She staggered forwards. “Yes, but…” She couldn’t finish the sentence.
“You’re bleeding.”
“My money.” She glanced upstairs. The thought of climbing the stairs and taking her money out made her want to cast up her accounts.. The room tilted, and she couldn’t think straight.
“Mama—”
Jacob groaned and twitched.
David shook his head. “There’s no time. Lord Roxbury is going to wake up soon, and you need a doctor. Let’s go, please.” He sobbed in earnest now. “I don’t want to stay here.”
“Yes, let’s go.” Cora leant against him, trying not to put all her weight on him.
He remained astonishingly strong as they limped towards the front door. Blood soaked her shirt and trickled down her waist. Darkness lurked at the edges of her vision. She couldn’t pass out. Not now. The hospital wasn’t far, but she wasn’t sure she could stay conscious for more than a few minutes.
“We’re almost there, Mama.” David opened the door.
The gust of cold air helped Cora regain her senses. The pain in her shoulder throbbed and burned every time she breathed,and her stomach churned. Dizziness weakened her. Her eyelids grew heavy while her head became lighter by the minute. David said something she didn’t grasp as the glow from the street lamps blurred in and out of focus. He waved his arm. She closed her eyes for a moment. There were voices. Keeping her eyes open required all her strength. Somehow, she was climbing into a cab. David took her face, and his concerned eyes filled her vision.
“Mama,” he whispered or maybe shouted. His voice came hushed as if through the water. And she couldn’t fight the darkness any longer.
eleven
ETHAN HATED LAW books. They were Finn’s province. He was a man of action, and if he could do what he really wanted, he would simply punch some sense into Roxbury and be done with him. Hell, not even the whiskey helped understand the legal contrivances of the Royal Veterans’ Society’s complicated status.
Sadly, his late father had done a poor job of fixing it. Ethan suspected his father had simply straight out ignored the law and kept doing what he’d wanted. He was lucky Roxbury hadn’t looked too deeply into the legal situation. It was a matter of time before he realised the centre was technically illegal.
Ethan would do anything in his power —legal or otherwise— to free Cora from her husband. Now that was one intricate gordian knot he wouldn’t know how to untie. Or if he should. He’d crossed a line more than once when it came to Cora. She had to make her own decisions.
Aside from offering her money, he couldn’t do much. If she wanted to get rid of Roxbury, she would need to disappear, and that expertise was Mrs. Sterling’s province.
He shoved the glass of whiskey and the books aside and rubbed his aching forehead. His future rested on a bout of goodluck and the hope Roxbury wasn’t suspicious enough to have his solicitor dig into the documents. Not the best of the situations. In the meantime, he had to find a legal way to force Roxbury to sell his share while keeping the veterans, Cora, and David safe.
“My lord. My lord.” Mrs. Parker’s high-pitched voice snapped him to attention.
“What is it?” He scraped his chair backwards and shoved himself up.
Mrs. Parker twisted the hem of her apron. “It’s that boy again, David. He says he’s with his mother, the countess, my lord. He’s covered in blood and said his mother is dying. I can’t… so much blood.”
All the breath rushed out of Ethan’s lungs. Dying? He ran out of the room. “Where are they?”
Mrs. Parker went down the stairs on unsteady legs, gripping the bannister for dear life. “The boy came through the back door. He’s waiting in the kitchen.”
Ethan screeched to a halt upon entering the kitchen. Pale and shaking, David stood on the threshold of the open door. Blood, a lot of blood, stained his shirt, neck, and cheek. Ethan was transported back to the battlefield. The screams of the wounded and the booms of the cannons echoed in his mind. He closed his fists and dug his fingernails into his palms hard enough to hurt himself. He had to focus. David’s life was at risk.
“Are you hurt?” Ethan strode to him.
“No, sir.” David beckoned for him to follow. He left the kitchen and exited through the back door, heading for the street. “My mother is injured.”
“The blood isn’t yours?” Ethan asked, following David.
“It’s my mother’s.” David’s voice cracked with emotion. At least he wasn’t injured. “Lord Roxbury shot her.”
The news was like a stab in the stomach. “What?”
“Please help her. She fainted once in the cab. I can’t wake her up. I’m worried she’s dead. I called for help, but the house was empty.” A sob shuddered through him.
“Stay calm. Let me see.” Ethan stuck his head inside the cab.
