First Season

Chapter 7

Many thanks to @Charlzke for voting on the last chapter again, it really means a lot!

I can't leave you all in suspense for too long so here it is...

Please vote and comment what you think about it

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Worry, anger, concern, fury - we're just a few of the emotions Caleb felt as he tried to stop the flow of blood from Lavinia's head. What had she been doing? Walking alone as it was getting dark down an unusual alleyway. Why had she not had a carriage? If this was Mr Black's doing, leaving her alone to find her own way back, then he was sure to have a dawn appointment.

Finally, her head had stopped bleeding and he was able to lift her into his arms. His house was the closest and he would take her there before sending for the doctor and Charles. Charles would be furious, he never did take well to anything happening to his little sister. He was also an almost qualified doctor, he had been attending medical school at Oxford for the past three years, and he would be able to care for Lavinia well.

Lavinia was extremely light, her head rested against his shoulder as he walked towards his house. Her skin was like ice and he knew she needed to be warm.

Hawkins, his butler, opened the door as Caleb approached the stairs and looked astonished at the sight of the woman lying in his master's arms.

"Call for the doctor and Lord Bradley immediately Hawkins," Caleb instructed."And send up a maid with water and cloths to the parlor. Is the fire still burning?"

"It is m'lord," he replied, snapping out of his reverie. "Of course, m'lord."

Caleb carried Lavinia into the parlor and set her down on the sofa in front of the fire. Propping her head onto a cushion, he examined her face for injuries in the light. The cut on her head from the man wielding the rock was deep and still bleeding. Her lip was split open a little also and her cheek had begun to bruise, no doubt from where one of the men had tried to keep her quiet. Caleb's insides boiled with rage at the thought of any man laying a hand on a woman, especially Lavinia. How could they find that acceptable?

The maid entered with a basin of water and a stack of cloths. She set the basin down, soaked a cloth and began to clean the dried blood around the wound on Lavinia's head. Caleb watched in silence until she was done. When the maid left, Lavinia began to shiver and Caleb, not wanting to leave her to find a blanket, slipped off his coat and laid it over her unconscious body.

The doctor arrived soon after and stitched her head up. Caleb had felt a wave of nausea when the needle had penetrated her porcelain skin but, not willing to leave her alone, he swallowed it down and held her hand. The doctor has then checked her eyes and told him that she would wake up.

"When?" Caleb asked rather impatiently. It had already been over an hour since she was knocked unconscious.

"In her own due time," was the evasive reply.

The doctor left soon after prescribing small doses of laudanum for the pain and all that was left to do was wait.

***

Lavinia's head hurt. That was a bit of an understatement, it throbbed and stung and she couldn't figure out where she was. Keeping her eyes shut she thought back to what had happened. She remembered leaving Judith's house and being unsure about where to go and just following the road. Then she remembered the three drunken men taking her purse and grabbing hold of her. Lavinia panicked at the thought. Where was she? Where had they taken her?

She tried to sit up, pulling a hand towards her head until cold hands held onto her wrist and pushed her back down. She yanked her wrist out of the man's hand and pushed the other off her shoulder, ready to fight him away until...