When he woke the second time, he had no idea how much later in the day it was, but at least his head
wasn't pounding so viciously now. But if he thought Raphael Locke would be long gone, he was much mistaken. The Englishman was still sitting in the chair next to the bed, reading from a book he must have pulled from the small shelf of books in the room. They weren't Duncan's books, had just been there as part of the room's decor when he'd moved in.
"What time is it?" Duncan mumbled as he sat up, very cautiously, so as not to start the hammers pounding in his head again.
"Not too late," Raphael replied, setting the book aside. "I would imagine there's time for you to still catch luncheon, if you hurry."
The very thought of food turned Duncan's complexion nearly green. Not a moment later, he was racing toward the chamber pot and throwing up a good deal of the poisons in his system. Another blessing. He actually felt much better when he crawled back to the bed.
"You're still here?" Duncan groused, seeing Raphael still sitting there with his fingers steepled in front of his mouth, calmly watching him.
"Do you always sleep fully clothed?" Raphael countered, ignoring the question put to him. "Only when I dinna recall going tae bed."
"Ah, yes, that would be a good excuse, I suppose," was replied dryly. "Why are you still here?"
"Curiosity, of course. I confess I simply don't understand what happened yesterday, or how you could turn into such a fool overnight. It's going to be rather difficult to get rid of me, old chap, until you fess up."
"If I could remember what happened yesterday, I might oblige you, but since I canna ..."
"Now, that excuse just won't do, indeed it won't. Once you're feeling up to stuff again, it will all come back to you. I'll wait."
"Then do your waiting elsewhere, if you dinna mind," Duncan said.
"And let you hide from the truth even longer? No, no, my presence will stimulate your memory, I'm sure, if for no other reason than telling me all will satisfy my curiosity and send me on my way."
If Duncan didn't think his head would regret it, he would make an effort to toss Raphael out of the room. Instead he lay back, closed his eyes, and tried to recall the events of the night before. Slowly his memory started to clear.
"That's quite a blush, old chap," Raphael remarked with a chuckle. "Course, looks much better than that green tinge you were wearing."
Duncan's blush deepened. He would have given anything to be alone just then, to explore more fully what he was remembering, but with his unwanted guest sitting there awaiting details, some of which he would not be given, he gave a mental sigh and put those particular memories away for later.
"She made her cry. I was infuriated aboot that, knowing firsthand how vicious her tongue can be, and wanted tae know what had been said."
"I can imagine who it is that has the vicious tongue, but who is it that she made cry?"
This was asked with a narrow-eyed look that indicated Raphael's protective instincts had been aroused, enough for Duncan to reply, "It wasna your sister, 'twas Sabrina. And I tried tae get from her what had happened, but wi' nae luck. She was tae upset tae e'en discuss it. So I went tae confront the cause. I recall I was furious by the time I found her, since she wasna easy tae find. I was finally directed tae her room by a maid. I figured she had gone there to fetch something, since the hour was still early, the party still in full progress, and if we were tae have heated words, better upstairs where nae one was likely tae hear. Ne'er once did I think she had gone up tae retire for the night."
"Why do I get the appalling feeling that you found her in bed?"
"It wasna that bad, though it might as well have been. She was in her underthings, petticoats and the like. I barely noticed—" Raphael's snort caused a pause, then the insistence, "I swear tae you, I was tae angry to really see her, and even when I did take notice, how revealing is a womon's underthings, eh? No' much bluidy different than some evening gowns I've seen. 'Tis nae more'n the fact they be 'underthings' that make them inappropriate for the male eye tae behold."
"Yes, yes, semantics," Raphael said impatiently. "Get to the meat of your story."
"I'm nae telling you a story, mon, merely what happened tae cause me tae compromise the lass, e'en though I didna get anywhere near her."
"Oh, Gawd, is that what happened? You let her bamboozle you into marrying her simply because you mischanced to see her in her underwear? Have you no sense a'tall to realize that no bloody harm was done by it, because she'd never mention it to anyone? I cannot believe she managed to hook you by one of the oldest tricks—"
"You might try shutting up long enough tae hear that's no' what happened," Duncan cut in. "She was as horrified and angry as I was over the outcome. I wish I could put the blame on her, but I canna."
"Don't believe it for a minute," Raphael scoffed. "Of course she would pretend outrage. Gloating wouldn't have gone over well, would have in fact told you plainly that you'd fallen into her trap."
Duncan frowned, trying to remember more of what had occurred in those few minutes he had spent with Ophelia in her room. Mostly, all he could remember was how angry he'd been, which was nothing compared to how angry he'd been when he stormed out of there and went off to get drunk.
He had banged on the door loud enough that she was annoyed when she finally yanked it open and snapped, "What!?" before she even saw who was standing there. She'd then showed surprise that it was he, then immediately after that, worry that someone might see him there. She had in fact told him to go away and had even closed the door on him.
Fool that he was, instead of realizing that that simply was not a good time to confront her, he'd defied that closed door and entered her room, shutting the door behind him. She had come to the door with a robe held in front of her, had tossed it aside afterward, thinking she was alone again. Still, it didn't occur to him how inappropriate it was for him to be in her room when she was only half dressed. His anger had brought him there, and his anger was clouding his mind to what should have been clear danger signals.
What he did recognize was the very second she mistook his reason for being there. If he wasn't noticing that she was barely dressed, and he didn't really notice that yet, she apparently wasn't noticing his anger.
She gave him a coy look and said in a chiding tone, "This could have waited until tomorrow, but I understand impatience well enough. Do be quick about it, though, before one of the other girls I share this room with decides to make an early night of it, too, as I have. I'll even make it easy for you. My answer is yes."
" 'Yes' is no' the answer I'm here for," Duncan growled at her.
She frowned, then jumped to a different conclusion. "It's not? Don't tell me you're here for yet another apology first? Honestly, I don't know how else to say I'm sorry for our unfortunate first meeting. There, I've even said it again. Now can we get on with making amends and—"
"Nae, all I'm wanting tae hear from you, lass, is what you did or said tae upset Sabrina so much that she was in tears from it."
"Sabrina?" she gasped, then became furious herself. "You're here to question me about Sabrina? Just get out! I have nothing to say about that horrid girl."
"You'll be telling me—"
"What? How she insulted me? How she upset me so much that I came up here to lament it in private before anyone noticed my tears? She’s upset? If she's upset, it's because she's sorry she was so nasty to me. There's your answer. Now—"
That was when the door opened again. And the young lady standing there, shocked at first, then embarrassed, and finally with a chuckle, apologized for intruding and closed the door again on them.
The appalling outcome still didn't penetrate Duncan immediately, not until he heard Ophelia shriek, "Now look what you've done! You couldn't just leave when I told you to, no, now you've utterly compromised me so that we have to marry. Of all people to show up here, it had to be her. I don't believe it! My worst enemy."