My Once Handsome Husband - Chapter 301

Stepping out of the carriage, Delaney was immediately hit with sheets of rain.  Bernard took her on his arm and together they hurried up the stairs of Edgewood.  It was dark from the storm but thankfully it wasn’t too early in the morning for the servants to be awake.  The butler was there waiting to open the door for them.

Duncan and Ms. Bird were right behind them and together the four rain-soaked people stumbled into the foyer of the manor.  Delaney pushed her wet hair from her face and looked around.  Before she had a chance to see much though there was a flash of someone and she felt herself being crushed into a hug.

“Oh, Delaney thank god you’re here,” Violet Adair said, her voice hoarse.

Delaney hugged her back with one arm, the other holding the box, before stepping back to look at her.

She was shocked to see her mother-in-law’s face.  The woman that was normally so strong and steadfast had red eyes from crying, her hair was up but unkept, and her gown had wrinkles and creases.  She looked defeated.

“Violet, what’s wrong?” Delaney asked, feeling her heart begin to beat faster, “Is it Vincent?  Where is Miles?”

“He had to return home yesterday,” Violet answered, “Cora is having the baby.  He almost didn’t go but I insisted.  After he left though Vincent, he… he…”

Delaney didn’t wait to hear the end of her mother-in-law’s sentence.  Lifting her sodden skirts with her free hand she hurried up the stairs as fast as her legs would carry her.  They called after her but she didn’t stop.

Rushing down the hall, she got to their bedroom door and threw it open, sweeping inside and looking around wildly.

“Delaney!” Harris jumped to his feet, grabbing his chest, “My god you scared me.”

She didn’t respond to him.  Her eyes landed on the bed where Vincent was quiet.  For a moment her heart stopped as she stared at him there, seeming unmoving, but then she noticed the faintest rising and falling of the sheets over his chest.

Feeling so relieved, she nearly dropped the box she was holding in her hands.  Staggering forward a few steps she placed it gently down on the table beside his bed and looked down at him.

Her heart felt as if it was throbbing in her chest and tears burned her eyes.  She reached towards his face but then realized she was still dripping wet from the rain.  She took a step back, completely ignoring the fact Harris was there, and reached to untie the laces of her gown.

“I, uh, I’ll leave you two alone,” the servant stammered before giving a quick bow and hurrying from the room, closing the door behind him.

Delaney stripped off all her drenched clothes, letting them fall to a pile on the floor.  None of her clothes were here yet so she went to Vincent’s dresser and pulled on one of his shirts.  It hung down to her knees and she had to roll up the sleeves.  Her hair was still damp but there was nothing she could do about it without a towel in the room.

Finally satisfied, she went to her husband, sitting lightly on the edge of the bed and gazing down at him.  With a trembling hand, she reached out and gently touched his cheek, startled by how hot it was.  She realized it was just as hot as the day he’d been slapped in the castle.

Her skin was very cold from being out in the rain and the feeling of it against his hot skin caused Vincent to blink slowly until he was awake.  His eyes were hooded but when he looked up at her a soft smile curved his lips.

“Delaney,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper, “You… came back.”

“Of course I came back,” she smiled and brushed his hair from his face as tears began to spill over her cheeks, “I will always come back to you.”

His sleepy-looking smile grew and she took one of his hands in hers, bringing it to her lips and pressing a kiss to it before holding it against her cheek, simply reveling in the feeling of his skin against hers again.

“I have the most wonderful news, my love,” she whispered, a smile filling her lovely face, “I have it.  I have the cure for you!”

His face went slack in disbelief for a moment and he blinked slowly, “You… You have it?”

“I do,” she giggled lightly through her tears, “I have it with me.”

His eyes moved back and forth between hers as if he was trying to see if this was a lie or a trick.

“What… What is it?”

Delaney put down his hand and picked up the box again.  She slowly opened it and carefully unfolded the wax paper around the tooth.  Careful not to touch it, she tilted the box upright so he could see it resting there.

“I don’t… understand,” Vincent frowned, and his breathing becoming more labored, “That…That is… a dragon’s tooth.”

Delaney nodded, “It is.  It’s the same tooth the went into your stomach.  It’s the only thing that can save you now.”

Vincent looked up at her in shock, his fear clear in his eyes.

“Delaney no,” he spoke urgently, weakly shaking his head, “No… You can’t… You can’t… touch it… The poison…”

“I have to,” she whispered, her smile vanishing, replaced with worry as she looked at him, “This is the only way to save your life.”

“No!” he forced his voice louder and it was hoarse as he fought to breathe, “No… you can’t!  I… I won’t let you!”

“You can’t stop me, Vincent,” she said sadly, “I won’t let you die.”

She moved back from him, setting the box with the tooth back out of his reach.  She knew she had to do it now before he could do anything to stop her and before he got worse.  Looking around, she spotted a bottle of the medicine from Opal.  There was only about half of it left but that would have to do.  She knew this was going to hurt him so she wanted to do as much as she could to try to ease that pain.

“Delaney!”

She looked at him sadly as he looked at her with wide, panicked eyes.  Pulling the stopper from the bottle, she stepped back over to the bed.

“No,” he gasped, “No Delaney please!”

“I’ll be alright,” she whispered to him, thinking of Helena’s words, “I promise I’ll be alright.”

He shook his head as much as he could manage.  She reached down and took his face in one hand, the other holding the bottle of medicine.  He clamped his mouth closed, his breath coming out in hisses from his nose.

“Vincent please,” she whispered as tears slipped over her cheeks, “Please let me give this to you.”

He stared at her and didn’t move.  She put the bottle down and took his chin in her hand and pulled until, with a sound of anguish from him, she was able to get his mouth slightly open.

“Delaney please,” he begged, “Please don’t do this!”

Biting her lip, Delaney poured the medicine into his mouth.  He closed his eyes and a quiet sob escaped him as a tear slid over his cheek.

“I’m sorry my love,” she whispered.

He clenched his teeth together and kept his eyes closed as another sob came from deep in his throat.  He was trembling now and had his hands in fists, pressed against the bed.

Delaney’s heart began to beat faster and her stomach knotted as she stood in front of the box on the table.  It was open and she looked down at the glistening tooth inside.  Her breaths came faster and her mind whirled over what she was about to do.

Beyond how this was going to hurt her husband who she loved so completely, this was also going to hurt her.  It was going to break her heart to cause Vincent pain but Helena had said it was also going to cause her pain.  She suddenly felt terrified.  What if she wasn’t strong enough to handle it?  What if she got the tooth inside Vincent and couldn’t keep it there long enough to save him?

She would have to.  She would just have to hold on even if it felt like it was killing her.  Helena had said it wouldn’t cause death so she would just have to keep that in her mind.  With tear-filled eyes, she looked at his face again and saw his gem-green gaze on her.

With a trembling hands, she pulled the blanket down to his hips and then his shirt up to reveal the puncture on his stomach.  She gasped when she saw how thick the webs of scars were covering his entire chest now.

“Please my Love,” he whispered desperately, “Please… don’t do this.”

“I’m sorry,” she said with a shaky voice before dropping her gaze to the box again and slowly reaching for it.

“Delaney!”

She took the tooth gently in her hands, surprised when she realized it was warm and that there were little symbols carved in a ring around the base.

“Delaney please!”

Breaths coming in pants now and heart beating nearly out of her chest, she moved to climb on the bed, straddling her husband’s thighs so she could put all her strength behind her movement and in case the pain became overwhelming, she wouldn’t fall.

Holding the tooth in her hands as if she was holding the hilt of a sword she was going to stab downward, she looked up and met his gaze once more.

“Please my love,” he managed, his voice hoarse and tears slipping over his cheeks, “Please… don’t do this… I’m… I’m begging you…”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, “I love you.”

She bit her lip as she took in the sight of his handsome face once more, trying to burn all the details into her mind.

And then she took a deep breath and plunged the razor-sharp dragon tooth into his skin.