Page 86 of Discovering Her Earl

She was alive.

Up.

Down.

He might still get the chance to apologize.

Up.

Down.

He leaned close and without touching her, he whispered in her ear.

“Please, Elaina. Wake up now, sweetheart. We’re all here waiting for you.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Lainey knew she needed to wake up. She was surely late for something or had someplace she needed to be. But she was so comfortable in her bed.

Especially when Julian whispered to her.

Except when she focused on his words, she realized he was upset as he begged her to open her eyes and wake up.

Every few moments, his voice would take a hard edge as he demanded she wake up rather than asked her to.

If for no other reason than to remind him she didn’t take orders from anyone, she attempted to open her eyes. It was more difficult than she’d expected and as she tried, she realized her head hurt a great deal.

She tried moving it from side to side and decided that was not a good thing at the moment. It seemed her head hurt on the outside as well as the inside.

And she was thirsty. It happened often in the desert. It was why she was always careful to make sure she drank plenty of water.

Had she not drunk anything today? The only way to know for sure was to wake up.

After it was decided, she made a valiant attempt to raise her eyelids. After a few attempts they opened enough for her to see the man sitting next to her bed.

Julian.

She knew something was wrong by his expression alone. He looked like he’d been awake for months. But somehow was as incredibly handsome even in that state.

“Elaina,” he whispered, relief clear in his voice. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m thirsty and my head hurts.” She knew it wasn’t at all ladylike to complain, but he did ask.

In the next breath he was pouring her water and bringing it to her. As she gulped it down, she glanced around the tent to see Aunt Rose and Uncle Henry sleeping nearby.

“What happened?” she asked, unsure what had caused everyone to be in her tent. Clearly, she must have worried everyone.

“You fell from the ladder. I’m so sorry, Elaina. It is all my fault.”

Seeing his hand clench in his hair reminded her of the time in Scotland when he’d worried himself into a panic. He was not far from that now.

“I am fine, Julian. And it is not your fault. You cannot be responsible for gravity. It happens.”

“I should have protected you.”

“Julian.” She reached for him and took his hand in hers giving it what she hoped was a reassuring squeeze. “I do not blame you for what happened. Please stop blaming yourself. We all know the risks when we climb a ladder. Look at me,” she said when she noticed he was looking everywhere but at her directly.

When his gaze met hers, she rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand.