Hugh continued to clutch Adele close as the other men spoke. He ran a hand through her hair. “Your shoulder is red. What did he do to you?”
“Nothing. I tripped and hit the wall.”
“After Collingswood slapped her,” said Owen.
Hugh let go of Adele then and leapt toward Collingswood. Lark got between them that time. “Calm yourself. Mr. Shea will put Collingswood in jail. The law will sort this out. Adele is safe and you are with her. Let us not make this any worse.”
Fletcher produced a pocketknife and walked toward Adele. He went to work undoing the bindings. It took him a long moment to saw through one of the ropes, but when she at last had access to her arms and hands again, she almost wept with relief.
She felt so stupid for going with Collingswood to begin with, but she’d thought it best to avoid any harm coming to Hugh. She hated that Hugh had worried so much. And now he looked like he might murder Collingswood with his bare hands, had Lark not been holding him back.
And now she was even more dizzy. Lights flashed at the edge of her vision. She took a step forward. “Hugh? Help me. I feel…”
Then everything went dark.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Hugh’s heart hadnearly given out when he saw Adele’s body go lifeless and crumple toward the floor. Fletcher had been behind her and managed to catch her before she injured herself further, but she had still not regained consciousness by the time they got back to the house.
They’d taken Hugh’s carriage to and from the house Collingswood was renting in Cheapside, and Hugh had held Adele in his lap the whole way home, unwilling to let her go. He grew increasingly frantic as they neared his home and she still had not regained consciousness.
“Hehither?” Hugh confirmed with Owen.
“Aye, I saw him do it. I doubt it was the first time.”
“I swear, I will rip his arms off,” Hugh growled.
“You will do no such thing,” said Lark. “He is cooling his heels in Newgate Prison by now.”
When they arrived home, Hugh carried her upstairs to their bedroom. He was heartened to find her body warm, and she sighed a little as she rested in his arms, but she was clearly quite out of it. He checked her everywhere for injuries, but found none save for a tiny cut on her forehead and a red mark on her cheek.
“Collingswood must have hit her quite hard,” Hugh said as Lark hovered behind him in the doorway. “We must get a doctor.”
“I’ll send Beresford.”
Fletcher and Owen kept Hugh company while Lark launched into action and coordinated everything. Beresford returned with the Baxter family’s doctor, who immediately went upstairs to see Adele.
The doctor was with Adele for quite some time, though whether it was minutes or hours was hard for Hugh to ascertain. He was terrified she’d suffer the same fate he had and lose her memories. What if she woke up with no idea who he was or what they meant to each other? What if she could not recover her memories? What if the injury was indeed grave? What if she were ill? Fletcher had been standing closest to her when she’d passed out, and all he knew was that she mumbled something about not feeling well right before she fell.
As they all waited, Hodges appeared with a package wrapped in brown paper. “This arrived for Lady Adele.”
Hugh took it. He had no earthly idea what it could be, although a card advertising a shop on Savile Road was tucked into the wrapping. Had this been what she was buying when Collingswood abducted her? Hugh held onto it, intending to give it to her when she was awake.
The doctor finally appeared at the door and Hugh held his breath, afraid of the news.
“Her Grace is resting now,” said the doctor.
“Did she wake up? Was she hurt badly? Is she quite ill?” asked Hugh, getting to his feet.
“Yes, she did come to. We spoke about how she was feeling and I examined her thoroughly. Her only injuries are the superficial ones you saw for yourself.” The doctor smiled, which Hugh was not sure how to interpret. “May I have a word, Your Grace?”
Hugh looked around at his friends. Beresford was there, too, but after everything he’d done that day, Hugh supposed he could be considered a friend, too. Hugh looked back at the doctorand reasoned that whatever his news, it was likely of a delicate nature. Hugh gestured toward the hall.
When they were out of everyone’s earshot, the doctor said, “She is not injured or ill. She is with child.”
Hugh’s heart stopped for a long moment. He was so surprised by this news, he could not move.
“She… what?”
