“Antoine will have to go to France in my stead,” Nicholas was telling Mr. Bennett. “That is a better idea as he will most definitely not have a hard time blending in. Besides, my French is not very good.”

The gentleman’s graying brows were furrowed as he listened to what his son was saying. He sat on the opposite bench of the carriage while Timothy Gladstone guarded the door. They had just deposited the groom to his carriage and he sat in the most comfortable position that the carriage can provide for him. “You cannot possibly be thinking about our mission at this hour, James,” Tim scolded in a harsh whisper, leaning against his knees. “I don’t want to hear any of this. We will wait for Claire and we will see you rested and tended by a physician. You are to stay out of the operation until our physician cleared you. Do you understand?”

“But we had just gotten in our custody a very probable spy,” the younger man protested, though weakly.

“We shall take care of it. The order is final, James. You will not leave the premises of the property in Kensington until you have been cleared by the physician. Doing otherwise will be grounds for insubordination.” 

Bennett didn’t wait for an answer, because he would not accept any answer other than that Nick would comply with the demands of his superior. He stepped down of the carriage and left the injured gentleman to reflect on his actions for the day.

His time for reflection wasn’t that long though, for in just a few moments, his bride came rushing in the carriage. The door was instantly shut behind her and she spoke quick words strung into sentences that were laced with worry. He could see in her face and in her gestures that more than she was upset by him not telling her that he was hurt, she was worried for his well-being. He honestly didn’t expect that reaction from her. With the way she had treated him the whole day, he expected her to be more than happy to hear that her new husband might die on their first day as newlyweds. 

“Bradley,” he supplied, on the topic of his middle name. “My middle name is Bradley. You can now properly fuss at me.” Despite the pain and the continuous flow of blood drenching his waistcoat and right hand, Nick’s smile was lopsided and full of mischief. It might be his reaction to her worried gestures, to smile and somehow reassure her that he was fine. He was not fine. 

[i] “I can’t believe you went through this entire day without saying a word. I’ve been so selfish without realizing it. Here I’m complaining because you haven’t spoken to me recently, and you’ve been bleeding all morning. Can I see where…? At least when we get home if not now?”[/i]

“No, dear wife,” he objected. “It is something a lady of gentle upbringing such as yourself should not see and could not handle. Please leave it to the physicians. Rest assured, I am fine.”

The carriage started moving and Claire settled back on her seat. [i]“And you were still going to take me to France. That was unbelievably kind, but you do realize there’s no way we’re going.”[/i]

Nick nodded, looking out the window as the carriage started to move and their guests were coming out of the Abbott’s mansion. “I was foolish to overestimate the capacities of my body. I expected to be able to make it through the day. I am sorry I ruined our wedding day. I should be taking you to Paris by now,” he admitted. He did want to go to Paris himself. London was a beautiful place, but he liked how France was more liberate.

Then he felt her place her hand on his thigh. The slight pressure got his attention and his blue eyes turned to her. [i]“We may not love each other but you’re not getting up until the physician says it’s all right. Please, your father can attend to the business and I’ll take care of anything else. I…why didn’t you tell me? No, don’t answer that. Don’t speak, we just need to get you home and in bed. You did this just to get off the couch, didn’t you? Fine, you win for now…until you get better, that is.”[/i]

It occurred to him to cheat to ensure his victory over the bedroom issue, but he figured that she would not win against him in an actual race. The accusation was therefore invalid and only accomplished to turn his polite lopsided smile into a grin. “You can always welcome to join me, Mrs. Rochford.”

The whole house was bustling with activities when the couple arrived. They were not supposed to arrive until after that week because of their honeymoon. Therefore when a servant came running to break the news that their master would come home earlier, every able hand became doubly busy.

Tim and Bennett were first to arrive at the mansion. With them were a doctor, Mr. Bennett, and Claire’s father. However, it was only Timothy who was waiting at the front door. He carefully assisted Nick up to the master’s bedroom. He was a few inches shorter than Nick, and was a bit on the narrow side. He probably weighed less than the taller guy, but Tim carried most of his friend’s weight up the flight of stairs. The physician followed them closely as they entered the room.

Mr. Bennett, on the other hand, stopped Claire when she tried to follow. “The place is not for a lady,” he reminded the bride. “Let us wait here for any news.”

The news came about an hour after. Bennett got to his feet quickly after the door to the master’s bedroom opened. He walked up to the physician, and the two talked in hushed tones. Once they were done, Bennett turned to Claire. “Darling, Nicholas is in no apparent danger. The injury was stitched close again and he should not be exerting too much effort to prevent this from happening again. If you would like to see him, the physician said he gave him something that will help him rest better, but Nick is currently conscious. The medicine might take effect in a few minutes yet.”