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Except Lord Winchester and Eloise’s father would beat him to a pulp first, which would most likely render travel impossible. For many years.
“Eloise, we need bandages, some sort of ointment, and a pan of hot water and a cloth.” Amy barked out her orders like a drill sergeant.
Miss Spencer smirked. “My goodness. Had I known I was to become a medical clinic in the middle of the night, I would have had all those things at hand.”
“Never mind the humor; just please get the things we need.” Amy turned to William. “Sit in that chair by the fireplace, and I will help you remove your coat and shirt.”
Eloise left the room, mumbling something about a pending calamity and forced marriages.
Amy dropped Persephone onto the floor. The little dog wandered the room, then settled in for a nap near the fireplace. Amy eased his coat, waistcoat, and shirt off. “Does your arm hurt?”
William winced each time he moved. “A bit. I’ve had worse.”
Her eyes grew wide. “You’ve been shot before?”
“No. I meant I’ve had worse pain before.” He closed his eyes and leaned his head back on the chair.
“Where is the ledger?” Amy asked.
“It’s in the carriage. But I must warn you that during the chase through the woods, the ledger was dropped on the ground. Since the woods were quite damp, it’s possible some of it has been damaged.”
“So now we have a book that is in code and possibly illegible,” Amy said, shaking her head.
William shrugged. “We won’t know until we can examine it in the light. I’m just glad we retrieved it.”
The door to the bedchamber opened, and Eloise stepped through. “I had to wake my maid, Jenny. I couldn’t figure out where to get all the stuff I needed.”
A young girl walked in behind Eloise, carrying some supplies, wearing a dressing gown, and also looking as if she had just climbed from bed. Wonderful. Now he found himself in a bedchamber, with the door closed, with three young, attractive, unmarried women surrounding him.
With his coat, waistcoat, and shirt off.
In the middle of the night.
His reputation would never recover. On the other hand, in certain circles he would be revered and receive many slaps on the back.
Luckily, all three women were quick and competent, and it seemed that within minutes he was cleaned up, bandaged, fully dressed, and on his way out the door. Since the bullet had only grazed his arm and taken out just a small chunk of flesh, there had been no need for stiches.
William, Amy, and the dog returned to the carriage after Amy gave Miss Spencer and the maid a hearty hug, and he offered a huge thanks.
Miss Spencer’s final words to Amy were, “I want the entire story.”
They had traveled only about the length of a full street when they arrived at Amy’s house. Once William got her and the blasted dog inside, he would return home, order his valet to burn the shirt, jacket, and coat, and then pour himself a very large brandy.
Perhaps two.
* * *
Amy tiptoed up the back stairs, avoiding the boards that she knew from years of sneaking out of the house made noise. Perhaps William did have a point about Aunt Margaret’s supervision.
She kept Persephone’s mouth clamped shut with her hand wrapped around the dog’s nose. They were too close to safety to have the dog start barking again. Holding her breath, she stepped onto the second-floor landing. Everything was quiet.
She moved quickly past Michael’s room, Papa’s room, and Aunt Margaret’s. She breathed a sigh of relief and opened her door.
Aunt Margaret sat in a chair by the now-dying fire, sound asleep with a book in her lap. Keeping her eye on her aunt, Amy quickly divested herself of her clothing, pushed it all under her bed, and slipped on a nightgown. Easing the counterpane up, she climbed into the bed with a sigh of relief.
“Where were you?”
Amy almost jumped from the bed at the sound of Aunt Margaret’s voice. She placed her hand over her heart. “Good heavens, Aunt, you scared me to death.”
