Chapter 209 - Potion Or Poison?

Delaney pulled away from him as if she'd been slapped.

"I-I'm sorry," she stammered, moving to take the bottle away.

She felt her heart ache and she moved to quickly put the bottle back in its place. When she turned around she wasn't sure what to do. She hesitated, sure she shouldn't go back to sit beside her angry husband but also longing to touch him and be held by him. Biting her lip, she sat in front of her dressing table on the padded stool and fidgeted with the things there.

Taking up her brush, Delaney absently brushed her hair as she fought to stop the tears that were slipping down her cheeks. This was all her fault. He had every right to be angry with her. She had made such a terrible mistake.

Glancing at him in the mirror she saw he was finally beginning to relax on the bed, the tension leaving his face and shoulders. When he moved to sit up, his eyes met hers in the mirror and she quickly looked away.

Vincent cleared his throat and winced as he pushed himself up farther until he was sitting completely upright propped against the pillows.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to come to me," he said quietly, "Because right now I'm just not able to go to you."

Delaney turned to her husband and found he was looking away as if ashamed. She did as he asked, going to him and sitting lightly on the edge of the bed next to him. She was careful not to touch him in case he was so angry he wouldn't want that. His next words though surprised her.

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have said that to you. I'm just... I'm just in so much pain from today it's made my temper very short."

Delaney swallowed and felt hot tears on her cheeks, "You don't have to apologize. You were right. We learned only last night that I had been poisoned by a witch and tonight I offer you medicine from one."

"No," he shook his head and took her face in his hands, using his thumbs to brush the tears away, "No my love I was only angry from the pain. Miles seems to trust Opal after your interaction with her. Do you?"

Delaney met his gaze now and nodded. "I do," she whispered, "The woman was so touched when I said I valued her the night I gave her the bottle to examine that it brought her to tears. Then again when I delivered her a basket with clothes and food. She says we are good people."

Vincent nodded, "Alright then bring the medicine to me. I will try it."

"Are-Are you sure?" she asked in surprise.

A warm smile filled his scarred face, "If you trust her then so do I."

"I'm not sure that's wise," Delaney sighed, "I trusted Sophia too, and look where that has left us."

"Delaney you did nothing wrong in trusting Sophia. I would have trusted her too. If she had taken me to a witch who gave me something and told me it would help us have a baby don't you think I would've taken it too?"

"I... I suppose maybe..."

"Of course I would have," he insisted, "I would've trusted the Queen completely and taken it just as you did. I probably would have even started taking it right away instead of waiting as you did."

Delaney looked down at her lap and he took one of her hands in his. He gave it a gentle squeeze and when she looked up he was looking at her seriously.

"I promise I'm not upset with you for trusting the Queen and taking the potion she gave you in hopes of giving us a child," he tried again to assure her, "Now go and get that medicine from Opal and I will try it. This pain is making it hard for me to concentrate on our conversation."

She did as her husband said, going to the shelf and retrieving the bottle again. She pulled out the stopper for him and handed it to him. He looked at it and smelled it before bringing it to his lips and taking a small drink of it. Delaney took it back and put the stopper in and watched him anxiously, half expecting something terrible to happen.

Vincent sat back into the pillows and closed his eyes, breathing steadily in and out. Delaney took one of his hands and held it in both of hers on her lap. Her heart was beating hard as she watched and waited. She prayed that she was not being tricked yet again and that this was actually true medicine. She also prayed that they would be lucky enough to have found something that could help take away some of her husband's pain.

After a time Vincent opened his eyes in an almost sleepy way, blinking a few times and frowning. He lifted his bad arm and opened and closed his fist. He rotated his shoulder around, then ever slow slowly bent his bad leg just a bit off the bed before easing it back down. When he turned to look at his wife the frown had washed away.

"Did it work?" she asked quietly, hardly able to contain her nerves.

A smile slowly pulled at Vincent's lips, "It did my love. It works."

Delaney's hands flew to cover her mouth as a choked sound escaped her. Now it was tears of joy that slid down her cheeks as she laughed from the wonderfulness of it. Vincent chuckled too and lifted her hand to his lips to brush a kiss across it.

"I can't believe it," he grinned, "The medicine brought the pain under control. It's still there as it always is but it's as if... it's as if the medicine has taken all the sharp edges off of it."

"I'm so happy for you," Delaney managed through her tears.

"I'm happy for us Love," he laughed, "We will be able to travel farther now without stopping and I will be able to do more with you before being forced to stop because of pain."

"It will be lovely," she pulled his hand to her lips and kissed it now.

Vincent leaned up and pulled his wife to him, giving her a deep, heated kiss. Delaney felt her heart skip a beat when his lips touched hers but she was quick to move her hands to his abdomen and slide under his shirt, feeling the hard, smooth, muscles beneath it. 

She anchored herself in the feeling of him as the delicious taste and way he smelled made her head spin. She moved closer still, feeling the heat from him warming her against the cold. The happiness she felt in having him here with her and his pain made manageable, made her heart feel as if it would burst.

"Delaney," he whispered against her lips, pulling away for a moment, "Promise me you will never keep things from me again. It is my responsibility to protect you. I can't do that if you hide things from me."

"I know," she nodded sadly, "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you. I just thought you would be against it and I wanted us to have the best chance at having a baby."

"I would have been against it because it isn't you who is at fault for our inability to have a baby. The problem is with me. Not you."

"No, she shook her head, "Vincent you don't know that..."

"Shh," he whispered, "I don't want to argue tonight. I rode here as fast as I could, terrified there might have been damage done to you from the poison. Now I'm just so relieved to find you safe and hold you in my arms. All I want to do is kiss you and love you."

Delaney looked at his handsome, scarred face and met his jewel green gaze. After a moment she nodded, her love clear in her eyes as she looked at him. A relieved smile filled his face and he laughed quietly before slipping a hand along her jaw until his fingers wove into her long chestnut hair and he pulled her face back to his. Their lips met and Delaney lost herself in his kiss again.

Vincent pulled her into the bed beside him and moved until he was over her and her arms were wrapped around his neck. After taking the medicine his pain was eased away enough for him to be able to push it to the back of his mind as he moved.

He pulled at her nightgown, lifting it until he could slide his hand under it and feel the soft skin of her thigh under his fingertips. He was about to pull the garment all the way off when a sound brought them out of the haze and back to the present.

Both Delaney and Vincent paused, waiting to see if they had truly heard the sound or imagined it. An urgent knocking came at their door again and they both looked at one another in confusion. Vincent moved off of his wife and fixed his clothes while Delaney quickly went and got her robe and pulled it on, tying it at her waist.

The knocking came again and Vincent looked at his wife once more to confirm she was covered. Then he turned to the door and called for the person to enter.