Chapter Fifty-Three | Hope

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JAMES OPENED HIS eyes and disorientation hit him. He was enshrouded in darkness and pain filled his muscles and core. Wincing with every move, he slowly sat up to rub his eyes. As he adjusted to the darkness, he noticed the small fire flickering at the end of the bed. The orange and red embers provided warmth to the place. Glancing around the vicinity, he saw the familiar desk and large oak armoire. He was back in his room then.

Pulling the covers off, James was surprised to see that he was wearing a clean pair of trousers and an undershirt. His last memory was of him stumbling into the bed wearing bloodied clothes, but his soiled garments were nowhere to be found. A servant must have dressed him then. He scowled and suddenly leapt out of the bed. If he had been in his room the entire time, what happened to Vivienne?

He needed to see her and make sure that she was alright. Opening the door to the hallway, James was surprised to see that it was empty. The house was eerily quiet. Through the window at the end of the hallway, he saw that it was dark outside. It was evening time. How long had he been out for? Why the bloody hell had nobody woken him up?

His footsteps made a soft thud across the carpet as he walked to what had been Vivienne's bedroom before he'd been a fool and took it away from her. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the wooden door open. The room had a few candles lit but his eyes focused on the bed. Vivienne lay upon it, utterly still.

James' heart stopped, and he stood frozen in the doorway.

"She's alive," a soft voice said, tearing his gaze away from the body.

James fixed his gaze on the governess, who looked utterly exhausted. Her tightly coiled hair was now missing a few pieces and her eyes seemed dark with worry. He entered the room, shutting the door behind him. In a few steps, he stood at the foot of the bed. From his nearness, he could see Vivienne's chest slowly rising, confirming the governess' words.

Seeing her lying on the bed unmoving, James felt utterly helpless. He never should have let her go to her uncle's house. If he pulled his head out of his arse earlier, she could have stayed with him instead of being on the brink of death now.

"Where is the physician?" James asked Agatha.

"He came by earlier," Agatha dipped a towel in a bowl of water before placing it on Vivienne's forehead.

"Should you be doing that?" James asked in alarm. "She was quite cold when I pulled her out of the water."

Agatha paused her actions before turning to give him a stern look. "I am merely following the physician's orders. While it is true that Vivienne was cold, her body was warmed up and she seems to have caught a high fever now."

James nodded, as his gaze flicked back to Vivienne. She lay still but he could see the sweat forming on her brows. "Do you know why I was not informed of the physician's arrival?"

His servants were competent, and James did not expect them to make such a large mistake.

The governess gave him a wry look. "If I may speak freely, you were not in a much better state than Vivienne, Your Grace. The physician had to check in on you and you've been out for an entire day."

"A day?"

Agatha gave a harsh laugh, "Yes, well it's evening now so I would say more than a day."

James was astonished to learn that information. He'd thought that he had only taken a small nap and it was the evening of the day he had rescued Vivienne. "I feel fine now," he quipped.

"That is because the housekeeper doused you with Laudanum and crushed dogwood every sixth hour per the physician's orders."

James scowled upon hearing that. Surely, he could not have been in such a deep slumber to not awaken when someone shoved medicine down his throat. His gaze turned back to Vivienne; he was certain that she would awake soon as well. His stomach grumbled and he pressed a hand to it, as if trying to keep it quiet.

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