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e felt the wet, sticky blood. She didn’t want to see it, so she just kept her palm and fingers pressed tightly to her cheek.

Colin turned back to her, frowning. Without a word, he picked her up in his arms. “Just relax and rest your head against my shoulder.”

She did.

Unfortunately for both of them, Ryder and Douglas had just returned when Colin walked in with her. There was no way to hide the blood still seeping from between her fingers, and thus there was pandemonium and flying accusations and questions and yelling, until Sinjun calmly said, “That’s quite enough, Douglas, Ryder. I fell, that’s all, I just fell like a clumsy clod and cut my face. Stupid, I know, but at least Colin was there with me and carried me home. Now, if you will both just be quiet, I should like to see how much damage there is.”

Of course the brothers weren’t at all quiet. Sinjun was carried to the kitchen, just as she had once taken Colin to see to his cut lip in the London Sherbrooke kitchen, a fact that wasn’t lost on him, she saw. She was set down on a chair and told to hold still.

Douglas automatically demanded warm water and some soap, but it was Colin who firmly removed the soft cloth from his hand and said, “Take your hand away, Joan, and let me see how bad it is.”

She closed her eyes and didn’t make a sound when he touched the damp cloth to her flesh, wiping away all the blood. The shard of rock had grazed her, and not deeply, thank the good Lord. It looked like a simple scratch, and for that he was grateful, what with her two brothers hovering over him, watching his every move, ready, he supposed, to fling him aside if he didn’t do things as they would have done them.

“It’s not bad at all,” Colin said.

Ryder moved him aside. “An odd cut, Sinjun, but I don’t think you’ll be scarred. What do you think, Douglas?”

“It doesn’t look like a simple scratch; rather, it looks like something sliced across your cheek with great force. How did you do it, did you say, Sinjun? You really didn’t expect me to believe this is from a fall?”

Sinjun, without hesitation, collapsed against Colin and moaned. “It hurts so much. I’m sorry, Douglas, but it does hurt.”

“It’s all right,” her husband said quickly, “I’ll see to it.”

While Colin was dabbing some alcohol on the cut, Douglas was frowning.

Sinjun didn’t like that frown at all. “I don’t feel well. I daresay I’ll be ill very soon. My stomach is turning over.”

“It’s only a small cut,” Douglas said, his frown deepening. “Something that wouldn’t even slow you down.”

“True,” Colin said, “but sometimes a sudden injury knocks the body off its bearings. I do hope she won’t retch.” It sounded like a threat, and Sinjun said, “My stomach is settling even as you speak, Colin.”

“Good. Look, Douglas, she’s very tired, as I imagine you can understand.”

There was dead and utter silence. Both brothers stared from their new brother-in-law to their little sister—their little virgin sister, their former little virgin sister. It was a huge pill to swallow. It was difficult. Finally Douglas said on a loud sigh, “Yes, I suppose so. Go to bed, Sinjun. We will see you later.”

“I won’t bandage the cut, Joan. It will heal faster.”

She gave her husband a brave smile, yet a smile so pathetic and wretched that Ryder began to frown.

“I don’t like this at all,” he said to the kitchen at large. “You have no more guile than a pot of daisies, Sinjun, and you’re a wretched actress and—”

It was then that Agnes walked in and Sinjun closed her eyes in relief. The three men were given to know in short order that they were all next to useless and they’d gotten blood on the kitchen table. And here was the poor little missis, all hurt and them carrying on like three roosters with only one hen.

Ten minutes later Sinjun was lying on the bed in the earl’s suite, two blankets pulled over her.

Colin sat down beside her. He looked thoughtful. “Your brothers suspect your retching and moaning was an act. Was that an act?”

“Yes, I had to do something quickly. I wanted to faint, but neither of them would have believed that. I’m sorry, Colin, but I did as best I could. We can’t have them know the truth. They’d never leave here, else they’d cosh you on the head and steal me. I couldn’t allow that.”

He laughed even though he was amazed. “You’re apologizing because you got shot and tried to pull the wool over your brothers’ eyes. Don’t worry, I’ll maintain the charade. Rest whilst I speak to them, all right?”

“If you kiss me.”

He did, another light, disgustingly brotherlike kiss.

Sinjun wasn’t sleeping when Colin came into their bedchamber. She was scared, excited, and at the moment she was holding her breath. He strode to the bed and stood there, staring down at her, the branch of candles raised high in his hand.

“You’re turning blue. Breathe.”


Tags: Catherine Coulter Sherbrooke Brides Historical