Page 29 of My Dangerous Duke

Unable to help himself, a smirk broke through Xander’s set frown. A red mist had settled over his vision when he saw Eleanor being treated so roughly. Then, when the man had so brutally slapped his hand over her mouth, he had lost control and lunged. Two of his servants had caught him and pled for him to allow the doctor to work. But when the physician began to smile down at Eleanor the way he did as he held her mouth shut, something in him had broken.

He had the two men off of him in an instant and before he knew it Xander was on top of the man. It had taken four servants then to pull him off him, and two others to carry the terrified physician out.

“I want him replaced by tomorrow and I want you to choose who it is,” Xander commanded. “I will not have her touched like that ever again. And be sure they bring laudanum. What kind of physical does not keep a steady supply of laudanum?”

Xander unintentionally added a hard tonal edge to his last sentence, and it caused Eleanor to stir slightly. He froze as she rubbed her cheek against her pillow, sighed slowly, then relaxed again. Only when he saw her resume her deep breathing once more, did he allow himself to do the same.

“It shall be an honor,” Mrs. Gaines replied, keeping her voice down.

Done with the conversation, Xander nodded toward the door and waited for her to leave. When she did not move after several moments, Xander begrudgingly dragged his eyes away from Eleanor and turned around to his longtime housekeeper.

“Is there something else?” He asked, slightly annoyed that she had not left yet.

Mrs. Gaines stared back at him steadily.

“Though I know you to be otherwise, you are not known as a particularly gentle man,” she stated, “You have a dominant side to you that has always been obvious, and your strictness has earned you a reputation, but you have never lost control…”

“Today, Your Grace, that was not so. In all my years as a member of your staff, I have never seen you attack a man the way you attacked that physician. I am not saying that what he did was right, but you could have hurt him, Your Grace.”

It was true and Xander knew it. If the other servants had not gotten to him, who knows what he would have done? He could not explain it, though. The ferocity that came over him when he saw Eleanor choking- the overallneedto protect her. It had consumed him so quickly and so fully that it rendered him a slave to it.

“Have Jared send the physician a couple hundred pounds and the title’s deepest apologies,” he grumbled.

There was not much else he could do. That would have to be enough. That, and, keeping an eye on his temper when it came to his wife.

“I will,” Mrs. Gaines agreed quickly, “But, Your Grace, there is something else.”

“What now, Mrs. Gaines?” Xander sighed wearily.

“Well, typically, Your Grace, it is the staff that would tend to a duchess when she is ill,” Mrs. Gaines explained calmly, “Not the duke.”

Xander stayed silent a moment, his eyes moving back to Eleanor as he began to rub his jaw.

“I will see to it,” he said dismissively, waving her off.

“That is just not how things are done,” she sighed.

“That is how they are being done today,” Xander snapped back in a low tone, careful not to disturb Eleanor again.

Mrs. Gaines gave him an interesting look, one he did not quite know how to read, and he rolled his eyes.

“Tell me what to do,” he demanded.

“Keep an eye on her temperature,” Mrs. Gaines explained in a motherly fashion, arguing no further. “Do not let her get too hot or too cold. It is almost time for her to be given some water again, and you will need to do that every half hour or so. Gently lift the back of her head and spoon some water between her lips slowly. Be careful, or she will choke.”

Xander nodded quickly.

“And food?” He asked, glancing down at his wife.

“You will have to allow me to bring up some broth from time to time, but water will be the most important.”

“I will allow it. Thank you, Mrs. Gaines,” Xander replied.

“Of course, Your Grace,” She replied but still did not leave. With a sigh, Xander brought his eyes back to her one more time.

“What is it, Mrs. Gaines?” He asked warily.

Mrs. Gaines smirked back at him as she clasped her hands together and shrugged.