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Chapter 26
“Keep everyone out of the room,” Fitz roared as he took Diana to the drawing room and laid her upon the floor. “Bring me fresh linens and pillows. I want her comfortable, and I want to keep the wound covered.” Servants, footmen, and maids all rushed to do as he bid. Already his fastest ride had been sent to collect the surgeon and physician. But with every passing minute, he feared the worst for Diana.
“What is going on in here?” came the voice of one of the ladies. He wasn’t sure which sister it was to Diana, but Fitz knew that everyone needed to stay out of this space.
“Diana has been hurt. You must stay out of this room or you’re likely to get sick to your stomach,” Lord Douglas said, jumping to his feet from where he was by Fitz’s side to address the wedding guests as they became alerted to the fact that trouble had been caused at the manor.
Fitz left the guests in Michelle’s capable hands as he looked down at Diana. He and Mr Bingley sat on either side of Diana, holding her wound together even as blood continued to flow. Maids rushed into the room with pillows to keep Diana comfortable and fresh linens to be pressed against the wound.
Fitz was in a panic as he watched Diana become deathly pale. He was pleading with God to let her live while he battled with his rage and anger from learning that Natale had not only killed Marian but had done her best to take down Diana as well. He wasn’t sure where the crazed woman was now, but he silently promised himself that he would hunt her down and make her pay for what she’d done.
“Make way, I have medical training!” shouted Lord Duncan. Fitz’s head swirled around, connecting with Diana’s eldest brother’s eyes. Fitz nodded once to Michelle, permitting him to enter. The man quickly came to Diana’s side and started examining her.
“How is it that you have medical training?” Fitz asked, watching him carefully in case he had any ill intention towards Diana.
“I studied every medical book I could get my hands on when I was young. My father forbade me from studying medicine as I grew older, saying that business was the route to go. But once I married and moved to Town, I spent much time with physicians and surgeons, learning how the body could be stitched back together.”
“You found it fascinating?” Fitz asked, wondering how deep the Earl’s interest ran.
“Like travelling to another planet, even though everything was just beneath the skin,” Lord Duncan replied. “Removed the cloths. I must see the condition of the wound.” Fitz and the others did as they were told. He almost vomited at the sight of the gaping wound and the way the blood flowed from it. Lord Duncan didn’t hesitate in placing his hands upon Diana, examining the depth of the wound and seeming to feel around her stomach with the other hand. When he was done, he quickly placed the cloths back over the wound while wiping his hand clean with the other.
“The wound is shallow, perhaps a few centimetres in depth. I don’t think the weapon hurt her major organs. The best thing would be to cauterize the wound to stop all the bleeding. This will be easier than trying to sow her up, and it will ensure that her insides don’t continue to bleed even with the wound sown shut.”
Fitz’s stomach was doing all sorts of flips and turns as he listened to Lord Duncan’s idea and reasoning. It sounded realistic enough, but he was no surgeon. And until an actual surgeon could be brought to the manor, he feared that his only hope was taking this man’s word.
“Let it be done,” Fitz eventually said, knowing that time was against them. If they didn’t do something for Diana, he was sure they would all lose her to the same fate as his last wife. And he was unwilling to see another woman he loved be buried. The startling realization that he was indeed in love with Diana only made the situation worse. His heart filled with dread as Lord Duncan went over to the fireplace and set to work building a fire.
He gave quick orders to the footmen, who helped him in preparing a fire and holding an iron fire poker over the flames to get it nice and hot. His stomach started to clench tightly as Fitz shut his eyes for a moment, knowing that his beloved was about to experience a horrid pain. But, at least, she was more likely to live.
“The rod is ready,” Lord Duncan said, coming over with the flaming red iron rod that hissed from being cooled by the air. “You must remove the cloth and wipe away the blood quickly so I can see clearly. Then, you must hold her down because even though she has fainted, this will certainly wake her back up in a most dreadful way.”
Fitz obeyed the orders as he and the footmen removed the clothes and started to wipe away the blood the best they could. Lord Douglas joined them, helping out and then holding Diana’s legs down. Lord Duncan got into position, kneeling next to Diana as Mr Bingley took hold of her one arm, a footman another. Then, Fitz moved above Diana’s head and pressed down on her shoulders.
Without warning, Lord Duncan aimed the hot iron into the wound, the smell of burning flesh filling the air as it hissed angrily. Diana came to with a brutal screaming escaping her mouth as she tried to free her body from the confines. She reacted in a way that was instinctual, her body trying to escape the pain she was feeling. They stared into each other’s eyes as she screamed, tears running down Fitz’s face as he wished he could take all her pain away. Once Lord Duncan was done and had stepped away from Diana, she eventually stilled and fainted once more.
The room smelled horrid as they all let go of Diana and leaned forward to examine what Lord Duncan had done. The skin was charred black, but the bleeding had stopped. Once Lord Duncan had deposited the iron rod back into the fireplace, he returned and began his examination.
“I’ll need lightly damp cloths to clean the skin. But this wound will need to heal with her lying perfectly still. She will no doubt sleep for some time, but she’ll need constant watching to make sure that when she does wake again, she doesn’t move a muscle. This will need to heal, and if she moves and tears the burn, she will begin to bleed again,” he explained.
“Thank you, Lord Duncan,” Fitz managed to say as the tears continued to flow from his eyes. “I can’t lose her.” His last words were a whisper as Fitz sat back on the ground, his body relaxing as great sorrow washed over him. Michelle came to his aid, wrapping his arms around his shoulders as though he was a father comforting one of his sons, dreadfully hurt. Fitz wept openly, no longer caring who saw him as the death of his first wife seemed to hit him all over again. Servants moved to do Lord Duncan’s orders, and everyone else just seemed to leave him alone for the time being.
“It’s alright, Fitz. Diana will heal in time, and all will be well again. Don’t let this grief overcome you now. Diana needs you to be strong for her,” Michelle whispered softly to him, her words seeming to seep into his mind to quiet his sobs and allow him to gain control over his emotions once more.
“Have a stretcher prepared,” Lord Duncan said once Fitz had become still. “We’ll have her carried up to her bedchamber and her lady’s maid can change her into more fitting clothing.” Fitz simply nodded, looking to Mr Bingley to have it be made so.
By the time a stretcher had been created from wooden poles and a sheet tied tightly amongst the poles, the physician and surgeon came trotting into the room. Lord Duncan moved aside so the two could examine his work, and it wasn’t long before they realized their services were no longer needed.
“Surprisingly good work,” the surgeon said to Lord Duncan, dipping his head lowly as a sign of respect. “If you weren’t of such high rank, I would ask you to be my apprentice, or even my teacher.” Fitz saw the way Lord Duncan smiled proudly.
“Thank you, good sir,” Lord Duncan replied. After the three of them discussed Diana’s care moving forward, the two gentlemen left the manor after giving Fitz their deepest sympathies for what had happened.
Fitz walked behind Diana as she was carefully lifted from the ground onto the stretcher. The footmen kept all the wedding guests back as they looked upon Diana with horrified expressions on their faces. Fitz approached Lord and Lady Casey as they stood together, clinging to one another as Diana was carried past them.
“It seems she will survive after a period of healing and plenty of rest,” Fitz told her parents, causing them both to sigh with deep relief.
“Why would anyone do such a thing to a sweet young girl,” Lord Casey mumbled, seeming to appear panicked and grief stricken at the same time.
“I promise you, Lord Casey, that her attacker will be caught and brought to justice. It might comfort you to know that I already know who it was, that Diana was able to inform Lord Douglas before she lost consciousness.”
