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dress the cut on the back of Harriett’s head. The discomfort they caused was enough to bring her out of her sleep.
“Thank God,” Mark murmured and shoved some strips of cloth to one side to sit beside her. He drew her tenderly into his arms and positioned her head against his shoulder while David finished dressing the wound.
“She will be a little groggy for a while, but there is no sign of any other injuries apart from cuts to her hands. I will leave some powders for the headache. Meantime, I will be back later to check on her.” David gave Mark a rueful look. “I left a surgery full of curious patients who will be banging on the door with impatience. If there is anything else, just send for me again. I am only just down the road.”
“Thank you, David. I am just glad that you were so close and able to get here so quickly.”
Even the sight of her blood on the white pillow case made Mark’s blood boil and he stared blankly at the wall for several long moments while he tried to get his shattered emotions under control.
“I will just be downstairs, Mark. You look like you could do with a cup of tea.”
Mark snorted and shook his head. “We need to get hold of the vicar if he is available.”
Babette froze and turned to stare at him in alarm. “She is alright,” she protested. “The doctor said so. Hugo’s funeral can go ahead without Harriett. I am sure everyone will completely understand.”
“I know. Harriett isn’t fit enough to go anywhere for the time being but I can promise you, Babette, that when she is, the first place we are going back to is that church.”
“Why?”
“Because the only way that I can remain in my job and stay safe is with the knowledge that Harriett is alive and well, at home where she belongs, where I can check on her whenever I need to, provide for her, love her, and give her anything and everything she wants, whenever she wants it. I won’t settle for anything less.”
“You love her,” Babette whispered gently. She felt the sting of tears for her own personal loss and quickly blanked out all thought of Andrew.
“I love her,” Mark whispered and placed a gentle kiss on her hair.
“I heard that,” Harriett murmured shakily.
“I hope you did, darling, because I meant every word of it. I know that we haven’t known each other very long, but we are meant to be together. I fell in love with you from the first second I set eyes on you in your sitting room downstairs, and I won’t settle for anything less than a lifetime with you.”
He hoped to God that when they were old and grey he would be the one to die first because he never, ever wanted to see Harriett in a casket again.
Harriett peered up at him, only vaguely aware that Babette had quietly crept out of the room and left them alone. “What happened to me?”
“What can you remember?” Mark frowned down at her. If she couldn’t remember, there was no reason why she had to know the macabre details. He could ensure that gossip would work in her favour for once, and nobody would speak about the true nature of her ordeal.
“I can remember seeing Alan Bentwhistle in the door of the ante room but nothing else.” Harriett frowned. Her head ached fiercely and she lifted a trembling hand to the large lump at the back of her head. “What happened?”
Mark briefly sketched details of what he thought may have happened, but left out the business with the coffin. At some point in their long life together he would undoubtedly have to tell her but, for the time being, she had been through enough trauma.
Now wasn’t the time to look back, it was the time to look forward to a brighter, more positive future. Together.
“I cannot believe that he would be so duplicitous, so callous, toward people he has known for so long.”
“There is nothing a desperate man won’t do,” Mark replied knowingly. He placed a tender kiss on her head. “I know that we have some courting to do.” His voice held a hint of gentle humour to it that made her smile in return “But I am afraid it is going to have to be a very short period of courting.”
“Oh, why is that?” Harriett should have been scandalised that she was not only in her bedroom alone with Mark, but he was seeing her in such a disreputable state. She glanced down at her dirty and soiled clothes unconcernedly. The blatant look of adoration on his face was enough to assure her that he wasn’t bothered in the least about the way she looked right now.
“I am afraid that you came far too close to becoming Tipton Hollow’s third murder victim. Bentwhistle is now languishing in jail, undoubtedly next to Hepplethwaite and Humphries, who are waiting for Scotland Yard to collect them.” He grinned at Harriett’s gasp and was delighted to see the brightness in the beautiful wide eyes she turned toward him. The shock on her face made him feel inordinately pleased with himself.
“You arrested them?”
Mark nodded and briefly detailed what he had uncovered about the fraudsters. “Good Lord, Mark, I am impressed. You certainly haven’t wasted any time.”
“I don’t, my darling. One thing you need to learn about this Detective Inspector is that I don’t let anything stand in my way when I want something that matters to me.”
Harriett stared at him but wasn’t the least bit perturbed by the strength of his words because she was ensnared by the promise in his eyes.
“You don’t?”
