The doctor shook his head. “I am sure they will, but as for now, you just need to rest. Your memory should come back in time.”
“Should?” she repeated with trepidation in her voice.
“Brain injuries are unpredictable,” Doctor Anderson said. “But you need not worry about that. Everything will be fine.”
Delphine closed her eyes, feeling overwhelmed and beaten.What would happen to her if her memories never came back to her? The thought was terrifying. What was worse was that she felt the doctor was just trying to pacify her. What wasn’t he telling her?
A knock sounded at the door before it was pushed open. A tall, elegant woman with blonde hair and kind eyes stepped into the room, clad in a blue muslin gown.
“Good morning,” she greeted with a warm smile. “It is good to see you awake, young lady. I am Lady Dallington and you are most welcome here.”
Delphine offered her a weak but grateful smile. “Thank you, my lady.”
The doctor rose from his seat and turned his attention towards Lady Dallington. “This is Miss Delphine, but I’m afraid she remembers little else. We must be patient, and her memories should return with time.”
Lady Dallington nodded in understanding. “Then we shall make Miss Delphine as comfortable as possible for the time being.”
Feeling overwhelmed by her gratitude for these complete strangers, Delphine spoke up again. “Thank you. I hope to repay your kindness one day.”
“Do not concern yourself with such things,” Lady Dallington responded. “You should focus on getting better.”
Delphine did have a question. “What became of the gown that I arrived in?”
Lady Dallington waved her hand in front of her. “We disposed of it. It was in terrible shape and no amount of washing and mending would have repaired it.”
“What am I to wear then?” Delphine asked anxiously.
“You and my twin daughters are of a similar size,” Lady Dallington replied. “They will have no objections to allowing you to borrow some of their gowns.”
Delphine felt a pang of guilt at imposing herself on these strangers. “I couldn’t possibly…”
“Nonsense,” Lady Dallington insisted, speaking over her. “Besides, my daughters are starting to receive their new gowns for the upcoming Season and will have little use for their old ones.”
Unsure of what else she could say, she murmured, “Thank you.”
Lady Dallington clasped her hands together. “You must be famished.”
As if on cue, Delphine’s stomach rumbled loudly. “I am,” she admitted.
“I shall send a tray up from the kitchen,” Lady Dallington said. “Do you have a preference for breakfast?”
“A boiled egg and two pieces of toast, please,” Delphine responded without the slightest hint of hesitation.
Lady Dallington turned towards the maid who stood quietly in the corner and ordered, “Will you inform the cook of Miss Delphine’s request?”
With a knitted brow, Delphine went to address the doctor. “How is it that I can remember what I eat for breakfast but I can’t recall my own surname?”
Doctor Anderson’s eyes held understanding. “That is not entirely unexpected. The brain is complex and sometimes there is no rhyme or reason why we can recall certain information after a trauma such as yours.”
Delphine felt discouraged. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to force any memories to the surface. But all she was met with was a void- no names, no faces, no places.
Lady Dallington must have sensed her frustration because she moved closer to the bed. “Try to think of this as an adventure,” she encouraged.
Her eyes opened. “An adventure?” It was evident that she and Lady Dallington had two different definitions of what an adventure was.
“Yes, we have some clues as to who you are,” Lady Dallington replied. “Your muslin gown was the height offashion and you had a coral necklace around your neck, indicating to me that you are a woman of means.”
“If that is the case, why has no one come looking for me?” Delphine asked.
