you thought? What do you need me to do?”
“Nothing at the moment. Perhaps pray for her to heal quickly. Give me the compress. We’ll take turns applying it to the lump. We have to keep the swelling down.” He winced. “I think she hit her head pretty hard.”
The vicar noticed Angus had nudged her gown down to her waist.
Angus followed the direction of his gaze. “I had to do it to tend to her broken arm.”
“I know. Should we undress her? I mean, you’ve already got her part way there.”
“Don’t touch her.” Angus shot him a look that warned he wouldn’t live to see the next sunrise if he dared set a hand on Felicity.
“For pity’s sake, stop shooting daggers at me. I meant nothing lewd by it. And don’t pretend for a moment you weren’t looking at her splendid body and lusting.”
“I had to look. In a medical way. That’s all.”
“My arse, you’re practically in spasms over the girl. Don’t bother to deny it. She’s quite beautiful, isn’t she? Won’t she be more comfortable in her nightclothes?”
“Yes, but you’re not to touch her.”
Adam held up his hands in mock surrender. “Fine, I won’t. But she still needs to be made comfortable. You can’t leave her with the gown hanging half off her body.”
“I’ll take care of it.” Angus knew he was being possessive and unreasonable, but he didn’t care. No other man would ever put his hands on Felicity. Hell, he wasn’t sure Felicity would ever allow him to put his hands on her. Why would she when he’d never given her cause to think he cared?
He’d purposely kept his distance, purposely hidden his feelings. And now he was supposed to return to Scotland.
He’d planned to leave shortly after Christmas eve supper at Sherbourne Manor.
But how could he abandon Felicity in this condition? “I’ll do it,” he repeated softly. “Go into the bookshop. I’ll call you back in when she’s decent.”
“Angus,” his friend said with a sigh, “you have to tell her. She deserves to know who you really are.”
He tensed, but not because of Adam’s admonition. He’d planned to reveal his true identity to Felicity before he left Wellesford. But he’d just discovered who she was, that rare birthmark on the back of her shoulder proof of her family connection.
Well, not solid proof. More of a solid indication.
He’d confirm it once the storm ended. But what then? Confront her mother? Force her to reveal her identity to Felicity? To what end? The woman, her husband, and family would all be destroyed if the truth came out.
Lord, this was a mess.
Felicity had never known who her parents were. They’d abandoned her when she was a baby, dumping her at the orphanage. Angus wasn’t certain of the father’s identity, but he now had a strong suspicion of her mother’s. Blessed saints! The woman was a regular at Felicity’s book club meetings.
She’d been right under Felicity’s nose all these years.
The vicar placed a hand on his shoulder. “Angus, seriously, are you all right?”
“Yes, just worried about her.”
“So am I. Are you going to stay by her bedside through the night?”
“Of course.”
“I’ll sit with you.” He tossed Angus a mirthless smile. “You need a chaperone. The fiery way you look at her, you ought to be doused with water to put out the flames. How long have you been in love with her?”
Angus stared at the compress on Felicity’s brow. “Long time. From the moment I set eyes on her, to be exact. The first day I walked in here looking for a medical book. She was just finishing up with a customer, so I waited. She turned to me and smiled. It was as though I’d been struck by a bolt of lightning. Still happens every time I look at her.”
“Lord, you’re brainless. You may be the smartest man in town, but you’ve loved her all this time and done nothing about it? You’re an idiot. Or a badly damaged soul. I suppose we both are, aren’t we? Why else would we have fled our homes?” Adam left his side to forage through her bureau. “Here’s a nightgown for her. Call me in if you need my help. Keeping her comfortable is most important, so don’t be an arse and cause her pain because you won’t let anyone else touch her. You have no right, you know. All these years, you ought to have said something to her.”
Once more left alone with Felicity, Angus eased the gown and corset off her