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“Kearns! Thank you for coming so promptly. My wife has suffered a blow to the head in a carriage accident. I am concerned she may have concussion.”

The doctor threw him a look under his beetling eyebrows and said, “Well, let’s have a look, shall we?”

He moved to the bedside to examine Cecey, and Rick moved to the other side and sat on the bed and took her hand in his. She smiled at this, and then turned her attention to the doctor.

He checked the bruise and her eyes, made her follow his finger with her gaze, and asked her a few questions.

“Mild concussion is likely. Bed rest for a day or two, and avoid bending or lifting or moving your head suddenly. You may feel drowsy or nauseated. If it becomes worse, send for me.” He turned to address Rick. “If Her Ladyship should faint, send for me immediately. She should not be left alone for the next few hours. That is when symptoms of concussion are most likely to manifest.”

Rick nodded. “I will make sure of it. Thank you, doctor.”

“Hm. I will apply some arnica to the bruise, and you can reapply it as often as you like, at least three times a day.” He addressed Cecey. “You will most probably have a headache for a couple of days as the bruise works its way out. I will leave you some herbs for a tea that may ease that and the mild nausea you may feel. But if either of those symptoms gets suddenly worse, send for me, all right?”

“Yes, doctor,” said Cecey. Her head did ache, and she did feel rather sick and fatigued.

The doctor applied the arnica, which was cool on her heated skin, gave the herbs into Mary’s care, and Rick saw him out.

“Shall I make up some of the tea for you, my lady?”

“Yes please.”

Mary nodded and headed for the door as Rick came back in.

Rick resumed his place on the side of the bed, and Mary went away to make the tea. Cecey leaned back against the pillows and closed her eyes.

“I shall leave you to rest with Mary to keep an eye on you. But I won’t be far away. And if you need anything, anything at all, ask Mary to fetch me. Understood?”

“Yes, thank you.”

He leaned in and kissed her forehead gently. “And please don’t give me a fright like that again. I’ll be grey before I’m thirty otherwise,” he joked.

“I didn’t mean to.”

“I know you didn’t, sweetheart. I’m sorry I made you angry. If I hadn’t, you wouldn’t have stormed off and taken the curricle. Pagette had discovered the wheel was loose and gone to get a wrench to fix it when you took the carriage.”

Cecey frowned. “Why was the wheel loose?”

“I don’t know. I’m going to talk to Pagette about it.”

Cecey’s hand tightened on his and she said, “Were you going to take the curricle out today?”

“Yes, I told Pagette I was going to drive into Clophill. There is a glazier there I wanted to consult about getting windows installed in the cottages like the Rawlins’s that only have shutters.”

“Oh, Rick!” she whimpered, the tears she had been fighting bursting forth. “That loosened wheel was meant for you!” The sobs broke out in full force and he gathered her close as she clung to him and sobbed into his shoulder.

He rubbed her back and kissed her hair. “Hush, sweetheart. I fear you are right, and I am sorry I didn’t take things more seriously. But I promise you, I will get to the bottom of this, and neither of us will take out the horses or carriages unless they have been thoroughly checked by Pagette first.” When her sobs continued, he said, “Cecey, please stop, you’ll make yourself ill. Please, I can’t bear you to be so upset.” His arms tightened around her, and she fought to bring the sobs under control, because they were making her headache worse.

He found her a handkerchief, and she blew her nose and wiped her eyes. Then Mary returned with the tea, and Rick left her with a gentle kiss. She watched him go and sank back into the pillows with a heart full and aching. He was beginning to care for her . . . She hugged the feeling of that to herself and accepted a cup of the doctor’s medicinal tea from Mary.

***

Rick left Cecey’s bedchamber and went in search of Reynolds. He found him in the servants’ hall, polishing boots, and asked him to accompany him to the stables where they found Pagette.

“So,” said Rick, “Pagette, in your opinion, did that wheel come loose by itself, or did it have help?”

“Hard to say, my lord. But I always check the vehicle over before it goes out, and I hadn’t noticed it getting looser until this morning.”

“You did get the message last night that I intended to take the curricle to Clophill today?”