“Nigel?”
“Your Grace,” Nigel said, his face turned to the side. “There has been a dreadful accident.”
“What happened?”
Yet, Nigel did not speak, could not look at him. Maximilian’s stomach tightened with panic, and he almost choked on his fear. “Nigel? Damn it, what happened?”
“A horse got loose, Your Grace,” Nigel said, his voice thick. “It hit – someone.”
“Hit someone? Hit who?”
“Miss Betham.”
Maximilian’s knees suddenly buckled, and he almost fell.
No, no, God, no, I told her I would protect her. Just this morning I said I would keep her safe.
His mouth dry, his heart hammering in his chest, he forced himself to meet Nigel’s pain-wracked eyes. “Is she – ” he swallowed hard and tried again. “Is she dead?”
“No, Your Grace,” Nigel replied, his voice low. “She is still alive.”
“Still?”
“I honestly do not know what her condition is, Your Grace,” Nigel admitted. “She is under the care of Mr. Leary.”
“Where?”
“In the east wing’s guest quarters.”
Maximilian sprinted down the corridors and up the broad sweeping staircase of the castle’s east wing. He encountered a few servants who tried to pay their respects before he blew past them, his ponytail coming undone as he ran. His hair flopped over his shoulders, but he ignored it as he slid on the stone floor upon reaching the guest quarters.
He burst into the room.
Eugenia lay on the huge bed, covered to her waist. A large bruise covered the left side of her face from her cheekbone to her chin, the rest of her flesh was deathly pale. Her left arm lay across her stomach, wrapped in a clean, white bandage. The kitchen maid Eugenia liked so much stood in a corner, no doubt acting as a chaperone. Mr. Leary sat in a chair beside her and stood up as Maximilian strode rapidly through the door. He bowed, but Maximilian grasped his arm.
“How is she?”
“Very lucky to be alive.” Mr. Leary offered Maximilian his chair. “Wrenched and bruised from head to toe, but nothing that will not heal in time.”
Maximilian bowed his head, breathed a deep sigh of relief and offered up a quick prayer of thanks. “Is she awake?”
Eugenia’s lips curved upward in a small smile. “Why do you not ask me?”
Mr. Leary bowed. “I will return in a few minutes. Your Grace, she must rest. Please do not remain long.”
“My word on it, Mr. Leary.”
Once he left the room and closed the door quietly behind him, Maximilian found a smile for her. “You frightened ten years off my life, Miss Betham.”
Her eyes opened, and she turned her head on the pillow to look at him, her smile still in place. “I am sorry. I wanted to see the foals.”
“What happened?”
“I am not really sure,” she said, her brows furrowing. “I played with the colt. You know, the one with the crooked foot.”
“And then?”
“I left him and walked down the aisle. The horses started a ruckus, the grooms went to them, I – I turned a corner and this huge black horse – knocked me down.”
