James had thought he would visit the girl as soon as he had finished his breakfast, but when he went upstairs he found he would have to wait. Doctor Liston was with her. It seemed like hours before the door of the room opened and the surgeon came out.
‘Good morning, Lord Aldhurst.’
‘How is she, Liston?’
‘I’m pleased to say that I think she is out of danger, though she’s still weak. She should be kept warm, given plenty of liquids and left undisturbed. I doubt the fever will return, but if it does you should send for me. Good day to you, my lord. Unless I hear from you sooner, I’ll call at the same time tomorrow again.’
James looked in on the girl several times during the day, but found her asleep with Mrs Gage or one of the maids in attendance. They told him that she occasionally roused herself enough to sip a little water, but fell asleep again almost immediately. ‘It’s the best thing, Master James,’ said Mrs Culver, when he expressed concern about this prolonged rest. ‘As the doctor said, it’s what that girl needs most.’
When he came to see her the next morning Dr Liston was just coming out of the room.
‘How is she this morning, Liston? Not worse?’
The surgeon looked at him somewhat strangely. ‘No, no! Her constitution is a strong one. She seems to have survived her exposure to the elements remarkably well. The head wound is healing nicely…’ He paused. ‘Her vision does not seem to be affected, and she speaks sensibly enough. But…’
‘But what?’
The doctor hesitated, then put his hand on the door. ‘Perhaps you should talk to her. She might remember you.’ He held the door open for James.
Mrs Gage was at the head of the bed, plumping up the pillows behind the girl. She gave them a last pat and then curtsied and withdrew. Sitting propped up against them the girl looked weary, but the hectic flush had died down, leaving her pale again, as white as the bandage she now wore round her head. Her eyes were open and clear as she looked across the room at him,
but their expression of bewildered anxiety gave James a strong urge to hold her, to comfort her as he would a child, until that dreadful, lost look was chased away. But with Cully’s warnings in mind he mastered the impulse and kept his voice normal as he came towards her.
‘Good morning,’ he said, sitting down by the bed. ‘How are you?’
She hadn’t taken her eyes off him. ‘I recognise you. You’re James Aldhurst,’ she said. ‘And this is your grandmother’s house.’ She paused and looked at him anxiously. ‘Is that right?’
He nodded. ‘Absolutely right,’ he said.
She gave a sigh of relief. ‘At least I’ve remembered that much.’ She looked at him gravely. ‘Good morning, James Aldhurst.’
‘Good morning. I’m glad you remembered my name. Now tell me yours.’
‘Didn’t I…didn’t I tell you?’
‘No, not quite.’
‘What do you mean? What did I say?’
James wondered why the girl was so reluctant to tell him who she was. He said slowly, ‘You can trust me with all of it, you know. You’ve only told me your first name. Anne.’
Her look of eagerness vanished. ‘Anne…’ she said, and for a moment she frowned in intense concentration. Then she shook her head and the lost look returned. ‘I…I can’t,’ she said. ‘I don’t know. I can’t remember. I’ve tried and tried, but I can’t remember.’ Her voice rose as she repeated, ‘Anne…Anne…Anne what?’ She looked at him, her eyes full of anxiety. ‘I can remember who you are, but I don’t remember who I am! I…I seem to have lost my memory!’
James took her hand in his and said gently, ‘No, you haven’t. You remembered me, and you remembered where you are, didn’t you? You’re just still confused after that bang on the head. You’ll remember the rest soon enough. Worrying about it would be the worst thing you could do. Let it come naturally. It will come back all the sooner, you’ll see.’ He smiled at her encouragingly.
Her fingers grasped his, and she gave him a twisted smile in return. ‘Yes, yes. It will, I’m sure it will. Forgive me. I’m not usually as poor-spirited as this. It must be that bang on the head.’
‘You see? You’ve remembered something about yourself already! You’re certainly not poor-spirited. That’s a quite a relief! I’m not fond of poor-spirited girls.’
She made an attempt to smile, but it failed. ‘What happened? I don’t even know how I got here.’
‘We brought you in after we found you lying unconscious on the drive to this house. I think you must have been there for some time. There was a storm and you were very wet.’
‘A storm? I don’t remember that at all,’ she said wearily, turning her head away.
Doctor Liston came over. ‘Lord Aldhurst, I think my patient needs to rest again.’ He caught Mrs Gage’s eye. ‘Can you find something for the young lady, Mrs Gage—a little thin soup or gruel, something like that?’
‘I’ll see to it right away, sir,’ said Mrs Gage. She went out.
The surgeon turned to the girl on the bed and said kindly, ‘I’ll call again tomorrow to see how you are, but there’s not much more I can do. Temporary loss of memory is not at all unusual in a case like yours. You must not distress yourself, ma’am. I think you can depend on Lord Aldhurst to find somewhere for you to stay until your memory returns.’
‘She will stay here, Liston,’ said James decisively.
Doctor Liston looked surprised. ‘It’s good of Lady Aldhurst—’
‘My grandmother is not here. But I am sure she would agree with me that Miss…Miss Anne must stay at Hatherton for the time being.’
The surgeon looked doubtful, but said, ‘Very well, my lord. I shall come again tomorrow. Er…when are you expecting Lady Aldhurst to arrive?’
‘I am not expecting her,’ said James as he ushered the surgeon out of the room. ‘Lady Aldhurst is in London and as far as I know is planning to stay there.’
‘But in that case, surely the young lady—’
‘Set your mind at rest. The young lady will be perfectly safe here, with or without my grandmother’s presence. I don’t make a habit of seducing defenceless invalids.’
The surgeon was shocked out of his professional manner. ‘Really, sir!’ he exclaimed. ‘Nothing was further from my mind! But convention would suggest…The Rector would possibly know of somewhere more suitable…’ He looked at James’s expression. ‘Or if you wish, I could ask Mrs Liston if she would offer the young lady a room.’
‘No, Liston. The young lady is my responsibility. I found her, and I shall look after her. Mrs Liston would not thank you for bringing someone who might be in danger into the house.’
‘Danger?’
‘You saw the girl’s wrists. She has been kept somewhere against her will. Whoever tied her up may well want her back, and I suspect they may not be too scrupulous about their methods.’
‘I see…Well…in that case it may be best to leave her in your care after all, Lord Aldhurst.’
‘Quite.’
Doctor Liston was obviously shaken. ‘I shall…er…I shall call again tomorrow—unless you think I shouldn’t?’
‘Please do,’ said James.
He went back into the bedroom. The girl had taken the bandages off her wrist and was examining the scars.
‘You heard,’ said James.
‘Yes.