A Scoundrel of Consequence. Helen Dickson
sanity returned to William, somewhat hazily, it was to find a young woman in a dark grey coat kneeling beside him, and a short, stout man holding his frightened horse. There was a dull throbbing in his head, and an ache in his shoulder that pulsed in unison with it.
Cassandra gazed down into two crystal-clear orbs. There was a vibrant life and an intensity in those eyes, dark, brilliant blue, like the sea in a summer storm that no one could deny. ‘I’m happy to see you are still with us,’ the woman said in a soft, well-bred voice. She held her head gracefully, the brim of her bonnet casting a light shadow over her face. ‘You have been shot. Let’s hope your wound is not serious.’
William returned her smile with difficulty and tried to allay her fears by pushing himself up against a tree. He winced as pain—red hot and piercing—shot through his shoulder, then closed his eyes and rested his head back. Without more ado the woman briskly unfastened his bloodsoaked jacket, removed his crisp white cravat and opened his shirt, her expression schooled to a nun-like impassivity as she examined his wound. William’s gaze flickered to the slender fingers pressing a wad of cloth against the torn flesh to staunch the flow of blood.
‘You’ve done this before, I can see that,’ he remarked, his voice deep and strong.
‘I have, but usually my patients haven’t been shot and they are much smaller than you.’
As she worked, Cassandra noted that the wounded man’s clothes were of expensive elegance that could only have come from one of the ton’s foremost tailors. Having lost his hat in the fall, his hair, thick and dark brown, fell in disarray about his head, shading his wide brow and brushing his collar. About thirty years of age, his face was handsome, recklessly so, lean and hard. His nose was straight, his jaw uncompromisingly square. He had fine dark brows that curved neatly, and a firm but almost sensuous mouth. Everything about him was elegantly aristocratic, exuding power and a sense of force.
When the wad was secure she rested back on her heels and met his gaze. ‘There. I think you’ll live. Not much damage done—more to your pride I’d say. When will you gentlemen learn to settle your quarrels in a more civilised manner? Duelling is certainly not the answer.’ Without giving William a chance to utter a reply in his defence, she got to her feet. ‘Now come along. Try to stand. I think a doctor should take a look at that shoulder.’
‘There’s no need for that. If you’ll get your man to bring my horse, I’ll be on my way.’
‘The bullet’s still in there. It will have to be extracted and the wound dressed properly.’ William uttered a protest, but it emerged as little more than a croak and when he tried to move, his limbs would not obey. Cassandra looked at him crossly. ‘Please don’t argue. You are in no position to object.’ She turned to Clem. ‘Come and help Mr…’
‘Captain. I am Captain William Lampard,’ he provided with difficulty as a fresh wave of pain swept through him.
‘Oh!’
William saw an odd, awed expression cross her face as she scrutinised him, and in her eyes a momentary flash of a deeply rooted dislike. ‘You’ve heard of me?’
‘Yes, your name is familiar to me—although you are better known as Lord Lampard, the Earl of Carlow.’
Cassandra had heard all about Captain Lampard. He was an arrogant lord who thought he could do as he pleased with whomever he pleased. For years, gossip had linked him with every beautiful female in London. His scandals were infamous. Whenever he was on respites from his military duties he was the talk of the town, and any sensible young woman mindful of her reputation kept well out of his way. The same could be said of his young cousin, Edward Lampard, who she had already decided possessed the same traits—for hadn’t he tried to compromise her own sister, and the silly girl would have let him if she could have had her way?
‘You’ve recently returned from foreign parts, I believe.’ Her expression did not alter, but something in her eyes stirred and hardened and she compressed her lips.
‘Spain.’
‘Yes, well, I’d have thought you would have had enough of fighting in the Peninsula,’ she remarked haughtily.
William had to stifle the urge to smile at her tart reprimand. ‘I have, more than enough. By your reaction to my identity, I strongly suspect my reputation has gone before me, but let me tell you that it is much a matter of gossip and wishful dreaming.’
‘If you say so, Captain Lampard, but it really is none of my business.’
‘Would you think it forward of me if I were to ask you your name?’
‘Not at all. I am Cassandra Greenwood.’
‘Miss Greenwood, I am most pleased to meet you, and I’m thankful you came along when you did.’
Cassandra slowly arched a brow and her smile was bland. ‘So you should be. Now come along and I’ll get Dr Brookes to take a look at you.’
‘Dr Brookes?’
‘He’s a doctor at St Bartholomew’s Hospital. He comes to help out when I need him at the institute. I’m expecting him first thing, which is why you find me out and about so early. Don’t worry. I have every faith in his ability as a doctor. He’ll soon have you fixed up.’
Observing the stubborn thrust of her chin and the glint of determination in her eye, William raised a brow in amusement. ‘I see you have no intention of relenting.’
‘Quite right, sir. When Dr Brookes has finished with you, Clem will take you home to Grosvenor Square in the carriage.’
William gave her a quizzical look. ‘You know where I live?’
‘Oh, yes, Captain Lampard, I do know that much about you—and some more,’ she uttered softly, which brought a puzzled frown to William’s brow, ‘but we won’t go into that just now. It would be inadvisable for you to ride after sustaining a wound that rendered you unconscious. There is every possibility that you would fall off your horse and incur a more severe injury, which would incapacitate you for some time.’
‘Perish the thought,’ William said wryly.
‘Quite,’ Cassandra replied. ‘After awaiting your return from Spain for so long, no doubt the entire female population in London would go into a decline. Now come along. See if you can stand.’ She would have liked nothing more than to help him on to his horse and send him on his way, but that would be a cowardly thing to do simply because he had a poor reputation.
Impressed by her efficiency and naturally authoritative tone, William tried to get up, but fell back as a fresh haziness swept over him.
Without more ado, Clem took the wounded man’s arm over his broad shoulders and hoisted him unceremoniously into the carriage. After securing the Captain’s horse to the back, he set off towards Soho, where they drew up outside a grim-looking building among streets where poverty and disease ran side by side. A score or more of undernourished children dressed in rags, their legs bowed and eyes enormous in pinched faces, were hanging about. William was helped out of the carriage and Clem again took his arm. With Cassandra leading the way, Clem half-carried the wounded man inside and into a room, where he lowered him on to a narrow bed, obviously not made for a man as tall as the Captain.
Taking deep breaths in an attempt to remain conscious, William was aware of dim forms moving about the room. Turning his head on the pillow, he saw a child lying in the bed next to him. Whimpering in his sleep and no more than seven years old, his stick-thin legs were poking out from beneath a blanket. Both his feet were bandaged. His face was an unhealthy grey, his skin ingrained with dirt, and his knees scraped raw.
Dragging his gaze away from the pitiful sight of the child, he took stock of the room, which looked like a small infirmary. It was quite large with five bunks and sparse, stark furnishings. With small windows and a stone-flagged floor, it was scrubbed clean. There was a stone sink in which a trim, white-aproned young woman was washing utensils and a fire burned in the hearth. The air was tinged with