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“She should have awakened by now,” Miles stated.

Firtha nodded and frowned. “The poor lass must have hit her head hard.”

Miles thought about how she’d fallen. “It seemed to me she fell on her side, not on her head.”

“I am sure the doctor will know what to do.” The woman gave him a worried look. “I will bring you some hot tea with extra honey.” With that she hurried from the room. A moment later, Miles realized he’d rather have whiskey, but did not wish to leave Siobhan alone for even a second until the doctor arrived.

Finally the housekeeper returned with a tray with a cup of tea accompanied by a glass of amber liquid.

“Bless you Firtha, you are truly a godsend.” Miles gulped down the whiskey, ignoring the tea until the older woman gave him a pointed look. “For the nerves.”

He reluctantly released Siobhan’s hand and drank the overly sweet liquid.

It seemed an eternity before the doctor finally arrived. The man who’d seen to him for as long as Miles could remember gave him a curious look at seeing the beautiful woman in his bed. “Should I ask?” Then he put his bag down and began pulling out items.

Miles explained, “I thwarted her kidnapping. Her name is Siobhan Blair—”

“I know who she is,” the doctor interrupted. “Her father and I are members of the Glasgow Historians.”

Not sure what to make of that, Miles did not budge from his seat. The doctor began his assessment, then looked at him and asked if he planned to remain.

“I will. Unless you have to undress her.”

The doctor shook his head. “No. Usually losing consciousness comes from a hit to the head. Explain to me what happened.”

Again he repeated the story, the doctor listening intently whilst running his finger through Siobhan’s hair. For an inexplicable reason, the act annoyed Miles. He followed the progress as the doctor carefully removed the pins from her ebony tresses and continued his examination.

“Ah,” the physician said, holding up bloody fingers. Miles’ stomach fell and he felt a bit woozy. She’d been more badly hurt than he’d realized. The question was—was she going to be all right? He’d never forgive himself if the vibrant, spirited young woman didn’t recover.

“There is a gash to the back of her head,” the doctor mused aloud as he inspected the wound. “But it is not what caused her to become unconscious. It is not deep and actually…it appears to be from the comb in her hair. It must have happened when she was first attacked.”

“She was conscious and fighting when I caught up to them.” Miles stood to help the doctor move Siobhan to her side.

“Fear and anger will sometimes propel a person to remain alert. The second fall and perhaps knowing you were there to rescue her allowed her body to finally succumb to the stress of the situation.”

The pillow was covered with blossoms of red stains and, as Miles looked down at his coat he realized he, too, was covered in blood. Because he wore black, it had not been obvious at first. He’d been too overwhelmed with what occurred to notice.

“I best change before her parents arrive,” he said, walking to the wardrobe to remove his coat.

Just as he walked out of the guest room after washing up and changing, knocks sounded on the front door. The butler opened to Amelia, her mother, and a stone-faced man he knew to be Owen Blair.

“She is being seen to by the doctor. It is best you wait until he finishes.” Miles led them to the parlor where Firtha served brandy and offered sweetened tea.

Siobhan’s mother began asking questions, one after the other, barely giving him time to respond. “How did you know Siobhan was in trouble? Who informed you? Who took her? Why?”

“Allow the man to answer you,” Mr. Blair said, looking at Miles. And then he explained, “My wife is beside herself with worry as you can imagine. When the driver returned to tell us our daughter had been abducted and then rescued, we immediately went to see the constable.”

Miles retold the sequence of events, noting that Amelia sat back looking around the room, taking in the walls and furniture, not seeming to listen to what he was saying. When she did look at him, she glared.

“It was a miracle that you happened to be in the same area,” Siobhan’s mother said wiping tears from her eyes. “Truly a miracle.”

Miles had left out the part of going in search of Siobhan, stating instead that he was riding past on his way to visit a sick member of his staff. It was true several members of his staff lived in the area, but he’d lied about the illness.

“Did you recognize the abductor?” Mr. Blair asked.

“No,” Miles replied, shaking his head. “I believe it was a matter of opportunity. Perhaps I am wrong. The man claimed that Siobhan was his wife. When I told him I knew her, then he pushed her off the horse.”

Zinnia Blair gasped. “The low life scoundrel must be made to pay.”