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On the ground, her face deathly pale, Thea walked toward Lady Harrington with her mouth turned upwards. “I am a poor rider, My Lady,” she said. “My mare leaped sideways and down I went.”

“How dreadful,” Lady Harrington said, reaching for her good right arm to assist her. “I am just grateful it was not your neck.”

“Me, too.”

Liam trailed at the end of the pack of Lord Willowdale, Thea, Lady Harrington and a few other noble guests who decided their services were needed in cosseting Thea as she made her slow, painful way into the house and up the stairs. A few disappeared into their own rooms, the accompanying servants also vanished to their duties. Thus, Thea was escorted into her chambers by only a handful.

Deciding he would also go in rather than wait outside, at least until he was told to go, Liam watched as Thea was helped to her bed, fully clothed, and covered with a warm quilt. Outside, thunder cracked as lightning flashed in the window, announcing the arrival of the storm. He hoped the rain would hold off until after the grooms and footmen brought John home.

Mr. Noonan politely pushed his way through the group, bowing and murmuring his apologies to his superiors. Lady Harrington took charge of the guests, herding them into Thea’s sitting room. “Come now, there is nothing we can do for Miss Miller right now,” she said, waving her hands. “Let us give the good man room to work.”

Before Liam could, Thea’s maid Felicity served them all with wine from the decanters as they took armchairs and couches, settling into gossip about Thea and the perils of riding horses. Ready to help if needed, he took up a station near the half-opened door to listen to what went on in the bedchamber. Wishing he could be in there holding her hand, he knew he would be ordered to leave if he even let himself be seen.

“Now I am going to dose you with laudanum,” he heard Mr. Noonan say to Thea. “Once that has taken effect, I will set your arm. You may feel some pain, but not nearly as much as if you were fully awake.”

“I will be fine, Mr. Noonan,” he heard Thea say, her voice very tired. “I can live through some pain.”

Liam felt a surge of pride in her well up, coursing through his soul.What a woman, strong as an oak tree, and one to have at a man’s side. If only that man would be me.Emotion followed on the heels of his thoughts, grief and repressed rage that the man who would stand at her side could never be him. No matter how he tried to be the man who deserves her, his low status would forever be held against him.

“My, that is vile,” he heard Thea try to snap, and he imagined her face screwed up with her nose wrinkled at the foul taste. He himself had needed laudanum a time or two and remembered clearly its horrid flavor. Lord Willowdale spoke from close by the door.

“I seem to recall that vividly,” he said, humor in his tone. “Let me pour you some wine to wash it down with.”

Liam heard footsteps creak across the tiled floor and the faint splash of liquid being poured. The feet went to the bed and then he heard Thea murmur, “Thank you.”

Within moments, it seemed, Thea was asleep and Mr. Noonan began to set her arm. Though he told Lord Willowdale what he was doing every step of the way, Liam barely listened. Thea’s sharp cry of pain reverberated through his very soul, and he clenched his fists behind his back to conceal how badly they trembled.My love is in pain and I can do nothing to help her.His helplessness swamped him, made him feel less than a man if he could not ever care for the woman he loved beyond his own life.

The door suddenly opened, and Lord Willowdale whispered, “Fetch clean cloths for binding, there is a good chap.”

Liam bowed low, torn between the desire to stay and the need to be away from her, to fully realize that no matter how much they loved one another, he could never care for her the way she deserved. Leaving the chamber, he crossed the sitting room and its chattering guests, then out the door. His mother stood in the hallway, down a few doors, a bundle in her arms.

“How be our wee lass?” she asked. “I brought cloths fer bindin’ her poor arm, as that old Noonan would ne’er think ‘o it till the last.”

Liam tried for a smile and knew it failed. “Thank you, Mum. I was just on my way to get them.”

Mary handed them to him and he noticed that tears sparkled in her eyes. “I heard that auld John died,” she said, her voice, unlike anything Liam had ever heard from her before. “I were fond ‘o him, I was. He be my frien’. But I ken how close it be, lad, how close I came to losin’ ye.”

“Oh, Mum.”

Not caring if it went against social protocol, or that someone might be watching, Liam enfolded Mary into his arms. Like Thea earlier, his mother wept against his chest as he soothed her with nonsense words, holding her close to him, showing her in the only way he could that he loved her. Whether she cried for her friend, or at how close she came to losing her only son, her only child, he never really knew. He also knew it did not matter.

Mary pulled away from him, wiping her wet face with her hands. “Gae noo,” she said with a wave. “Get those to Miss Miller and auld Noonan. They need ye more than I dae.”

Mary turned on her heel and strode quickly down the corridor. Liam went back inside Thea’s chambers, the talk in the sitting room continued, discussing the dangers of riding horses and recounting tales of deaths and injuries. Liam made his way past them without being noticed and knocked on the bedchamber door.

Lord Willowdale opened it and took the wraps from him with a grateful nod. “My thanks. And I will take it as a personal favor if you would continue to guard my sister.”

“I will, My Lord.”

Liam bowed low as Lord Willowdale closed the door. Turning, and as he had not yet been evicted from her chamber, Liam stood as he had before, content to be as close to his love as he could.

* * *

Sunlight filtered in through the window as Lord Willowdale, yawning and blinking, opened the door and stumbled out. He gaped momentarily at Liam, still standing outside Thea’s bedchamber, yet inside her private quarters. He then seemed to remember his request the previous night and nodded in a friendly fashion.

“Good of you to guard all night, Mr. Carter,” Lord Willowdale said, fighting another yawn. “I fell asleep in a chair, so you watched over us both. I am grateful.”

Liam bowed low. “Happy to be of service, My Lord.”