To The Traitor in My Bed - Chapter 23
Chapter 12. A Night with Her Husband
Frederick wrapped the rabbit fur scarf around her neck, then took her hand and slowly began walking forward.
Standing side by side, she could clearly see how tall he was. His hand that was wrapped around hers, was large and strong.
She thought back to what he had said about being stronger than her. He truly was. Just because he didn’t excel in horseback riding or sword fighting didn’t necessarily mean he was weak.
He pointed ahead.
“Kingsley is bringing the sled over.”
“What about Matthew…?”
Matthew was the name of the coachman she had asked to bring more guards.
“Matthew? I haven’t seen him. The new sled we had made for you just arrived, so I had Kingsley bring it out directly.”
“You made another sled?”
The sled with a roof was a unique product that the Fairchild family patented and exclusively produced. It was the most popular item of the winter. There were so many orders that people sent letters to the company almost every week, pleading to get one before the winter ended, because dozens of reservations were backlogged as Sir Mark Hartley had once mentioned.
He continued explaining.
“That damned roof, what… Oh, apparently it’s causing resistance, and in this wind, it’s slowing down the speed. So, it was redesigned … Deirdre?”
He looked at her with concern.
“Are you okay? Is it too cold?”
Suddenly, tears sprang to her eyes, and she was taken aback. Just a minute ago, she had been lost and terrified in the snowstorm, and now this man was calmly talking about sleds. She couldn’t believe it.
Yet…
She felt so relieved that tears came to her eyes. She wasn’t alone anymore.
She sniffled.
“It’s not that… I’m just happy to get a new sled.”
He smiled again.
“I’m glad I rushed to have it made.”
Only then did Deirdre remember something she needed to tell him. In fact, there was much she wanted to say. She picked the most urgent thing.
“Frederick, when the sled arrives, we need to go to Edelweiss Heights. The military police are there now.”
“Military police…?”
He looked in the direction of Lady Perpetua’s house.
“My aunt hasn’t done anything to warrant being arrested. Don’t worry.”
“But, you don’t know. Those men…”
“Deirdre.”
He called her name gently again, with a calm, soothing tone.
“Don’t worry. If you’re really concerned, I’ll take you home first and then go check it out.”
* * *
The new sled was indeed fantastic. The original sled had been fast, but this new one was not only quicker but also glided across the ice so smoothly that Deirdre felt as if she was flying over the river. She also loved that the cushion fabric was blue, her favorite color.
When Deirdre entered the Count’s residence, escorted by her husband, she gasped in shock and cried out.
“Frederick!”
She pointed at the bloodstained trousers. The bloodstains were just below his left knee. She vividly remembered the sensation from earlier when she had kicked him, the skates having struck something.
At that moment, she had inadvertently slammed her skate into his leg.
“What happened…? Why didn’t you say you were hurt?”
She grabbed his arm and sat him down, raising her voice.
“Kingsley! Frederick’s hurt. Come and check it. Call for a doctor!”
She kneeled in front of him and lifted his trouser leg. The wound seemed to be quite deep, with bright red blood flowing all the way down to his ankle.
She shuddered, but as she bent down to examine the wound, he reached out and gently held her shoulder.
“Deirdre, it’s fine. It’s so cold outside, I didn’t even realize how much it hurt.”
Deirdre reached out and cupped his chin, her touch surprising him slightly. She firmly said while looking into his round, silver-gray eyes,
“Don’t look down. You say you get sick when you see blood. Then, you won’t want to see this.”
He seemed like he wanted to say something, but she thought he was embarrassed by his own weakness. Under normal circumstances, she might have thought her husband was foolish.
But the deep relief she had felt upon seeing him just thirty minutes ago had now turned into something akin to affection, and his weakness didn’t seem so important anymore. Besides, it was her who had caused his injury, so she had no right to say anything.
Just then, Kingsley arrived with the first-aid kit. As expected from the former president of the Antwerp Butler Association, he quickly administered first aid.
“The bleeding has stopped. As long as you don’t overexert your leg, the wound shouldn’t reopen. But I’ll call a surgeon first thing in the morning for proper treatment. Also, Matthew went to Edelweiss Heights with four guards. I’ll notify you as soon as we hear anything.”
“Did you hear that, Deirdre? You should go rest now.”
Deirdre had no choice but to listen to Frederick.
At the bottom of the hall stairs, Bertha was waiting.
“Madam…!”
As soon as her feet hit the stairs, her legs gave way. Deirdre realized she was so exhausted she couldn’t even move a finger.
“Bertha, can you help me?”
“Of course. Put your arm on my shoulder.”
Deirdre allowed her maid to undress her and place her into the bath. As she submerged her body into the hot water, she groaned.
Bertha looked at her white feet that were now covered in bruises, and looked sorry.
“Madam, you’ll surely suffer from muscle pain tomorrow. I’ll prepare some compresses and herbs in the morning.”
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