Chapter 8

Jon was watching Claudette sleep in her bed at the Batten estate. She had been in an induced coma for more than a week since the incident, and had only been taken home from hospital a week later. Jon had requested to remain at the estate under the pretense of being of aid to Lord Batten while he was struggling to cope with the care of his daughter and finding the man who had caused her so much pain.

In truth, Jon needed to be close to Claudette. He had to be close to her at all times to will her to live. The doctor hadn’t had much hope for her, but Jon couldn’t accept that. She just had to live.

Jon stared at Claudette lying in her bed, completely still. Her chest moved up and down very faintly. Her face still had some bruising, but the swelling had mostly gone down. She had a large gash on her lip which would, luckily, not leave a permanent scar. On the left side of her face, there was another large gash at the brink of her hairline – it was neatly stitched and would act as a reminder of the entire ordeal for the rest of her life.

Besides the damage to her face, Claudette had suffered a blow to the back of her head causing swelling of her brain which had, thankfully, also subsided. Further, she suffered two broken ribs, bruising and abrasions across her entire body, and, a broken shoulder.

Jon felt the rage rising inside him when he thought back to that day, finding her in that clearing. He had believed her to be dead, but there had been the faintest flicker of a heartbeat. It was utterly miraculous that a carriage had passed on the same road right after Jon had found Claudette. She was loaded into the carriage after Jon had removed his shirt to press it against the worst of the wounds all over her body. Even more miraculous was that one of the ladies in the carriage was a nurse. She ordered her brother in the carriage to take Jon’s horse into town to immediately call the doctor – they would be following him. It seemed as though the carriage moved at a snail’s pace, but eventually they reached the hospital, where Claudette was offloaded and admitted.

The past few weeks had been the worst of Jon’s life. He had been to the hospital with Lord Batten often. Many people had come to pay their respects to Lord Batten but Jon couldn’t name one of them. He was out of his mind with fear and rage. To live in a world where she didn’t exist ... That was unthinkable. So, even though he wasn’t allowed to see her, he waited. At one point, a nurse allowed him to enter the room where Claudette was laying for a few minutes. Jon had felt immense grief seeing her beautiful body so scarred.

Claudette looked better now, but Jon remained at war with himself. He blamed himself for not reaching her earlier, but more than that, the questions as to who was responsible for the terrible incident, and why, were eating away at him. Claudette hadn’t spoken a word since the incident, so nobody knew who the man was. The culprit had been so covered in blood that Jon believed he would never recognize the man even if he were to speak to him face-to-face. Jon felt such hatred inside him for the man who was capable of doing such a thing to a lady. Jon kept dwelling on the memories of that day. If he could just remember anything about the man which could aid in his arrest; but Jon knew better. He didn’t just want the man arrested – he wanted the man killed, and by his own hand.

Now the sunlight was struggling to find its way through the window covered by a thick curtain. Jon stood up to open the dark curtains, allowing the bright sunlight to shine intensely upon Claudette’s skin. She didn’t stir.

There was a soft knock on the door before it was opened. Jon didn’t turn around to see who it was. He heard slow footsteps behind him, and then someone put their hand on his shoulder.

“How is she doing?” Benjamin asked behind him.

“Much the same,” Jon said, still not turning around.

Benjamin had been to visit Claudette and her father a few times. His parents had also come to pay their respects when Claudette had just been moved back to the mansion. Jon didn’t speak to Benjamin about the proposed marriage. He removed the entire idea from his mind, but he knew that he would have to face the conversation eventually.

“Jon, can we talk please? You know, now that we’re alone...”

“What about?”

“Were you on your way to warn Claudette about the proposed arranged marriage when you found her?”

“Yes,” Jon answered simply, “She deserved to know.”

“Do you love her?”

Jon didn’t respond, and Benjamin sighed loudly.

“Jon, you must believe me...,” Benjamin started.

“I honestly don’t want to hear it,” Jon said dismissively.

“Well, you have to. I know I am to break a promise I made to you, but it truly isn’t my fault. Thus, I am here to make another one, one I will never break.”

Jon turned to look up at Benjamin.

“Jon, I promise to look after her. Whether you want to admit your feelings or not, you must know that you could never be wed to her. With all due respect, you must know that it will not be appropriate for someone of your social standing. I am not attempting to put you down in any way, you must believe me. I am simply being honest with you because I want you to believe that I can give Claudette what she needs. I know what my reputation is, but, Jon, I will change my ways, for her.” Benjamin pointed at Claudette lying on the bed. “Look at her, Jon. She needs someone to take care of her, and of the estate. I am the perfect man to do that. You are my best friend Jon. You must know me well enough to realize when I am being completely honest. I promise you, I will take care of her. Nothing like this will ever happen to her again. I cannot promise that this will be an easy road to travel for us all, but I will attempt to provide her with everything she deems necessary. I can provide her with everything she wants.”

Jon looked at Benjamin for a while, pondering his words. Finally, Jon sighed.

“I believe you.”

Jon looked over at Claudette again. It felt as though his heart had been trampled, but he knew it was better for her to be with Benjamin. She had to be safe, and happy, and Benjamin could give that to her. The whole incident had caused Jon to realize that Claudette, however stubborn she may be, required protection.

Benjamin gave him a sad smile, and then left the room again. Jon turned to look at Claudette. He took her frail hand in his own and kissed her fingers. He whispered, “You’ll be alright,” but he was uncertain whether the statement was aimed at Claudette, or at himself.

Later that day, dinner was served in Claudette’s bed chamber. Jon was sitting with Lord Batten at a table brought into the room for the purpose of eating while still looking after Claudette. Lord Batten looked worse than Jon had ever seen him. At first, there was shock at what had happened, but then he became angry. He was attempting to find out who had caused Claudette so much pain, but there seemed to be no leads. The past few weeks had taken a toll on him. Jon saw that his eyes were bloodshot, and he barely ate any of the food on his plate.

When the table had been cleared, Lord Batten said sadly, “I am pleased that you are here, Jon. It truly does mean a lot to me.”

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

Lord Batten gave him a little smile before continuing, “You have always been like a son to me. After the sudden death of your parents, I wanted to be there for you, to protect you, and to look after you. I believe that I have done so, and that I continue to do so.” He shot a glance at Jon who nodded his head.

“I require someone to look after Claudette the same way. Someone must protect her, as I will not always be around to do so – heavens, I’ve already failed once!”

Jon attempted to argue, but Lord Batten silenced him, “The Carlisle family was here today,” he continued.

“Yes, Benjamin spoke to me briefly.”

“Jon, they are proposing that Claudette be wed to Benjamin,” he said placing his hands on his head.

“What did you tell them my Lord?”

“I told them that I’d think about it. I just never thought that I would allow an arranged marriage. I want her to make her own choices; but I also have to keep her safe. She needs a husband – she does,” he said, seemingly to convince himself. “What say you, Jon? What do you think?”