Much Ado About Kissing (Howertys #4)

Chapter 10: Watch Me

Marcus paced back and forth as he waited for the doctor to finish his examination of Rain. She looked terribly small in the large bed, her skin pale and clammy. The fast beating of his heart drummed in his ears. What had happened? She had looked off throughout the evening, but it had got worse and worse as the night went on.

The doctor closed his brown leather satchel, so Marcus immediately walked over to the bed. Taking Rain's chilly hand in his, he looked at the old man.

"What is the matter with her?"

Dr Hill stood from the chair he'd been sitting on and sighed. "I believe she may have mixed opium and alcohol. Perhaps she has been feeling poorly and taken too much laudanum?"

Marcus frowned, unable to recollect any mention of her needing laudanum. Especially not in the quantity that must have been required for this reaction.

"Mixing the two can be terrible, indeed," the doctor said. "Fortunately, she appears to have emptied most of her stomach contents, and that will be her saving grace. She appears stable now and I believe she will recover fine."

"Thank you, doctor." He followed the older man to the door, thanking him again before returning to sit on the side of the bed next to his wife.

She'd been in and out of consciousness since the carriage, and it had scared the hell out of him. The idea that she would have taken too much laudanum didn't feel right. But what other explanation could there be? Had someone found the list after all? Had his name been leaked and there was someone out there seeking revenge by hurting his wife? The questions kept swirling around his head, but he found no answers.

A low groan alerted him to Rain waking again. She shifted in the bed and lifted a hand to her head. When she tried to sit up, he placed a hand on her shoulder and gently, but firmly, pushed her back against the mattress.

"Don't sit," he said gruffly. "You've been through an ordeal."

Her eyes fluttered open, and she eyed him groggily. "What happened?" she asked, her voice scratchy.

"You fainted."

Carefully, he propped her up against some pillows, leaving her in a half-sitting position. Bringing a glass of water to her lips, he helped her take a few sips.

"That is preposterous. I never faint." Even in her current state, she looked absolutely appalled at the idea, her upper lip curling in distaste.

He put the glass back on her bedside table before leaning back to look at her. "Have you taken laudanum recently?"

"What? No." She frowned slightly. "My head is pounding, so I wouldn't mind some right now."

"The doctor believes you had an excessive amount and then mixed it with alcohol, which is apparently a disastrous combination that can make you quite ill." The very thought of what could have happened made icy claws tightly squeeze his chest.

"I have taken none. I cannot even remember the last time." She shook her head, then winced and buried her face in her hands, rubbing her eyes with the bottoms of her palms. "Oh, this is the worst headache I have ever had."

Marcus watched her as she leaned her head back against the pillows. There were tiny lines on her face as she reacted to the pain. If she had not taken opium on purpose, how had she ingested it? He would have to investigate with the servants to see who had served her tea that day.

"You are fortunate," he said. "Because you were sick in the carriage, and later at home, the doctor believes you have sufficiently emptied your stomach enough that you should recover."