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“Do you want to marry me?” Siobhan asked. “Are you this way because you are being forced to take me to wife?”

Miles’ only response was a groan of pain. Then he slowly relaxed, drifting into what she thought was slumber; it was just as she’d fallen asleep after drinking her pain tincture. He would not be able to speak for a long while, and she realized it was best for her to return downstairs.

After placing a pillow under his head, Siobhan covered him with a blanket. Her heart broke for him, and rage surged that he was being left alone in this helpless, pained state. Still, there was little she could do or say without divulging that she had snuck into his room and seen him so exposed. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his parted lips.

“I will help you,” she vowed softly. “I will return and help you.”

Just as she arrived at the bottom floor, the same maid—who appeared to be waiting for her—motioned for her to turn away and to go out through a wide set of doors that led to the garden. Siobhan hurried out and settled gingerly onto the first bench she came to so she could rest after her exertions. As she sat, she was able to watch a nearby fountain. Usually, she’d find it quite relaxing, but her mind was full of worry for Miles. What had happened to him? Would he be all right? Maybe she could return to the house and ask the same maid who’d let her know where Miles would be.

She was still musing on this when her mother walked out and spotted her there. “There you are. Come back inside, Siobhan. We have a few last items to discuss that require your input.”

“Yes, Mother,” she answered. She’d have to find another way to determine what was wrong with Miles, and how she could help him.

Chapter Ten

Sunlight across his face woke Miles and he slowly opened his eyes, scared it would trigger the pain again. To his relief the headache had gone as if it had never occurred.

He sat up, realizing he’d spent the night on the floor. He pushed away the blanket that had been placed over him. Probably by his mother, who now lay on his bed, still asleep.

She and his father took turns sleeping in the room whenever he had an episode. His heart warmed at knowing they refused to leave him alone even though the drops he took made him sleep deeply.

A vague memory of Siobhan being there came to him and he wondered if it had been a dream. There was no way she could have come there and been allowed to his bedchamber. Still, he could swear she’d been there. Perhaps it was a delusion brought on by the tincture, though that had never happened before.

His mother stirred, opening her eyes to meet his. “Thanks be to God,” she stated in a groggy tone. “You are better.”

“It seems so,” he replied, stretching. “I am famished.”

The duchess sat up, smiling at him. She reached for the cord that hung next to the bed. “Something can be brought at once.”

When his valet entered, he ordered a bath. The man, Reynolds, gave him a warm look. “I am so glad to see you faring better, my lord. I will see that food is brought immediately.”

“How many days have passed?” he asked.

“Surprisingly, only two,” his mother replied. “Perhaps the attacks will be shorter and soon disappear.”

He didn’t dare hope. However, on the rare occasions when the headaches lasted less than a sennight, he was glad for it.

The bathwater was a balm to his battered soul. Left alone with only his thoughts once again, Miles wondered at the vivid dream of Siobhan having visited him.

He could not fathom why the dream had been so real.

*

Descending the stairs, Miles went to find his father. They usually spent the mornings poring over ledgers to ensure every one of their many properties were accounted for. They owned lands in England and on the island in the West Indies from which his father hailed. Every one of their holdings was meticulously handled to ensure profits. Often, either he or his father would travel and visit their estates, something which Miles enjoyed.

With a look of relief, his father looked up from a ledger. “Ah, good to see you, son. Your mother told me you’ve gotten over the latest episode.” He waved Miles into the room.

“I am still a bit disoriented,” Miles said. “Each time, I feel as if I’m waking from a disturbing dream. My jaw aches from grinding my teeth.”

He lowered himself into a chair opposite his father’s large desk and looked to see which ledger he held. “I am eager to work and get back to the routine.”

There was a flicker of something he didn’t quite understand in his father’s gaze and the duke looked away. “There is a matter we must discuss. We had company yesterday, midday.”

By the crease between his father’s brows, Miles knew it had to be something serious. “What happened?”

“It was the Blairs and their pretty daughter. Your mother has decided that you will marry her.”

Miles started. Him? Marry? Siobhan? He opened his mouth to protest, as he had many times before. But something stopped him, though he wasn’t sure what it was.