She cried harder. Samuel brushed his lips against her temple, regretting the fact he couldn’t whisper any words of comfort while she buried her face into his chest. When her crying stopped, she wiped her face.
“I can’t believe I’ve suffered for years for no reason.” Her voice sounded strong.
“Lady Vivienne,” Captain Jackson said, “when you return home later?—”
“Rubbish.” Samuel leapt to his feet, his blood seething. “She’ll stay here. She can’t return home.”
“Lady Vivienne will be your wife soon. A night in her house won’t change anything.”
“She can’t stay here,” Dobkins warned.
He signed furiously. “The doctor will kill her.”
“Why would Dr. Tucker want to poison me?” she asked, her eyes red.
“I don’t know,” Captain Jackson said. “One reason is money. The longer you’re sick, the more money he pockets. You surely aren’t his only patient.”
“And my mother…” She lowered her voice. “Do you think she knows?”
“No,” from what you have said, she has her own health issues.” The captain hesitated. “I think your mother has her own problems, and that Dr. Tucker took advantage of her.”
Samuel wasn’t convinced. “You don’t believe the countess has her responsibility?”
The captain made a gesture halfway between a shrug and a shake of his head. “I think the tragedy of losing a daughter compromised her judgement, and now taking care of Vivienne is everything that keeps her alive. If Vivienne heals and leaves the house, what will she do with her life?”
A sob shook Vivienne. She pressed a handkerchief to her mouth. “In a way, she wishes I were sick all the time.”
Captain Jackson opened and closed his mouth before talking. “I don’t know. It’s more complicated than that. I can’t believe your mother really wants you to suffer. Ask me about the maladies of the body, not of the mind.”
“I don’t care,” Samuel signed. “Whatever Lady Huntington’s reason for wanting Vivienne sick, I don’t trust her.”
Dobkins sniffled. “Her Ladyship suffered enormously when Lady Adele died. It’s easy to believe her mind was damaged.”
“I don’t doubt that.” Samuel moved his fingers slowly. “But Vivienne can’t pay for the consequences of her mother’s sorrow. Hell, Vivienne’s life is at risk.”
“I’m not going to let her die because the countess is overcome by grief.”
Dobkins twisted her handkerchief. “You’re right.”
Vivienne drew in a deep breath. “I’m not sick.”
“Well, you are, in a way.” The captain patted her hand. “It’ll take a while for your body to get rid of the poison, but after that, you’ll be perfectly fine.”
She started crying again. “I can’t believe it. All this time…”
“You should stay here,” Samuel insisted.
“She can’t,” Dobkins insisted. “We can protect her for two days,”
Captain Jackson spoke, “If we want to stop Dr. Tucker and understand if there’s more to the story, it would be better if Vivienne behaved normally. She’ll pretend to take her potions without raising any suspicion, and I’ll gather evidence of Dr. Tucker’s misconduct. We’ll bring the bastard to justice.”
Samuel held Vivienne again. She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. The anger flaring in his chest was a primordial force he had never experienced, not even when Murdock had abused him.
He’d finally found someone he hated more than Murdock.
