Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 94782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
“You can talk about it when you’re ready,” Olivia assures her.
“Okay.” Ella nods, her eyes heavy.
“She needs to rest,” the doctor tells us. “We’re moving her to a room for observation tonight.”
“I’m staying with her,” I inform him.
He sighs, but when Ella doesn’t argue, he gives up.
“Should we stay too?” Charlotte asks.
“Please don’t put yourselves out,” Ella says. “I can call you tomorrow morning when I’m feeling better.”
Both women reluctantly hug her and say their goodbyes before the doctor insists again on Ella’s rest. Once they’ve gone, the nurse wheels Ella up to a hospital room while I follow at her side. It takes another twenty minutes for them to check her vitals and give her a new IV bag, and by that time, she’s fast asleep again.
The weight of the day leaves me exhausted too, and when I collapse into the bedside chair, my head finds a home on her lap as my eyes fall shut. At some point, her fingers curl into my hair, and her presence lulls me into a peaceful sleep beside her.
33
Thorsen
The doctor comes to check on Ella one more time, asking her for more details of what happened today. When she gives him a vague response, he warns her that he could keep her on a hold at the hospital until she’s assessed and deemed mentally fit to leave on her own.
“That isn’t necessary,” I challenge him. “She has a psychiatrist back home in Norway. You can speak to him, and he will tell you himself.”
“Thorsen.” Ella touches my hand, trying to calm me. “It’s okay. The doctor’s just doing his job, and I understand. But I can assure you, Dr. Hobbs, it was just an honest mistake.”
“Please do explain.” He arches a brow at her.
Ella proceeds to give him a bullshit story about how she hasn’t been sleeping well, and she was locked out of her home, so she went to the farm. She tells him she often napped there, and she took the entire bottle of the sleeping aid, thinking it was a single dosage.
“I see.” The doctor studies her. “And what about your injuries? Or the lighter fluid? How do you explain that?”
At the mention of lighter fluid, my stomach revolts with a sickening realization.
“I can’t remember how that happened,” Ella lies. “I think I was confused, maybe. I could have fallen in the barn. It’s hard to say.”
Dr. Hobbs isn’t buying her story, but he writes down one final note in her chart and sighs. “I’ll need to speak with your doctor back in Norway before I make any decisions.”
“I’ll give you his contact information.” I reach for the pad and pen on the table and scribble Dr. Blom’s name and phone number.
Dr. Hobbs takes the information and heads for the door. “I’ll be back to check on you in the morning.”
Once he’s gone, I shut the door behind him and turn to Ella. The softness in her eyes betrays her nerves.
“Tell me what really happened, Ella. No lies.”
“You first.” She glares up at me. “Why are you even here? Why aren’t you with Lavinia?”
“Lavinia?” I grimace. “Why would I be with—”
Suddenly, it occurs to me that Lavinia must have told Ella about our so-called engagement. It’s something so simple, but it never crossed my mind because Lavinia was barely a blip in my consciousness until I learned of Ella’s connection to her.
“I saw the papers.” Ella’s lip wobbles, and she looks away. “I know you’re engaged to her. You can tell me the truth. Please don’t lie to me anymore.”
“Min gudinne.” I turn her face back to mine. “Is that what you thought? Do you really believe I’d ever marry her?”
“What else am I supposed to think?” She swipes a few stray tears from the corners of her eyes. “You were with her. She had a ring on her finger. I saw the photo.”
“But you don’t know the story.” I shake my head, frustrated that I never dealt with this when I should have.
“Are you telling me it isn’t true?”
“Of course, it’s not true.”
“I need more than that,” she says. “Make me understand.”
I fall into the seat beside her with a sigh.
“When I came looking for you after the ball, I enlisted my secretary’s help. He reported this information back to my parents, and they believed Lavinia was the woman I’d been trying to find. They invited Narcissa and both of your sisters to stay at the palace for one month. My father was determined to see me marry her because I had already turned down two of his previous choices. He ordered me to spend three days a week with her, and I did it because he would have denied me access to my mother if I hadn’t.”
“But you did go out on dates with her?” Bitterness colors Ella’s tone, and it has the unfortunate effect of reminding me I have a cock I’d like to bury balls deep inside her right now.