Her eyes filled with tears of relief and concern as her trembling hand reached out to brush a stray lock of hair from Philip’s forehead, her touch gentle and soothing.
“What happened?”
“You suffered a concussion,” his mother confirmed. “A broken rib and severe bruising from the accident.”
“What accident?”
Philip had vague flickers of memory flowing through his mind, but he could not yet piece any of it together. It was all scrambled jigsaw pieces that did not fit together yet.
“The carriage accident.” Adelaide’s voice cracked with emotion as she spoke. “A few days ago, now. Your horse collided with a low hanging branch, and then a carriage, causing you to fall and lose consciousness. We have had such a terrible few days waiting for you to regain consciousness.”
“I am terribly sorry, Mother, I did not know.”
A tear slipped down Adelaide’s cheek. “Please, Philip, you must listen to what the doctor has said, and rest. You must allow your body to heal or some of this might impact you forever. Your sister… oh, you should see Georgina. She is so terribly worried about you. She has hardly been able to contain herself.”
The door swung open, distracting him from his thoughts, and Georgina came rushing in, tears brimming in her eyes.
“Oh, Philip,” she cried out as she approached the bed, reaching out to clasp Philip’s hand. “Thank goodness you are awake. I was so worried about you. I did not know if I would everget to see your eyes again. Do you know how worried we have been? It has been dreadful.”
As Philip parted his lips, he realized just how groggy and disoriented he was. It was as if there was a fog in his brain that he could not shake off, however hard he tried.
He just about managed a weak smile as a warmth spread through him. “I am so grateful to you both. Thank you for being here and caring about me. Thank you for loving me.”
He truly did feel it. There had been so much tension between him and his family recently, so it was nice to push that to one side and to just appreciate the people who were in his life. It would be better if his voice wasn’t so hoarse and strained, but he could not ask for too much.
“Oh, Philip, you know that we love you,” Georgina laughed giddily. “Of course we do. And we are just glad to see you alright again.”
“Don’t forget what the physician said, Georgina,” Adelaide jumped in. “Philip needs to rest. The best thing that he can do for his recovery is sleep.”
Philip was just about to argue that he did not need rest, that he had so many questions he needed answering, but his eyes were growing heavier by the moment, and he knew that he absolutely could not fight it much longer.
“Perhaps you are right,” he murmured, but he wasn’t even sure if those words were being spoken aloud. “I should sleep.”
There was a warmth shrouding him. A joyfulness sucking him back in to sleep. His mind was utterly unable to resist the lure of rest. He leaned harder into the pillow and allowed the darkness to claim him.
Immediately there was one face that flooded his mind. The most beautiful face that he had ever seen. He wasn’t totally sure, but he had a feeling that he had seen Verity at the moment of theaccident. Those lovely eyes had pierced through him, offering him a moment of warmth in the coldest moment of his life.
Perhaps he had imagined her there. Maybe he just wanted to see her in his worst moment, but he had a feeling that she really was there, caring for him. Philip could almost feel a real smile creeping up on his lips as he focused on Verity.
At least here in his dreams he did not have to keep his distance from her. He could hold her as much as he wanted to.
As Philip drifted deeper in to sleep, his mind wandered into a place where Verity was waiting for him. The familiar warmth of her presence enveloped him, and he felt an overwhelming sense of peace. They stood in a sun lit meadow, her hand gently clasped in his, her eyes shining with a kindness that melted away his pain.
“Philip,” she whispered, her voice a soothing balm to his weary soul. “You must be strong. I know this has been difficult, but you need to recover.”
He looked at her, his heart aching with unspoken words. “Verity, I could not protect you. I could not…”
She pressed a finger to his lips, silencing him. “There is nothing to apologize for. You need to focus on getting better.”
Philip nodded, feeling a weight lift from his chest. In this dream, he could believe that everything would be alright. He could believe that Verity was safe and that they had a future together. He reached across and held her hand, feeling a shudder of delight tearing down his spine. He always felt this way with Verity.Like everything was going to be alright.
Verity smiled softly, her eyes full of reassurance and love. “You are doing so well, Philip. I have missed you so much.”
“I have missed you too,” he whispered, the words catching in his throat. He leaned closer, unable to resist the pull of her presence.
As he closed the distance between them, the world around them seemed to fade away, leaving only the two of them in the beautiful meadow. He could feel the warmth of her breath, the softness of her skin. And then, finally, their lips met.
The kiss was gentle at first, a tender brushing of lips that spoke of longing and unspoken emotions. But as the seconds passed, it deepened, fueled by the passion and love that had been held back for so long. Philip felt a surge of energy, a renewal of strength that seemed to come from Verity herself.
