Chapter 24

Leah awoke with the sun streaming through the window. She had no idea what time it was, but her stomach rumbled with hunger. Surprising, considering the events that had transpired in the cellars. She thought food would be the last thing on her mind, and indeed, until she knew how Harlan was, she could hold off her stomach's demands a bit longer.

Pulling on the nearby cord, she moved to the edge of the bed and waited patiently for the maid to arrive. When there was a light knock and the girl walked in, Leah said, "What time is it?"

"Nearly three in the afternoon, miss. But I was given strict instructions to let you rest."

"My goodness," Leah murmured. She had never been someone who could sleep the day away, but apparently that had changed. She was anxious to know about Harlan, but her loyalty to the country advised her to ask about the reigning monarch first. "How is the queen faring?"

"Very well, miss." The maid returned broadly. "She has spoken with her closest advisors and wishes to keep the matter at the palace quiet to quench any further threat of rebellion."

Leah frowned slightly. "I might think that she would be eager to alert the country that mutiny of any sort won't be tolerated."

"She suggested that not giving the paper any fodder would work better and the storm would eventually die down after her coronation and she was properly wed."

Leah could certainly see the sense in that. "A very practical decision. I had the feeling she would make a fine queen."

"Indeed, miss."

Leah got to her feet and put on her robe. "What of Mr. Mathis? I am eager to hear about his recovery." She might have imagined it, but the girl suddenly seemed rather anxious. "Is something wrong?" she asked, her heart starting to pound.

"No, miss. Everything is well. You must be famished though. I can have a tray sent to you and a change of clothes. No doubt you would like to look your best when you see Mr. Mathis again."

Leah was disappointed by the delay, but she had to admit that the maid extended a tempting offer. "Of course. I'm sure you're right. I probably look a fright." She reached up and touched her unbound hair.

"Not at all, but I daresay you will feel better after some fresh clothes."

In short order, the maid assisted Leah into a simple, yellow muslin day dress, and after she had consumed most of the ham and eggs on her plate, as well as half a pot of tea, she was feeling almost restored.

"Has Mr. Mathis returned home?" Leah inquired when her toilette was completed, the maid fixing her hair into a simple, but elegant chignon. "If so, would it be too much to request a ride to Pall Mall?"

Again, the maid had a strange look on her face, but she quickly smiled broadly. "Let me see what I can do, miss."

Leah was starting to feel like there was a secret she wasn't privy to learning. That uneasy sensation grew when the door to her chamber opened to admit Hugh.

She immediately got to her feet and walked over to him. "What's going on? What is everyone trying to hide from me? Where's Harlan?"

She must have sounded desperate, and perhaps a slightly bit hysterical, because Hugh calmly took her arm and steered her over to a nearby chair. "You should sit down—"

"Oh, God." Immediately, her composure began to falter. She sank into the chair when her legs would no longer support her weight. "Don't tell me he's dead. I couldn't bear it."

He looked at her in a confused manner for a moment, and then shook his head. "No. His wound wasn't severe." She was relieved, until he paused. "But there is a… complication." She didn't blink as she waited for him to continue. "He has developed a fever. He's been delirious for several hours and his condition doesn't seem to be improving." He set his hands on his hips. "The doctor has suggested that we must prepare ourselves for the worst—"

She stood, her fortitude abruptly rising to the surface. "No. I refuse to accept that. Take me to him."

He hesitated. "Are you sure that's wise? Especially in your condition…"

She blinked, hardly able to comprehend their discussion any longer. "What are you talking about? I'm perfectly fine."

He cleared his throat. "Indeed. However, I was under the impression that you could be…er…" His focus moved to her midsection and she finally understood.

"Oh." Her face reddened slightly. "He told you."

"Yes." He exhaled, as if he was thankful he didn't have to actually say the words.

"I am not certain as yet, but if I were, it would not stop me from wanting to see him. If Harlan has an issue with it, then he will have to take it up with me when he wakes." She set her hands on her hips. "Now, is that good enough for you to allow me to see him?"

He inclined his head sharply. "I think it might do him some good to hear your voice. Follow me."

It was Leah's turn to be surprised. "He's still at the palace?"

"The queen insisted. He saved her life too and she is very grateful for the intervention. She saw to it that her personal physician attended him."

Warmed by her kindness, Leah said, "I should like to thank her in person once I see Harlan."

"I'm sure she would like that very much." He smiled slightly, and then headed for the door.

They didn't have far to go before a footman opened another door for them and they entered a dimly lit room. The curtains were closed and a few gas lamps lit about the room. She could just make out a figure lying still in the large, four-poster bed, and Leah's heart leapt into her throat with fear. It was as if they were already picturing the worst fate.

Hugh stood back as Leah made her way forward to the side of the bed. There was a chair beside it, and she had the feeling Hugh had been making good use of it. Rather than do the same, Leah sat on the edge of the bed and reached out to grasp Harlan's hand. It was as cold as ice. But one look at his face and she could see that he was flushed with fever.

Her throat constricted and she had to swallow several times before she felt confident enough to speak. His name still came out as a soft whisper. "Harlan?" She tried again. "Harlan, it's Leah. Can you hear me?"

Nothing. Not a single stir of movement.

Her eyes started to sting, but she blinked the tears away. "I'm not giving up on you. Do you hear me? I'm not giving up on us. You need to cease this foolishness immediately and come back to me. I need you, Harlan. I need you more than words can possibly say."

He moved, and she had hope, thinking that it was going to be that easy to bring him back around, but instead, his forehead creased and he reached out his good arm and grabbed her with a mighty grip. His fingers dug into her flesh and she gave a soft cry.

Hugh was by her side, ready to assist, but she shook her head and he backed away.

"What is it, Harlan?" she cooed, hoping that her voice would soothe whatever demons he was trying to face in his delirium. "Are you fighting for me? I'm here. I'm safe, and I'm waiting for you."

She held her breath, waiting to see what he was doing. Abruptly, the pressure eased and his arm fell back to his side. He mumbled something incoherent beneath his breath, and then he moved a bit more and became still once again.

Leah lowered her head, but when Hugh touched her shoulder and suggested she return to her chamber, she shrugged his offer away. Turning her focus on him, she said firmly, "I'm not leaving him."

He must have seen the determination in her gaze, because he sighed and held up his hands, before dropping them to his sides. "As you wish. But if you change your mind, or need a break, I will not be far away."

She softened her tone. "Thank you, Hugh. Are Benjamin and Lucas still here as well?"

"No." His mouth tightened slightly. "I told them that they needed to return home to their families and I would send word if Harlan's condition changed. It took the queen's guards to make them leave. I wonder if they will ever speak to me again."

"You can't blame them," Leah said quietly. "But you did the right thing. Harlan wouldn't want everyone here hovering over his bedside. You should go home as well."

"I can't," Hugh said. His focus drifted to the man lying in the bed. "I have been with him too long to desert him now. Since we were in short pants. I know my wife will understand the delay."

"You are a good friend, Hugh."

He looked at her with a solemn expression that she'd never seen before. "You are good for him too, Miss Lindquist. And for both of our sakes, I pray he recovers enough so that he might tell you that himself."

As he left, Leah found herself taken aback by his parting statement. Was he trying to tell her that Harlan might… love her? Her heart skittered in her chest, because it was the one word that would make their union complete.

Harlan was caught somewherebetween heaven and hell.

Perhaps it was purgatory.

Perhaps it was something much worse.

Wherever he was, it was torturous not being with Leah. He kept imagining that he heard her voice, felt her gentle touch, but she was always just out of his reach. He tried to order her to stay, but she always skated just beyond his grasp.

He was starting to wonder if he might never wake up from this dreaded oblivion.

In his delirium, he started to recall his childhood and how he'd always looked up to his father, a man who had fought and died valiantly in the service of his country at the Battle of Waterloo. He had always wanted to live up to the same expectations, to feel as though his father's memory might live on in him.

He had hoped his efforts might have coerced his mother to come back from the brink of melancholy after her husband's death, but she had slowly faded away in front of Harlan, and there was nothing he could do about it. He recalled standing at her grave and thinking it was such a shame she had never been able to recover from her grief.

He'd said he didn't want to put Leah through the same devastation. He couldn't bear it if he had to look at another mound of dirt with that twisted sensation in his chest. And yet, he couldn't seem to stop himself from getting more and more entangled in her web. It wasn't as though she was at fault, but from the moment he set eyes on her, it was as if something had flared to life in his hollow chest. He couldn't believe that there might be anyone that could cure his desire to die in the field of honor like his father, but when he imagined a life without Leah, he knew that there was only one choice for him to make.

He wanted to be with her.

But first, he had to find his way back to the surface of the living.

It was as if a wall was all around him, surrounding him in darkness, and no matter how hard he tried to find his way out, it would lock him back inside.

But then something miraculous happened.

He could feel pain. It wasn't sharp, but a slight prick that was enough to awaken his mortal senses.

And then there was the sound of an angel…

His angel.

"This is the second time I've had to patch up one of your wounds. I'm starting to think you're rather unlucky indeed. I suppose the physician who attended you did a good job, but since it was necessary to rid the wound of infection, I fear I demanded to be allowed to stitch you up again. I hope the queen doesn't decide to throw me out for disregarding the doctor's orders, but I explained, in no uncertain terms, that you were my patient now. I daresay he didn't take that well at all."

From the pit where Harlan remained, there was a glimmer of hope when he heard Leah's musical voice. It was the sweetest sound he believed he'd ever heard before. And he prayed that God allowed him to hear it over and over again until he lived to a ripe old age.

Minutes… hours… days…

He didn't know how much time passed before he resurfaced at the edge of consciousness once again. And again, he heard her.

"Can you believe that?" He imagined her shaking her lovely auburn head, her expressive amber eyes rolling with a dramatic flair. "You really need to wake up soon because Hugh has become quite unbearable. It's been two days, and he hardly sits still, constantly pacing the room. I told him time and again to go home, but he refuses to do so. He's nearly as stubborn as you are, but I can see why. He loves you, but I know that he will never admit it. You are like a brother to him, I can tell, and if I wasn't so shaken by all of this, I might be glad for his support. Instead, I can tell I'm here for him, so I wish you would wake up and let him know you're going to be fine. Then perhaps I will finally get some peace."

Harlan's lips wanted to twitch. He yearned to smile, to laugh, to do what she wanted, but his body refused to obey the commands he gave.

With a mental sigh, he receded back into the void.