Chapter 13

"To me, Fearless is not the absense of fear. It's not being completely unafraid. To me, Fearless is having fears. Fearless is having doubts. Lots of them. To me, Fearless is living in spite of those things that scare you to death." Taylor Swift

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Chapter Thirteen

Inside, Luke was screaming, but he knew that he needed to remain calm even if every bone in his body was telling him to tackle this woman. He was thankful for his military training in this moment.

He needed to block out the panic that the paternal side of him was feeling.

Mary was holding his baby. Nothing else mattered.

"Is it not time for Jamie's luncheon?" Luke asked nonchalantly. "I will ring the bell for a maid to take him. You should not be bothered with taking care of my son, Mary."

Before he could even move towards his bell, Mary laughed. "Oh, it is not a problem. I like looking after little Jamie. It is important that he has a competent woman looking after him."

Luke bit his tongue for his son's benefit. How could he have been cursed in this way? Luke wanted to lunge at Mary. Any man would fight for his family but Luke physically could not.

"Has Mrs Cassidy said anything about me, Captain?" Mary asked casually.

She was fishing. "I think that Isabella was confused about you." Luke stopped himself from gagging. "I know you, Mary. I know what you are like. I know that you are a lovely person." Luke had genuinely thought all of these things half an hour ago. How could he have been so deceived? He supposed that it was because he could not look this woman in the eye.

Just the idea that Mary had concealed any part of his doctor's original diagnosis or treatment plan made him feel angrier than ever. The last few months could have been completely prevented! He could have had the operation before returning home and his first moments with Jamie could have been where they could both see each other.

But instead, for some delusional, selfish reason, Mary had manipulated him. She had manipulated him, and Luke had been fooled.

Mary breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, I am glad that you were not fooled."

Oh, how he had been.

"Fooled?" he played along. "Of course not. Isabella is ..." Luke gulped, "jealous of our connection." Luke prayed that Isabella would realise that Jamie was gone soon. He prayed that she would find Mary before she did anything stupid.

It sounded as if Mary's breath had caught in her throat. "I have noticed the exact same thing, Captain," confessed Mary breathlessly. "I am very sorry to say it, but I do believe that whatever connection you and Mrs Cassidy had in the past has fizzled."

Luke now knew that Mary belonged in an asylum, but a comment like that still bothered him. Luke could not see the way Isabella looked at him. Oh, how he wanted to. He would. He was determined to.

"I fear Mrs Cassidy is simply too juvenile to appreciate your condition, Captain. I think that is why you have come to depend on me so."

Luke paused. Is that how Mary had developed this obsession? Did he rely on her too much? But he paid her to look after his medical needs. Was he not supposed to rely on her? Mary was unstable. That was it. And she was holding his baby.

"Yes, yes," murmured Luke. "I am glad that you brought Jamie to see me." Luke held out his arms. "Would you bring him to me, please, Mary?"

"So you agree?" Mary asked excitedly. Luke heard no movement from her. She was not walking towards him.

He needed to remain calm. "Agree?" He had momentarily forgotten what he had agreed to.

"You agree that you need a more mature woman?" she asked softly.

"Yes," coughed Luke.

Mary let out a gleeful noise. "I was right," chirped Mary happily. "I knew that I was right about you, and about your feelings towards me. I am terribly sorry that you married someone so ill-suited for you." Mary did sound genuinely sorry. She sounded as though she whole-heartily believed the delusional drivel that was coming out of her mouth. If Mary had not heard how often he had spoken of his wife and his child throughout his recovery then she was surely deaf.

Luke was suddenly aware that Mary was moving towards him. He stiffened as he held out his arms. Were they all to hug like some sort of fake dysfunctional family? Whatever happened, at least he would have Jamie safely in his arms.

"I love you!" cried Mary as she leapt into his arms.

Luke was utterly shocked as Mary's enthusiastic lips met his. She wrapped her arms around his neck tightly and it only took him a few seconds to realise that she was not holding Jamie.

It was Luke's first instinct to push Mary away from him. Mary had clearly not been expecting it as she fell to the ground with a loud thud. Luke moved towards the door carefully. "Jamie," he called. "Come to me, quickly now." Luke heard Jamie start to cry. The noise had clearly frightened him.

"What are you doing?" cried Mary miserably. "Why did you do that?"

"Because I love my wife," Luke snarled.

Luke's cruel statement clearly shocked Mary. Had she really expected another response from him? Had she really expected him to embrace her?

"Papa," Jamie grizzled as he placed his hand in Luke's. Luke felt such relief as soon as Jamie was close enough to him.

Luke whipped Jamie up into his arms, quicker than anything, and held him in a vice grip. Luke was certain that he would be hurting his son with how tight he was holding him, but in that moment, Luke did not care.

"How could you lie?" asked Mary in disbelief, her voice filled with hurt and anger.

"Mary, I am sorry if I gave you the wrong impression of my feelings for you. It was unconsciously done. But I love me wife. I do not love you, I have never loved you, and I will never love you. I am sorry to be blunt, but I feel it is most important that I am very clear in this moment." Luke exhaled. "I think it is important that you leave this house. I will give you a reference if you wish for it." Luke second guessed that thought immediately. He could not have Mary caring for another unsuspecting patient on his conscious. "But I do think it is important that you see a doctor. I will pay for it, I assure you."

This woman needed help. Luke was not going to address the issue of her concealing his doctor's information from him. It was clear to him now why she had done it. If he was healthy, Mary believed that Luke would not need her. As angry as that made him, what good would it do to bring it up with an ill woman?

Luke had Jamie in his arms and that was all that mattered. At that moment, Jamie tightened his grip around Luke's neck and whispered, "Papa," fearfully. Luke furrowed his brows just as his body suddenly became very rigid.

Everything felt strange, as though the world was slowly stopping as Luke lost his footing. He did not feel any pain when he hit the ground. His head hit the ground shortly after, and he was facing the ceiling, though he could not see anything.

Luke began to feel a dull throbbing in his lower abdomen. Why was he feeling this pain? The throbbing quickly began to increase until it became such an immense, incredible pain. Luke began to hyperventilate and shake, his heart began to race, and he knew he was going to lose consciousness.

As another sort of darkness, one that he was not used to, began to take over his body, Luke heard a scream. It did not belong to Jamie, or to Mary, but to Isabella.

"Isa ..." he choked.

***

"You have a concussion, Georgiana," Annaliese told her daughter seriously. "So please, stay seated."

Georgiana frowned and huffed impatiently. Georgiana had regained consciousness by the time that she, Matthew, and Isabella had reached her, but that did not change the fact that she had been unconscious.

"Really, Mama, I only have a little headache. I am fine. That nasty witch needed to do a lot more that push me to hurt me. She just wanted to stop us from telling on her."

Matthew removed the compress that was on Georgiana's head wound. It was not bleeding anymore thankfully. "Do not tempt fate, Georgiana," he muttered. "You have been ill one too many times for my sanity."

Annaliese heartily agreed. "We ought to alert the authorities, Matthew," she urged. "That woman being in this house makes me feel very anxious." Isabella had left shortly after making sure that Georgiana was going to be alright. Jamie was not in the kitchen with the other children as he was supposed to be. Mary had taken him upstairs to Luke.

At least, Annaliese hoped that she had. Mary was capable of harming a child. Georgiana's head wound proved that. Annaliese looked down at her own little toddler in Julianna. What if she had been in Mary's way? A near three year old would not have coped as well as Georgiana.

Good thoughts, Annaliese told herself. She needed to think happy thoughts. Jamie was upstairs. They would alert the authorities and have Mary arrested. Luke would have his operation. Everything would be alright.

"I will send for the authorities immediately," Matthew agreed. "I feel the same anxiety as you. Let us take the children upstairs and put everyone in Georgiana's room until this is over." Matthew gently and carefully lifted Georgiana into his arms, as Annaliese picked up Julianna.

Annaliese thanked their kitchen staff as the family made their way towards the servants' staircase.

"Georgiana is ill, is she not, Papa?" asked William deviously.

Annaliese frowned. William was up to something. He had been a doting brother when he was worried about Georgiana, but now he wanted something.

"Yes," Matthew said knowingly, "but she will be alright. I shall send for the doctor to be safe."

"Well, if she is going to be alright, then I suggest we have jellies and ice cream for supper tonight. That is what we always have when we are ill," William suggested thoughtfully.

"What a splendid idea," Matthew replied playfully. "Georgiana shall have jelly and ice cream because she is ill. How thoughtful you are, William."

William immediately pouted. Before he could protest, though, the whole family's attention turned to an ear piercing scream above stairs.

"What the bloody hell was that?" gasped Matthew.

Annaliese's heart fell right into her stomach. "That was Isabella," she whispered, her voice barely audible. Something terrible had just happened. She just knew it.

Matthew carefully placed Georgiana down so that she was sitting on the bottom step. "Stay put," he instructed. "William, Eva, I am trusting you two to look after Georgiana and Julianna while Mama and I go upstairs. Do I make myself clear?" Matthew's sudden change in tone helped William and Eva to understand to obey.

Annaliese put Julianna down and took Matthew's hand as they made their way upstairs. Matthew squeezed Annaliese's hand reassuringly. Matthew opened the concealed door that allowed them access into the entry foyer.

Annaliese gasped at the sudden commotion she saw.

Nearly every servant that worked in Cassidy House was swarmed around the bottom step.

Helena, Eleanor, and Commander Lockwood were in the centre shouting orders over one another.

Annaliese, in a complete and utter panic, pushed her way through to the centre of the huddle. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw her sister strewn across the bottom few steps, as limp as an overcooked vegetable.

Isabella looked lifeless, and she was bleeding from her nose and her ear. Her blonde hair was quickly being stained red.

"Fetch the doctor!" cried somebody.

"No, a surgeon, quickly!" cried another.

It was a blur to Annaliese until she heard someone mention Jamie.

Annaliese whipped around and saw that the front door was swinging, open and abandoned. It was only a theory, but it was probably right. Mary had pushed Isabella down the stairs, and it was highly likely that she was carrying Isabella's baby.

Annaliese knelt down at her sister's side, not knowing what to do as she sobbed. Where was Luke? Had he not heard Isabella scream?

Her question was quickly answered by a footman who had obviously gone to alert Mrs Cassidy's husband. "Captain Cassidy has been attacked!" he cried out, his voice shaking. "Somebody help me! He has been stabbed!"

Helena fainted right beside Annaliese. She was not the only one. Several housemaids swooned.

"Somebody fetch me a bloody horse!" bellowed Matthew.

---

Just when you think things couldn't get any worse ... ;)

I googled "What does it feel like to get stabbed?" Honestly, if the government hasn't flagged me yet, they will. Yahoo answers was very helpful, and I am very alarmed at finding such descriptive answers ... :/ But still, the imagery was helpful!

I apologise for the delay in getting this to you. I was supposed to upload this last Sunday but was called into work. I didn't have to work today so I managed to write this. I'm not working next Friday (I'm supposed to go to a ladies night for my netball club but I think I'll bail early hehe) and get another chapter up for you then. I really appreciate your patience, my loves.

So what's been going on in my world?

I bought "The Great Race" on DVD today. I love that movie :) I saw it in the Classics section of JB Hi-Fi today and was like "Yoink!"

Ummm, Full House is now available on Australian Netflix so that's been occupying a lot of my time. I've decided to re-watch Full House before I watch Fuller House :P I swear, Aus Netflix sucks. I hear of soooooo many awesome shows the US gets on their Netflix and we have nothing. My friend managed to somehow switch her IP to a US address so she has US Netflix and hers is so much better than mine :( In saying that, if that's the worst of my problems then I'm pretty sad lol.

And uni starts back tomorrow :( I start my Master's tomorrow nooooo!! I'm so not ready for this lol. But I've already got my placement sorted at a primary school later in the year. I'll be working at my little girls' school and they're so excited hehe.

It was my mama's birthday the other day. I made a whole dinner and there was something wrong with every element but my champ of a mum ate it all. First, I didn't know how to turn the barbeque on. Mum had to do that for me. So I got the lamb chops ($14 a kilo I might add!!) cooking. Then I made stuffing balls. Pretty simple and got them in the oven. Then I made the mash potato. That went okay. Then I steamed the vegetables. They went okay too. Then I made gravy and that was pretty simple.

Got it all on the plate. Fat was not rendered on the lamb chops. The stuffing balls were powdery and not delicious like mum's. The mash was thick and weird and not like mum's. The gravy was lumpy. The veggies were limp. Cooking is hard. How the hell does she make all those things perfect and keep everything hot and put it all on the plate?

I have come to the conclusion that my mother uses witchcraft. All cooks use witchcraft. It is not humanly possible to cook successfully without witchcraft.

Though, I've gotta say, the red velvet birthday cake I made was amazing :D

Lol, I'll get better one day. I think I need to stick to one pot dinners :P I make a pretty mean chicken pot pie hehe.

Okay, that's all from me. Hope your dinner tonight is more successful than my mother's birthday dinner :P

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