how weak she had—

“We best rest here,” Sebastian suggested suddenly, once they reached the tree.

“I am fine,” she insisted through gritted teeth.

“You most certainly are not,” he cooed softly.

“Sebastian.” She wrenched her arm free and turned on him. “I do not need you to—oh!” she gasped as her legs suddenly gave out.

He was quick to catch her, one arm around her back, the other slipping beneath her legs, sweeping her off her feet. Literally. She might have tried to fight him, to push him away, but her body refused to cooperate—she simply did not have the strength.

“Right here should do it,” he said with that same smile as he sat them both down. He held her the whole while, falling onto his rear so she remained comfortably nestled in his lap. “Perfect.”

“I could have made it...” she muttered, her pride bruised.