Well, Sophie couldn’t stick around waiting for Zach. Mother and the earl were holding their coach for her, and she didn’t want to keep them waiting any longer. She let out a sigh and headed for the lobby.
On second thought, she went back to the dressing room. She wanted to take some of her roses home to grace the estate. She grabbed one of the bouquets, and a small envelope dropped out of it and onto the floor.
“Curious,” she said aloud. She picked up the small parchment and opened it. Her heart nearly stopped.
Only one more obstacle to go… You will be mine.
* * *
Zach awoke on the floor of his bedchamber. He opened his eyes. Where was he? And how had he gotten here? Through his blurry vision, he saw his hand lying next to him, soaked in something red and sticky. Blood. He lifted his hand and balled up the blood between his fingers. He lifted his head— Augh! Big mistake. His skull throbbed, as if someone were hammering inside his brain. Where was the blood coming from? He touched his forehead lightly, his hair stiff and sticky.
Fractured images came back to him. He’d been waylaid after the performance by a gentleman who was asking questions about donating to the theatre. He had walked the man out to his coach…
That’s the last he remembered. Had the man hit him in the head? Slipped something in a drink? Yes, they’d had a drink. Here at his home? Think, Zach. Think. What had happened?
It was still dark. What time must it be? He was alive, so perhaps he hadn’t been hurt that badly. The wound on his head seemed to have stopped bleeding. He should get up and take a look in the looking glass, but he couldn’t seem to move.
Sophie. Where was Sophie? His heart started thundering. She would have gone home with her parents. Of course. God, please let her be all right.
His lips were parched and his tongue dry. If only he could get up for a dipper of water… He could feel his legs but couldn’t seem to move them. He gathered all his strength… His legs moved slightly, twitching, but he couldn’t focus enough to sit up.
Objects began to blur. His hound dog, Rufus, entered the room, sniffing. He licked Zach’s face. It felt kind of like a mini massage… His consciousness wavered, and he fell back into oblivion.
* * *
“Thank you,” Sophie said to the coachman as he helped her down. “Please be back for me in a couple of hours. On second thought, stay for a few moments. If Mr. Newland is not at home, I will be back out.”
“Yes, my lady.”
It was a glorious morning in Bath. The sun shone over the city. Sophie knew better than to inhale. City air was not nearly as fresh as the country air at the estate. Still, the town was pretty, and Zach’s townhome sat in a nice little neighborhood.
If only Sophie could enjoy it. Worry bubbled in her gut. She hadn’t told anyone about the note. She wanted to speak to Zach about it first. Perhaps Mr. Bertram was innocent after all.
She rapped on the front door.
No answer.
Hmm, strange. She rapped again. Finally, Zach’s butler answered the door. “Lady Sophie, I thought you would be at the hospital.”
She widened her eyes, her heart hammering. “Hospital? What do you mean?”
“Mr. Newland is at the hospital. His valet found him this morning in his bedroom, unconscious with a wound to the head.”
Sophie gulped. Dear God… The note… The obstacle…
Forgetting niceties, she turned and ran from the butler and back down to the coach. “Take me to the hospital,” she yelled to the driver.
“Yes, my lady.”
Sophie bit her lip and fidgeted with her hands during the entire drive. She tried to assuage herself with the knowledge that hospitals were no longer places where people went to die. The one in Bath possessed the most up-to-date equipment and the most knowledgeable staff. Last year, Cameron’s little sister, Katrina, had spent some time there when she was stricken with an infectious illness. She came home good as new.
So would Zach.
Sophie had to believe that.
She could not lose Zach. A tear fell down her cheek. She just could not.
The hospital smelled of alcohol and ether. Nurses floated around in the long black gowns with white pinafores across their chests and white hats on their heads. Sophie ran up to the desk clerk. “I need to see Mr. Zachary Newland.”