Neal gave a bitter smile. He’d ordered all of Harry’s vices from the house too many times to count, yet here was a stash. Poor Rowan was torn between loyalty to Harry and loyalty to Neal.
Rowan brought the bottle over to Neal, but Thea intercepted it. Taking the bottle, she said, “Now I want all of you men to leave the room. Go on.”
“No,” Neal said, suddenly fearing for Thea. “You don’t know what Harry is capable of when he is like this.”
“Oh, I know all too well,” Thea answered, steely eyed. “I also know that ifyouare here, he will play on every sympathy you have. Go, Neal. You don’t need a hand in it.”
She was right. Still, it was hard for him to walk away. He had to help his brother see reason.
Harry lifted his head and stared at the bottle in Thea’s hand. “Give it to me,” he begged. “Give it to me.”
Neal felt his heart break for his brother. His strong, carefree, noble brother. Harry was too good a man to end this way. If Thea could help him...
He left the room.
Chapter Fourteen
Thea had no illusions about Harry’s feelings toward her. He wanted what she held in her hand and nothing more.
His breathing was shallow as he watched her pour the drug into a glass.
“He’ll need more, my lady,” his manservant said.
“Here,” Thea replied, offering the bottle to him. “Give him what he usually takes, less a bit.”
A tear slid down the manservant’s leathery cheek as he poured the liquid into a glass.
Touched by his emotion, Thea said, “What is your name?”
“Rowan, my lady.”
She reached for the glass, taking Rowan’s hand and holding it a moment. “This is hard. It is hard for Lord Lyon, for his sister, for yourself and everyone who cares for the colonel. But I meant whatI said. The only one who can free himself of this is Colonel Chattan.”
“He’s a good man,” Rowan said.
“The best,” she agreed. “We shall pray he has the strength to conquer this weakness. Do you know how much he’s had of both spirits and opium over the last day?”
“He escaped me. I don’t know,” Rowan confessed. “It’s my job to keep him sane. He was very angry about your marriage.” He did not look at Thea as he said the latter.
Harry started pulling at his bonds again, a reminder he was there and of what he wanted.
Thea turned to the footman. “Please prepare some steaming hot water and the largest stack of towels you can gather. Oh, yes, and bring a bottle of—” She stopped, uncertain about what Harry chose to drink. Then she remembered the copious amounts of port he’d guzzled during the dinner they’d had together. “Port. Bring a bottle of port.” Heavy spirits to be sure. She was certain the laudanum had been mixed with gin. Port and gin would be a potent punch.
The footman nodded and left to do her bidding.
“Rowan, please lift the colonel’s head.”
She poured the dosage down Harry’s throat. Harry lapped at it as if he’d been a dog, his eyesclosed. She eased up a bit. He literally growled,“More.”
“Let this settle first before I give you the rest.”
Harry tensed as if to argue but then sank down onto the mattress, reminding her of her sons when they were out of sorts. The colonel hadn’t always been like this. She needed to keep that in mind, especially in the face of his drunken demands.
Rowan squatted on the floor next to the bed in the Indian style. He crossed his arms and began chanting in a low voice.
Harry made a sharp gesture with his fingers, indicating he wished for the rest of the contents in the glass. Thea feared giving Harry too much. The dosage had been a strong one. The colonel opened his eyes, nodded with his chin to the glass she held. He was not about to ease his demands.
This time when she administered the draft, he lifted his head on his own. He lay back down and closed his eyes with a deep sigh.