"Amelia! Amanda!"
Both heads turned; Patience beckoned. With a sigh and a last look, they went.
"Vane, you can see Richard later-I want to get our rooms sorted out first."
Her gaze on the stairs, Catriona smiled and bore the Dowager upstairs to see her second son.
Richard felt trapped-deserted by Devil and Honoria-left to face his stepmother alone. When the door opened and swung wide, he contemplated groaning and acting much iller than he was, but then he glimpsed his wife's fiery halo and thought better of any deception.
Only God and Her Lady knew where it might land him.
"Richard!" Helena-she who he'd always known as Maman-came sweeping down upon him.
Smiling reassuringly, he returned her hug, and squirmed when he glimpsed tears in her eyes. To his relief, she blinked quickly and they were gone, and she beamed her brilliant smile at him.
"Bon! You are already much recovered, I can see."
To his surprise, instead of taking possession of him, his sickbed and his room in short order, she contented herself with taking possession of his hand, and cast a questioning glance at Catriona, standing at the end of the bed.
Catriona inclined her head. "He is much better-he was unconscious for five days, but with Devil's help, we managed to walk him so the poison wore off sooner."
"This poison." Helena tilted her head, still regarding Catriona. "How was it given him?"
Catriona looked at Richard. "In his morning coffee."
"And the person who put it there? Will they try again?"
"No." Steadily, Catriona held Richard's gaze. "The poisoner is no longer in the manor, or the vale."
"Ah!" Helena nodded sagely. "They have run to safety, yes?" She looked at Richard, then squeezed his hand. "You will go after them, I know-but not until you are well again, hein?"
"I'll be perfectly well by tomorrow." Richard tried to catch Catriona's eye but failed-she was looking at Helena.
"You will know best, of course," his impossible stepmother was saying, "but how quickly he recovers will depend on the poison, yes?"
"Indeed." Looking back at Richard, far too calmly for his liking, Catriona informed him: "You were given wolfsbane, and probably henbane as well. But it's the wolfsbane that's the most lingering. It weakens muscles, and it takes far longer than one thinks to release its effect. For the amount you must have taken in, it would generally take weeks for full recovery."
"Weeks?" Horrified, Richard stared at her.
She smiled reassuringly. "In your case, you have a very robust and… er, vigorous constitution. If you remain in bed and eat what Cook sends you until you can stand and walk alone, you may be well enough to leave this room inside of a week."
"Eh, bien-your wife has spoken. She is the healer here and you must pay attention." Placing his hand under the sheets, Helena covered it and patted his arm. "You will be good and recover quickly, so that I will not worry, no?"
Richard stared at her, then he looked at Catriona and saw the militant light in her eye.
With a long-suffering groan, he sank back into his pillows. He was rolled up-horse, foot and guns.
"Damn it-why couldn't you stop her!" Grumpily, Richard mock-glared at Vane.
Who merely grinned. "Me and which army?" Settling on one corner of the bed, his back against the post, Vane raised a resigned brow. "You've known what she's like all your life."
Richard humphed.
"And if you'd seen what faced us when we arrived at Somersham, you'd be thanking me for managing to leave Mrs. Hull and Webster behind. As it is"-Vane glanced at Devil, similarly ensconced on the other side of the bed-"I'm sure the only reason they consented to remain at Somersham was because Sebastian was there."
Richard looked at Vane in only partly feigned horror, then shook his head. "What I can't understand is what you're all doing here."
"We," Vane said, clearly referring to himself and Patience, "were returning from visiting the Beuclaires in Norwich and thought we'd stop by to tell Devil and Honoria our news."