Princess in Love (29 page)

Rose shot him a horrified look. How could he say such a thing in front of Joseph,
who had just woken up and needed encouragement, not this sudden reproachful diagnosis
without at least saying something to prepare him if the news was grave.

“Doctor,” she snapped. “You have barely looked at it. My understanding is that it
was set in place last night and had a good chance of healing. Isn’t that right, General
Hunt?”

Leopold stood up. “Yes, the princess is correct. You should speak to Dr. Samson.”

The doctor scoffed arrogantly. “Samson? He is a mere pup. He knows next to nothing
about military medicine, while I’ve been serving this campaign for fifteen years.
He was no doubt frazzled during the procedure and couldn’t bring himself to confess
the truth.”

Leopold glanced down at Joseph briefly, then addressed the doctor again. “With all
due respect, sir, Dr. Samson was not frazzled. I assisted him myself in removing the
bullet from His Highness’s shoulder. Samson was highly skilled, and I would have him
back now if it can be arranged.”

Rose felt suddenly caught in an angry crossfire. Leopold and the doctor were facing
each other squarely, while Joseph could do nothing but watch and listen with dire
concern.

“It certainly cannot be arranged,” Dr. Harris replied. “Samson has gone to Brussels
to tend to the wounded there, while I have been assigned to the wounded here. The
archduke is now my responsibility, General, and I will not permit that wound to fester
and kill the heir to the throne of Austria.”

“It’s not festering,” Leopold stated plainly. “It is just badly bruised.”

“How would you know anything about it? You are a soldier, not a surgeon.”

“I’ve seen my share of festering wounds, sir, and this wound is not among them.”

Joseph tried again to sit up. “Are you sure, General Hunt? Clearly my leg will be
of little use to me regardless. Perhaps it’s not worth the risk.”

Leopold spoke firmly. “Your leg is fine, Your Highness, and you will walk again.”

Rose didn’t know what to think. She trusted Leopold with all her heart, but this doctor
claimed to have fifteen years’ experience in military medicine. What if he was right?
Perhaps it wasn’t worth the risk. Either way, Joseph would need a cane to walk …

“We disagree, General,” the doctor said, “and it is not up to you, is it? The decision
lies with the archduke and his wife.”

He looked to them for a final verdict.

Leopold said nothing. He simply waited.

With as calm a demeanor as possible, Rose approached the bed to look more closely
at the wound. She was not an expert in medicine, but it looked quite ghastly. Whether
or not it was infected, she had no clue. Bruised, yes, definitely, and terribly swollen,
but did that mean his life was at risk?

“I don’t know, Joseph,” she whispered. “I am not qualified to make such a decision,
but I do not like risks.”

“Nor do I,” he replied. “And as I said before, my leg will be of little use to me.
Perhaps the doctor is right.”

“Of course I am right,” Harris said haughtily. “I know a thing or two. Now if you
will give me your permission, sir, I will send for a nurse and begin right away. There
is no time to lose.”

The sound of a pistol hammer cocking caused them all to look toward the window, where
Leopold stood aiming his weapon at the doctor’s face. “There will be no such surgeries
in this room today, Dr. Harris. I suggest you leave now.”

The doctor gasped. “You mean to threaten me, General?”

“Is it not clear that I am already doing so?”

Rose stood frozen in shock while Leopold held the gun steady.

“If that wound festers,” the doctor warned, “it will be on your head, General. Not
mine.”

“If it festers, we will consider surgery at that time,” Leo replied. “Until then,
we will follow Dr. Samson’s orders and the archduke will keep his leg.”

The doctor turned to Joseph. “And
you,
sir? What do
you
say?”

Joseph—who was clearly in excruciating pain at the present moment—spoke through gritted
teeth. “I must agree with General Hunt. Let us wait and see. Now please put a fresh
bandage on this wound and return in twelve hours to assess it again.”

The doctor reluctantly obeyed and set to work, while Joseph clenched his jaw in a
valiant effort to withstand the pain.

When the doctor finished and was packing up his supplies, Rose disliked the fact that
she had to remind him of what he had promised earlier.

“The laudanum now, Doctor, if you please.”

He let out a huff as if it were a great inconvenience to open up his bag again. He
withdrew a small bottle and handed it to her, explained the dosage, bowed to them,
then turned and left the room.

Rose followed him out into the corridor and closed the door behind her. “Dr. Harris,
please wait.” He paused. “I trust you will not reveal to anyone what just occurred.
You were
not
threatened with a pistol. If you suggest such a thing to anyone, both the archduke
and I will deny it. Do you understand?”

He stared at her for a blistering second, then bowed again. “Yes, madam.”

When she returned to the bedchamber a moment later, she found Leopold, unaware of
her presence, helping Joseph to sit up and take the laudanum. After administering
the dosage, he gently set her husband’s weary head down on the pillow and inserted
the cork back into the small bottle.

“There now,” he softly said. “That should ease some of the pain, Your Highness.” Only
then did he turn and acknowledge Rose in the open doorway.

“Thank you,” she said. “I am quite sure you are right about Joseph’s leg, and the
doctor was wrong.”

Joseph reached out and clasped Leopold’s forearm. “Yes, thank you. I don’t think I
could have borne an amputation at the present moment. Not quite at my best, you know?”

Leopold regarded him with understanding. “A day or two will make all the difference.”

Joseph closed his eyes and fell back to sleep, leaving Rose alone with Leopold.

Heaven help her, there was so much to say.

Chapter Thirty

“You shouldn’t have drawn your pistol,” Rose whispered to Leopold as they stood at
the open window. “You may be a general who just saved the life of a very important
man, but you are also a convicted criminal on parole. I do not wish to see you get
into any more trouble.”

He chuckled. “How much more trouble can I possibly get into, Rose? I am already sentenced
to twenty years in prison. Honestly, I didn’t think I had much to lose. Your husband
on the other hand…”

“That is very self-sacrificing,” she said.

“Call it what you want. It matters not. I simply couldn’t allow that quack doctor
to take your husband’s leg.”

She breathed deeply the cool, fresh air blowing in through the window. “Are you certain
about everything? You truly believe it is just bruised?”

“I am positive,” he said, “and there is no doubt in my mind that it would do more
harm than good to remove the leg. Joseph said himself that he is very weak. He would
be at an even greater risk of infection if the doctor took such measures.”

“I hope you are right,” she said.

“I hope so, too,” he replied, “because certain people might accuse me of murder if
things take an unfortunate turn. It wouldn’t be difficult to prove a motive.”

He was joking of course, and she took it as such, then found herself resting her forehead
on his shoulder. “Oh, Leopold. I am so glad you are here. What would I have done without
you?”

He put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head, but gave no reply.

*   *   *

Later that morning, when Joseph woke again and seemed to be feeling better, Leopold
left him and Rose alone and did not return for several hours. When at last he knocked
on the door, it was nearing twilight. Rose stood quickly from her chair.

“Where were you?” she asked as she invited him in to see her husband sitting up in
bed and taking some broth and tea.

Joseph seemed pleased to see him as well. “General Hunt, have you eaten?”

Leopold entered the room and removed his hat. “Not yet, Your Highness, but I have
come with a visitor. I rode to Brussels today to bring back Dr. Samson, who treated
you last night.”

Joseph set down his spoon with a clunk. “My word, you don’t say. And what have you
done with Dr. Harris? I hesitate to ask.”

Rose laughed, while Leopold looked down and turned his hat over in his hands. “I apologize
for my conduct earlier. Lack of sleep makes me irritable.”

“Thank heavens for that,” Joseph replied good-naturedly. “I am more than certain that
you saved me from a horrendous ordeal.”

“Let us hope so. Now, if you would permit Dr. Samson to examine you, he will give
us a better idea of the state of things. He is a brilliant surgeon, and I trust his
opinion.”

“If you trust him, then I trust him as well,” Joseph said. “Where is he? Bring him
in.”

Leopold turned to go and fetch him.

Rose stopped Leopold at the door. “What about Dr. Harris?” she asked. “Where is he?
I hope they are not clashing swords in the taproom.”

Leopold turned back and gave her a dazzling smile. “Now
that
I would like to see. I regret to say, however, that Dr. Harris was called away rather
suddenly. There was a request for his services in Ligny.”

“And whose request was it?” Joseph inquired with a chuckle. “Yours, I presume?”

Leopold shrugged innocently and went to fetch the doctor.

A quarter of an hour later, Dr. Samson was rewrapping Joseph’s leg. “The wound looks
excellent,” he said. “I am very pleased, and I see you are taking some broth. That
is excellent as well.” He glanced at Rose. “Many victories in Belgium recently, Your
Highness. Have you all heard the latest news about Napoleon? He dashed off the field
so fast yesterday, someone said they saw sparks beneath the carriage wheels.”

Joseph laughed, but winced in pain. Rose rushed to his side. “No laughing for you,
dear. You’ll hurt yourself.”

“At least I will do so on two legs instead of one,” he replied.

She laughed and kissed him on the forehead, then glanced at Leopold and smiled.

*   *   *

Rose’s smile left Leopold spellbound. Seconds later he was heartsick, for he knew
he must leave her soon, when all he wanted to do was stay with her forever.

Dr. Samson packed up his instruments and promised to check back later that night.
As soon as he was gone, Leopold cleared his throat and forced himself to begin the
difficult process of saying good-bye.

“Clearly you are in good hands now,” he said.

The color drained from Rose’s face. She regarded him unhappily. “You are leaving us?”

She spoke in a tone that suggested he was betraying her all over again, but it was
quite the opposite. It would be wrong for him to stay and dream of things that could
never be. To the contrary, it would be best to put some distance between them—and
quite a substantial amount of it. Surely she understood that.

Why, then, did he feel an overwhelming compulsion to close the distance between them
now and pull her into his arms and kiss her passionately with every spark of fire
left in his soul?

For a few pounding heartbeats it felt as if Joseph had simply vanished into thin air
and it was just the two of them alone … as lovers, as they had once been.

God, how he wanted her. This was agony—heart-wrenching, merciless agony.

Joseph spoke up in that moment. The sound of his voice was like a glass of water in
Leo’s face.

“I am sure General Hunt has more important things to do than watch over a wounded
man,” he said. “The battle is over now. You have a proud army to lead back to Petersbourg,
I can well imagine.”

“Indeed I do.” Leopold was surprisingly thankful for Joseph’s casual remark to bring
him back from the brink.

Rose was not quite so casual, however, at least not in Leo’s eyes, for he could see
she did not want him to go.

Part of him reveled in the evidence of her lingering affection, while another part
of him wished she would treat him with indifference or even disdain. That would make
all of this so much easier to bear.

“I see,” she said. “You have been so helpful. We will never forget what you did for
us. You saved Joseph’s life.”

The archduke clasped Rose’s hand and squeezed it. “We both thank you, General, from
the bottom of our hearts. I give you my word that I will make sure your heroic efforts
are recognized. Perhaps there is something I could do to influence your sentencing
in Petersbourg. Honestly, sir, I owe you my life.”

Leopold regarded them as they sat close together, then quickly dropped his gaze to
his hat, which he held in his hands. “Thank you, but I require nothing in return.
I am pleased you are well.” He swallowed with some difficulty, then bowed to them.
“I shall bid you farewell and say a prayer that none of us have to fight Bonaparte
ever again.”

“Quite right,” Joseph replied as Leopold moved to the door. “Please wait, General.”

Leopold halted and shut his eyes. How close he had been to an honorable discharge …

“Rose, you must walk the general to his horse.”

“Yes, of course,” she graciously replied, rising to her feet. “I would be happy to.”

Leopold couldn’t bring himself to turn around, but could not escape the sound of a
quick kiss—perhaps on a hand or a cheek. All at once Rose was following him out of
the room and down the stairs to the reception room.

Together they walked out the door.

*   *   *

Neither of them spoke as they crossed the stable yard toward Leopold’s handsome chestnut
charger, who was tethered to a rail in the shade of the inn.

Rose stroked Goliath’s shiny mane and neck. “You two have been through a lot together,”
she said. “You will ride him all the way home to Petersbourg, I presume?”