[i]“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.”[/i]

“Oh Nick, I can handle anything you can handle,” she argued, though immediately gave a sheepish grin. “All right, maybe not [i]anything[/i],” Claire admitted, “but I just want to be here for you.” It was no use. The new bride sighed, temporarily forgetting about her own despair until he called her [i]Mrs. Rochford.[/i] At that even her forced smile disappeared, though her hand stayed on his thigh until they arrived at the estate.

It was difficult to wait. If Mr. Bennett hadn’t indicated he would stay outside with her, along with the Duke, Claire would have protested. As it was, she would only be taking up space and of course be no help at all. Just the thought of blood running down his paled side sickened her. While waiting just outside the bedroom Claire couldn’t sit still, despite her father asking her time and time again to stop pacing from window to window. “Father. It is my wedding day and my husband, whether we get along or not, is in more pain that I can imagine. [i]Please[/i] for heaven’s sake just let me be!” The Duke sighed, though her anxious pacing was only unsettling him even more.

Finally the door opened. Claire stayed behind Mr. Bennett, waiting patiently for the news to be passed on. It only made things worse how they spoke in such whispers. Did that mean it was news a family member should break to her? Thankfully that wasn’t the case…when Nick’s father let her know he was recovering she let out a sigh of relief, smiling back at the Duke. She would have had a much harder time without them.

[i] 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.”[/i]

“Of course! Thank you, Mr. Rochford,” Claire said, though she hadn’t even finished before taking steps to get around him and into the master bedroom. The absence of bloody rags and bandages around the bed only made her wonder more how bad the wound was. He seemed so alone in such a large bed, but just as Mr. Rochford had said he was awake…barely. It was a grim sight, seeing Nick without his usual charming smile and a light in his eyes made her stomach turn. Who knew she would ever miss the features she complained most about? 

“Hello Nick,” she greeted in a quiet voice, moving a chair someone had already placed at his bedside a few inches closer before taking a seat. Her strawberry blonde curls were falling and out of place from how many times she’d nervously run her fingers through her hair in the past hour. “The physician said you will be asleep soon. May I sit with you until then?” It was understandable if he didn’t want her there, but she still hoped he didn’t run her of. Besides the fact that she wanted to be with her husband in his time of need, there was a tiny detail about tonight that needed to be ironed out before he became unconscious for what might be many hours. “How are you feeling? Is the pain horrible? Be honest now, you know how I feel about you exaggerating, even if you do it for my benefit.”

Claire reached out, slipping her hands around one of his. He was cold and clammy, which didn’t help settle her nerves at all. “Nick, you need proper rest and a bed to yourself. I would be moving around far too much if I stayed here, you know that. Everyone will understand if I stay in a guest bedroom tonight, which I plan on doing. I just wanted to let you know in case you wake up in the middle of the night. I-“ And this was the hardest part, for she did not wish to start off their marriage this way, but it was the only way to assure he would not know she was out of the house. “I think it best if we leave each other be through the night until morning. [i]Every[/i] night. Time apart will help the days together become easier to cope with, don’t you agree?” How silly she must seem to be talking of this when he had only minutes to speak with her. Even she felt guilty and almost took it back.

Claire didn’t plan on leaving his side once the sun was up, but telling him that would cause her request to make no sense at all. So she cleared her throat, quickly trying to change the subject. “I truly am glad you’re all right. Can I bring you anything now? What can I do to make this easier?” her question was sincere as she squeezed his hand, even more so with the guilt of her previous words bearing down on her. “Would you like to see your father? He’s right outside, I can fetch him.”