Page 96 of How to Start a Scandal

‘I am, thanks to you.’ She sank gently on to the mattress beside him.

‘As am I, thanks to you.’ He winked at her.

A bandage was visible beneath the collar of his shirt. It appeared to wrap around his shoulder and waist. She reached her hand out to his. ‘Is it terribly painful?’

He lifted a brow. ‘You say that assuming I’ve never been shot before.’

She cast him a chastising look. ‘Don’t jest.’

‘I’m not.’ He smirked. ‘I’ve been shot twice.’ His gaze wandered to his side. ‘Three times,’ he amended. ‘Stabbed through once and sliced at too often to count. It will take more than a solicitor to bring me down.’

She bit her lip. ‘Was it true? What he said about his daughter?’

Seth rubbed his fingers over the back of Violet’s hand. ‘I believe it is. I wish he had come to me to speak of it rather than trying to kill you. All of this could have been avoided.’

‘Is there anything we can do?’ Violet asked.

‘We can seek out his remaining family, if he has any, and offer restitution of some kind.’ Seth’s eyes deepened with a sadness Violet could feel in her chest. ‘We will pay for his funeral costs as well.’

Seth’s hand tightened on hers. ‘I’m sorry I had to kill him, but I would do it again to save you. I thought I’d lost you all those years ago when I went to war. When you looked so beautiful in that gown you thought I hated. I knew someone would marry you and I’d never have the opportunity.’ He scoffed. ‘Hell, I didn’t deserve the opportunity being the kind of man I was then.’

‘And I could have lost you several times over while you were off fighting for King and country.’ Violet lay a hand on his shoulder. ‘I think parts of us were missing the other.’ She bit her lip. ‘It sounds foolish, but before you returned home, I felt so broken. But with you here, I feel—’

‘Whole,’ he said.

She sucked in a breath. ‘Yes. As though you’re the piece of me I was missing.’

‘And together we’re stronger.’ He gently stroked her cheek. ‘I love you, Violet Dalton.’

Her throat went tight. ‘And I love you, Seth Dalton.’

He grinned. ‘I’d like to hear that again, if you please.’

Violet pulled in a soft breath. ‘I love you, Seth Dalton. I love you, I love you, I love you and I’m sorry I was too great a coward to say it sooner.’

She kissed him lightly on the lips and imbued in that one innocent kiss all the love she held for him.

‘I’ll never put you at risk again,’ Seth vowed passionately. ‘I will never lose you again.’

She shook her head. ‘We’ll never lose each other. Now get some rest.’

‘Only if you stay with me.’

She crossed her arms stubbornly over her chest.

He did likewise and winced.

Violet gave an exasperated sigh. ‘Very well, but only so you’ll sleep.’

She lay on the bed at his uninjured side with her hand resting on his chest, reassuring herself of every beat of his heart, every inhale of his breath. He was safe. He would recover. And their life together would go on. With both of them whole.

Seth only remained in bed for three days before he was too restless to be detained any longer. Much to the disapproval of the physician—the stodgy old goat—and every woman in Dalton Place, he refused to be bedridden any longer.

Granted he wasn’t moving as swiftly as he did before his injury, but he’d sustained enough wounds to know it was only temporary. It was for that reason that he insisted the house be packed up for the family to relocate to Dalton Manor for the summer.

Violet’s maid, who had recovered remarkably well from the ordeal of being abducted, not only orchestrated Violet’s belongings being packed efficiently, but also rushed Bennet along. If left to his own devices, the valet would surely have taken a month to pack everything away.

‘Are you checking on Bennet again?’ Violet asked from behind Seth where he stood in his bedchamber doorway. ‘That poor man.’