The Duke's Love (19 page)

“The doctor is here, your
Grace
,
” a
servant said from the doorway and the doctor came in carrying a huge black bag. The doctor
began asking
questions and
examining
Ana. Katherine and Eliza answered
his questions as best as they could
.

“Her heart is beating
way
too fast. I’ll need to give her something to calm her down
,
”
h
e stated.

“Whatever it takes
,
just do it
,
” Jake snapped. After the doctor
dictated a multitude
of
directions
, he made his final order.

“Hopefully
,
she will be fine.
For now, there
is nothing else I can do
for her
. The lady needs rest and plenty of fluids. Her body will do the work of cleansing her. I don’t know exactly what is wrong
,
but by the looks of it, I would say it was a poison of some sort
,
" h
e said as he packed up his
medical tools
.

“She did ask me if the tea tasted bitter this morning
,
” Eliza spoke up. 

Eliza
had several cups
of the tea
so far today
, so she knew her tea was fine
.
Then she
thought about
Sarah
and her behavior thus far this weekend. “Do you think that maybe someone put something in her drink?”
She
asked.

“
What are you saying?
Who wou
ld do such a thing?” Eliza said to herself.

“
Everyone leave the room. Just leave,
” Jake’s voice quivered.
Eliza looked over at Katherine
and she knew they were thinking the same thing. It was highly improper to have Jake alone with Ana, even in this condition. Eliza gave a slight nod and Katherine
acquiesced
. They would sort out the consequences later. Everyone left, leaving Jake alone with Ana.

Jake stayed by
Ana’s side as much as he could the rest of the day.
The doctor looked in on her earlier the next day. Jake ate with the guests and conversed with them on occasion, otherwise
,
he was occupied. After interviews with the cook,
servants,
and some of the guests, it was determined that the food was not the culprit. Jake kept going over who could have done this, if
indeed
someone
had
done it. Maybe Sarah? He
could not fathom that she could possibly hate
Ana that much or else she would have done something sooner.

“Is she alright?”
Viscount
Langley came upon him as he was gathering papers from the library before heading back to Ana's side.

“She’s
still sleeping,
” Jake said.

“Again, is she alright?” He asked again.

“She will be. Would you like to visit her?” Jake took in the
Viscount
’s ragged appearance, knowing he had every right
to have them keep him
informed of Ana’s condition.

“I will
tell him of her condition
,
” Eliza said
,
making herself known behind him.  She took the
Viscount
by the arm and started to lead him from the hallway.

“You’re going to have to accept our relationship, your
Grace
. I am not going away
,
” t
he
Viscount
informed him. Jake’s lips
curved
up in dry amus
ement. “You underestimate
me.
” h
e continued to say.

“We’ll see
,
” Jake said as he watched him leave, his respect for the man going up a notch.

Jake met his mother on the stairs and together they went into the dining room. He glanced around the room and saw Sarah sitting
to
the right
of
his seat. Jake did not know how to tell Sarah he was not interested. H
e and his
mother
had
spoken at le
n
gth
about marriage and
the decision was made
that
he would wait until he found the
suitable
woman, although intuition already told him he had
already
found her. Jake was glad the weekend was over and most of the guests would leave
the next day
, including Sarah and her mother.

After dinner, the guests were supposed to play parlor games and relax before their long journey home. Jake doubted he could
beg off again
, since he
had excused himself from
the previous night’s activities. He had
instructed
a servant
to
inform him every hour
on
Ana’s condition
.
Normally
,
her maid would attend to her, but he sent her home with their entire luggage
,
since they
had
told
the guests that
Ana went home to consult her own doctor.

It
had seemed the best way to
deal with the unfolding drama without adding any gossip or ruining Ana
during her
healing process.
It also made it easier for Jake to
arrange being
alone with Ana without the guests being aware
.
T
he evening dragged on and it was late before he could get upstairs to her
. When he entered Ana’s bedroom, he
found Eliza and the
Viscount
sitting b
y
her side.

“Jake, she will
recover, won’t she
?” Eliza asked while she was holding Ana’s hand. Jake watched as she gazed down lovingly on her friend's face
,
before she released her hand
,
and came to stand in front of him.

“Yes, I’ll make sure of it
,
”
h
e whispered. Eliza stood on her tiptoes and gently kissed his cheek.

“Take good care of her.” Eliza
said
,
as she
and
the V
iscount
silently left the room
, closing
the door behind them.

Jake noticed there was a
washbasin
filled with warm water on the table
beside the bed. He sat down, wrung the cloth out, and gently started
bathing
Ana. He started with her face and worked his way down. He paused to take off her chemise. Jake smiled as he thought of the outrage she would show once she learned who had taken care of her personal needs. Not that he minded, he enjoyed looking after her and did not regret it for one
moment
. He was careful not to linger
too
long on her beautiful naked body
,
but it took tremendous effort to cover her back up with the coverlet. He kissed her on her lips, settled
himself i
n the chair beside her
bed
, and tried to catch some sleep.

Ana was trying so hard to open her eyes
, but the
y
felt
so
heavy.  She tried to move
,
but her entire body was stiff.
Her mind was trying to make sense of what was happening
,
but she was still too disoriented to think clearly.

“Wake up sweetheart, wake up for me
,
”
Jake’s voice was penetrating her haziness as it sounded softly in her ear.

The effort to open her eyes
was draining
her
of energy,
but she
could make
out
a blurry Jake
,
hovering over her. She tried to
speak,
but the only thing that came out was a croak. She felt Jake lift her up and
he
settled
her
against him. She tried to
move
,
even
willed her body to move, but she felt nothing.

He brought a glass to her lips and she felt cool water trickle down her throat. After several drinks and minutes later, she found herself leaning against Jake and it slowly dawned on her
,
they were alone
,
and she was in her chemise, practically naked. She
struggled to pull up
the sheet to keep herself covered.

“It’s okay, everything will be okay
,
” h
e said in a soothing voice, not commenting on her actions. He stroked her hair and rubbed her arms.

Ana believed hi
m, mostly because she did not wa
nt to try to work things out right now. She was tired and she felt herself falling back to sleep. It seemed easier this way. She felt herself being laid back down and realized she was being tucked in beside Jake. She knew being alone
,
and in a bed together
,
was not a good combination. However, she felt safe and secure, so she drifted back to sleep.

Hours later, she
again
woke up and everything
seemed
a little clearer. She opened her eyes and the room was dark
,
except for a dimming fire. She looked around and wondered how long she had been asleep. She wanted to know what
had
happened. She felt Jake immediately beside her, holding her close. He was asleep and snoring softly. She took the time to study him. His face was pale.
Underneath his
eyes
was
dark and puff
y, and he
desperately needed to shave. She started to sit up
,
but her whole body felt battered and bruised. She moaned in pain and Jake jerked awake.

“You’re awake.” H
is voice was thick with sleep.

“I’m sorry
,
I didn’t mean to wake you
,
” Ana spoke softly. Her head was p
ounding. “What happened to me?”

Jake’s face had gone into a scowl.
“What’s the last thing that you remember?” He asked.

She told him about coming in for breakfast, about the people she
spoke with
and her conversation with Sarah. She told him how she felt
and then the last thing was when she went up to her room to rest.
That was it, nothing out of the ordinary. She watched as Jake rubbed his temples. “You fell ill and have been
very
sick for the last two
days
,
” h
e answered.

“How long have I been asleep?” She asked.

“You have been in and out for about two days. The weekend party is over and some
of the
guests are
going
home later today and the
n the
rest
will leave
by tomorrow at the latest
,
”
he explained
.

The weekend was over and Ana had not
really
been able to talk with Jake.
As if he was reading her mind, she watched as he got up and shrugged out of his shirt. He climbed into the bed with her, tucking her in tightly beside him. “What are you doing?” She stammered as she took in his broad chest.

“We need to talk and I would like to
get
comfortable
,
”
h
e smiled.

Ana felt his smooth skin against her back. She was very aware of Jake’s nakedness next to hers. Ana tried to listen as Jake told her about the doctor
’s
visit and the suspicions
of what had happened to her
. “I didn’t eat anything. I just had tea.” She frowned while thinking about the cup
of
tea
Sarah
had given
her. She did not want to say anything to Jake about it, but it still lingered in the back of her mind.