Chapter 215 - Not Yet

Delaney took both of the medicines from Opal with her.  She had begun to take the medicine the witch had said might help her get rid of the poison faster so she might get pregnant soon.  She tried not to let her hopes get too high because her time left in her marriage was so short.  After what Ian had said that morning it had only driven it home even harder that her time was running out.

As the carriages rolled away from Edgewood, Delaney looked out the window at her home until she could no longer see it.  She knew the plan was for this to be a short trip but it still made her sad every time they left the grand stone manor.  It was her safe place with Vincent where no one could hurt them.  At least they had thought so before they had discovered William had the poison.

The snow was deep and it was cold so they all wore their cloaks and warm hats.  Fur-lined blankets were draped over their laps with warming stones at their feet.  It was actually cozy in the carriage despite the cold weather outside.

Vincent didn't take the pain medicine before they left but instead wanted to wait as long as he possibly could.  They were hoping to get past Felicia and Rose's estate that day.  That would only be possible with the pain relief Vincent would have from the medicine.  Delaney knew the women would be happy to let them stay however if it didn't work and the pain became too much.

She kept a close eye on her husband as they went.  This would be the farthest he had traveled at one time since before the war.  He had been excited about the chance but his wife was uneasy.  She didn't want to see him in pain or have him push himself too far.  She watched him for every wince or groan he made, ready with the medicine in hand to try to convince him to take it.

Violet was traveling in their carriage with them and she also watched Vincent closely.  She had been there with him when he first left the King's City to return home to Edgewood and she remembered the excruciating pain he had been in.  He had cried out and as his mother, she wanted to help her son, but there had been nothing she could do.  She could only stop the carriage and watch him writhing in agony until the pain began to subside and they could continue.

Violet wondered if the pain he experienced was less now or if he'd just gotten better at hiding it.  Looking at his angry red scars stretching farther over his face now she imagined it was probably a little of both.  She could only hope the witch's medicine would work and keep his pain away.  She didn't know if she would be able to stand seeing him in that much pain again.  It broke her in a way nothing else could.

They made it past Delaney's Aunt Flora and Uncle Felix's home and even stopped at the card club she had opened with Constance for lunch.  It was cold so everyone gathered inside to warm up while their horses were tended to by the men in the stables.

Delaney was happy to see the place was doing well and they visited with her friend's mother and sisters while they ate the lunch the kitchen had sent for them.  Constance's mother had tried to give Delaney her share of the most recent profits but Delaney wouldn't take it and insisted the woman reinvest it into the club.

The stop had come at the perfect time for Vincent.  He had taken the smallest sip of his medicine and that, along with being able to get out and walk around a bit, had helped relieve some of his pain.  He still found himself hesitating before climbing back into the carriage though, dreading the pain he knew would soon come.

As they traveled on through the snowy landscape, it wasn't long before Delaney could tell the medicine had worn off.  She tried to give Vincent more but he insisted he was fine.  She watched as sweat began to form on his brow despite the cold and he closed his eyes and locked his jaw against the pain.  It made Delaney's heart ache to see it and to her surprise, her mother-in-law actually had to pull out a handkerchief and fight to control her own tears.

"Good God, mother," Vincent forced a chuckle through his teeth without opening his eyes, "I never would have thought I'd see you crying over a bit of discomfort like this.  I'll be fine."

"I-I know," Violet agreed, "But I am still your mother, and seeing you in pain still hurts me."

"I'll be..." he hissed through his teeth when they hit a large bump and he was jarred sideways, "I'll be fine... just a bit longer..."

When they were jarred again and he hit the side of the carriage, making him groan, Delaney refused to wait any longer no matter what her husband said.  She pulled the stopper from the medicine and held it out to him.

"Here," she said, "Take some of this now."

"I don't want to.  Not yet.  I want to wait until..."

"We can't wait husband," Delaney countered, shaking her head, "It's breaking my heart to see you like this, and I know it's breaking your mother's as well.  Don't make us have to watch you suffer, please.  Take it now for us if not for yourself."

He turned to look at her for a moment and nodded.  Taking the bottle from her hand he took a drink of it before giving it back.  Delaney felt relief as she watched him close his eyes.  Within only a few minutes his whole body had relaxed and he opened his eyes again to grin at her in a sort of sleepy way.

"Better?" she asked quietly.

He took her hand and brought it to his lips before brushing a kiss across it, "Much better."

-

The rest of their trip went smoothly and by the time it was getting dark they had arrived in the snow-covered town that was home to her old school and Win's card club.  No one knew they were coming so Delaney didn't worry about going to see Win.  They were all tired and the medicine had worn off again.  They went to the cozy Inn they had stayed in last time and rooms were prepared for them while they ate dinner.

Vincent and Delaney didn't care where they were, just happy to have more time alone together.  As they climbed into the bed in the room that night, he pulled her in against his chest and held her there just enjoying the feel of her.  As the wind whipped around outside and more snow fell Delaney felt safe and warm in the arms of this man who had her heart.  She lay with her head on his chest, lazily tracing his marks until she dozed off.

Awake long after his wife had fallen asleep, Vincent listened to the noises coming from the restaurant down below and thought over what he would face the next day.  He didn't want Delaney to go to the castle with him but he knew she had to.  Sophia had taken her to see the witch and given her the potion.  He hadn't seen any of it.  It made him uneasy that it would be the word of his wife against the word of the Queen.

Little William would also be going with them.  He and Delaney both felt they had saved him from a life of being just another faceless and forgotten servant in the castle.  One among hundreds.  And now they were taking him right back to the place he had just escaped where the little servant boy would also be going up against the Queen of the land.  No one wanted to think about it but in a way, William was in an even more dangerous position than Delaney.  At least she was a duchess.

Then there was Ian.  The man had become such a good friend to him he was sometimes almost like a brother.  Despite the pirate's feelings for Delaney, Vincent knew he had never really acted on them.  Ian would never do anything to hurt them.  No, he simply loved her knowing he could never have her and what a painful feeling that must have been.  Now he would go with them to the castle where Vincent knew he would defend them both with all his might even if saving them brought about his own downfall.  The duke didn't know how he would ever look at himself again if the man's death was on his conscience.

Last, there was Violet.  His mother would defend him fiercely.  After spending the last days with them, Vincent now knew she would defend Delaney with the same determination and he felt relief in knowing that.  No one knew royal politics like Violet Adair.  She had never been forced to defend her loved ones when lives were at risk though.  He hoped her quick thinking and sharp words didn't make her a target.  Especially if something happened and he was gone and couldn't protect her from backlash.

Vincent's mind moved from his mother to his brother and then to Cora and his niece or nephew not yet born.  After that, it went to his people working at Edgewood and in the village then to the ocean house and the fishermen.  He laid awake thinking about everyone who depended on him and needed him to stay alive.

His father had died before Vincent was ready to take over and before he had even learned much.  He didn't want to leave his younger brother in the same situation.  He had known ever since the war that he needed to work to teach Miles all he would need to know to run the estates.  He had married Delaney though, fallen in love with her, and then their life together had become his focus.  He regretted now that if anything happened to him he would have let Miles down.

The duke looked down at his sleeping wife with the moonlight shining down through the window and washing across her lovely back.  He regretted not being able to teach Miles more but he could never regret even a moment he had spent with Delaney.  He could live one hundred years and never have enough time with her.

Vincent swallowed hard and stared back up at the ceiling.  He had known ever since the war and being poisoned by the dragon that his time with Delaney and his family and friends would be cut short one day.  He just wasn't ready for it to come so soon.  He took a deep breath and tried to push down the pain in his heart.  Things had to go well tomorrow or at least well enough that he would survive.  He wasn't ready to say goodbye yet.

Not yet.