The feeling of dread in Raquel's stomach only got stronger as breakfast was cleared away and the sun outside rose higher. She was shocked and dismayed by what Elena had told her about Alberto – last night, she had seen a hint of the darker side of his character, but driving a woman to suicide? Killing a man? She felt shame burn on her cheeks – how had she misjudged him so badly? She should have been smarter, she should have seen him for who he really was. Because now… now Sergio was out there, fighting a man who had killed the previous person who dueled him.

Elena kept her talking in an effort to distract her, and Raquel appreciated it, but really she was just waiting for him to come home. Why was it taking so long? She couldn't stand it – she got up and started pacing.

"I'm sure he'll be alright", Elena said, giving her a sympathetic look.

"You don't know that", Raquel said desperately. "If Alberto is shooting to kill…"

"Don't worry before you have to", Elena said reasonably. "Plenty of men have duels and survive them."

"But if he's shot…" Raquel whispered, "it's all my fault."

"No", Elena said firmly, "it's not."

"If I hadn't gone with Alberto…"

"He was charming and he flattered you. Any woman could have fallen for that, especially since…"

"Since what?"

Elena threw her a look.

"Well… am I correct to assume that Lord Marquina wasn't the most attentive of husbands?"

Raquel hesitated, then nodded.

"Then it's only normal that you'd be susceptible to the Count's flattery. He was giving you the attention you were lacking."

"I still should have realized", Raquel said, frustrated. "I should have seen, I shouldn't have fallen for him."

Elena shook her head.

"Don't blame yourself for being human, Raquel", she said gently. "We all make mistakes."

Raquel shot her friend a grateful look, but before she could reply, they both looked up sharply as the sound of carriage wheels was heard on the gravel outside.

"They're back!" Raquel said, breathless with fear and hope.

They both rushed through to the front hall, and Raquel's heart stopped as she saw Sergio being carried in by two footmen, his face pale and his eyes closed. Blood was dripping to the ground underneath him.

No.

She clutched at Elena's arm for support.

No, this can't be happening.

"What happened?" Elena asked sharply as Andrés came through the door.

"The Count shot him", Andrés said in disgust. "Out of nowhere, after it was over. Bastard. I would have put a bullet through his brain, but I had to get Sergio home."

Raquel couldn't take her eyes off of Sergio's white face as the footmen carried him past her and towards the stairs.

"Is he…"

"He's alive", Andrés said, and Raquel felt such a rush of relief it made her dizzy. "But he's hurt. I'm not sure how bad it is, but I don't think it's good."

Elena grabbed a passing footman by the collar.

"You! Take a horse and get the doctor. Now!"

The footman nodded and ran out the door, and Raquel, Elena and Andrés followed the footmen carrying Sergio upstairs. Raquel had never been in his bedroom before, and she'd been curious about the room, but she barely registered it now as the men carried Sergio inside and carefully put him on the bed. All she could see was her husband, hurt because of the mistakes she'd made. She didn't know what to do, she didn't know how to help him, she couldn't think straight – her mind was swirling with panic and guilt.

Fortunately, Elena kept a clear head.

"Bring me some scissors!" she ordered the footman, and when he returned a minute later, she started cutting off Sergio's jacket and shirt. Raquel held her breath as the fabric fell away to reveal a gash in Sergio's side, from which blood was streaming liberally onto the sheets. Elena bunched up his cut-up shirt and pressed it against the wound to staunch the bleeding.

"Hold this in place!" she said to Raquel, who quickly reached out a hand to do as her friend said.

Elena then proceeded to cut jacket and shirt off of Sergio's left arm as well, to reveal a second wound: a vivid red hole on the inside of his arm, also streaming blood. Raquel wasn't squeamish, but the sight of it still made her stomach churn – he was hit twice? How?

Elena ripped off a strip of fabric from the shirt, then tied it tightly around Sergio's arm, a little above the bullet hole. To Raquel's relief, the bleeding immediately slowed down to a trickle. After that, all they could do was wait for the doctor to arrive. Raquel kept a firm pressure on the wound in his side, but slowly but surely the white fabric in her hands turned red, and she desperately wished the doctor would arrive faster. She kept a close eye on him – as long as he kept breathing, as long as his chest kept rising and falling reassuringly underneath her hands, there was hope. Please, she kept repeating to herself, a prayer and a plea, please let him live.

Suddenly the door flew open and the doctor rushed in, and Raquel hurriedly got out of his way so he could bend over Sergio and examine him.

"Bullet wound?"

"Yes."

The doctor pursed his lips in disapproval.

"These noblemen and their duels. Really, I would have thought Lord Marquina had more sense than that."

"How bad is it?" Raquel asked anxiously.

The doctor grunted.

"From what I can see, the bullet hit him in the side and ricocheted off his rib, then lodged in his arm. The rib is broken, but it hasn't punctured the lung. There's been some blood loss, but nothing too bad, I think – the brachial artery in his arm wasn't hit. I'll patch him up and, as long as the wounds don't get infected, he should be fine."

Raquel wanted to cry with relief – her husband wouldn't pay for her mistakes with his life after all.

The doctor took off his coat.

"You may want to leave the room, Lady Marquina."

"No", she said firmly. "I'm staying here."

"I need to extract the bullet and stitch the wounds. It won't be pretty."

"I don't care."

He shot her a hesitant look.

"I just mean, since ladies are rather delicate…"

"I'm not delicate", she said, offended. "I promise you I won't faint, if that's what you're worried about."

The doctor nodded.

"Suit yourself. Then you can hand me my materials."

Andrés and Elena left the room, Andrés muttering that he needed a drink, and Raquel stayed by Sergio's side while the doctor treated him, wiping away blood and handing the man his instruments. Every once in a while, she rang the bell for the footman to bring clean water and clean linen, and after what seemed like an eternity, the doctor announced that he'd done all he could, and now all they could do was wait.

Raquel washed her hands, then sat down in a chair next to Sergio's bed and looked at her husband's pale face on the pillow, at the bandages around his chest and arm. He was such a gentle person – how had she brought him to this? After a while, she realized that he wasn't going to wake up any time soon, and her eyes started wandering around the room, taking it in for the first time. It was neat and orderly, exactly the way she'd expected of him – a large room in sober colors, with simple furniture. The only decorations were a subtle watercolor painting on the wall, and a small portrait of a woman in a frame on his bedside table. She looked at it closely and recognized Sergio's eyes, and his mouth – this must be his mother. She'd never heard him speak of her, and she kept looking at the portrait until suddenly Sergio stirred.

She immediately turned her attention back to him, hoping fervently that he would wake up.

"Raquel", he whispered.

Her heart leapt and she felt tears burn. This was the first time he'd called her that.

"Yes", she said. "Yes, I'm here."

He opened his eyes and looked around, confused, then he shifted and groaned.

"Don't move", she said quickly. "You're hurt."

"He shot me", Sergio murmured, looking dazed. "He just… shot me."

"I know", she whispered, feeling another wave of guilt rise up in her chest. "How… how do you feel?"

"Awful", he groaned, squeezing his eyes shut against the pain.

"The doctor left you something for the pain", she said, taking the bottle the doctor had left on the bedside table.

"What is it?"

"Laudanum."

He shook his head.

"No, I'm not taking that."

"Sergio, you're in pain."

"I'll survive."

"It really helps, I…"

He interrupted her.

"I don't care. That stuff isn't good for you."

"Nonsense", she said, but a stubborn expression appeared on his face.

"Raquel, I'm not taking it."

She didn't want to argue with him when he was so weak, so she put the bottle back down.

"Alright. Then at least drink some water."

He inhaled sharply and gritted his teeth as she put a pillow against the headboard and helped him sit up so he could drink. The simple act of raising the glass to his lips exhausted him, and she had to support him so he could lie down again, but his eyes were clearer.

"What's the damage?" he asked, and she explained what the doctor had told them.

He nodded. "The biggest danger is infection, then."

"Yes. We'll have to clean the wounds several times a day."

A silence fell, and they looked at each other, then they both said at the same time:

"I'm sorry."

He blinked at her.

"What are you sorry for?"

She stared at him, then gestured at his chest and arm.

"For… for this, Sergio!"

"You didn't make me fight him."

"If I hadn't… if I hadn't run off with him, you wouldn't have had to fight him."

He gave her a soft look.

"I don't blame you for that. You can't help it that you… that you fell in love with him."

She shook her head.

"I didn't, really. I think I just loved the idea of him, and the things he was promising me."

He nodded.

"I understand. And that's why I'm sorry. If… if I had been able to give you those things, you never would have left, and none of this would have happened. I failed you, Raquel, and I'm so sorry."

Talking was clearly costing him a lot of effort, so she shook her head and said:

"It's alright. Don't worry about it now."

"It's not alright", he said firmly. "I should have made things clearer when I married you."

"No, you were clear", she said. "I just made assumptions about things you never promised me."

"I should have realized that", he said quietly. "Of course you wanted those things, and of course you went with… with someone else."

"I shouldn't have done that", she said.

"Still. I understand."

She nodded. "Thank you."

They were silent for a while, then she said:

"So what happens now?"

He swallowed. "You can go back to London if you want, of course."

She gave him a close look.

"Do you want me to go back to London?"

He looked at her.

"No."

She felt her hopes rise. Could he… could he care for her after all?

"Why did you come after me last night?" she asked him softly.

"Lady Godfrey told me what happened to the last woman he ran away with. I couldn't let that happen to you."

Her heart sank slightly. He had only come for her because he wanted to protect her from harm, because it was his duty as her husband and he took that seriously. He seemed to see the disappointment in her face.

"Raquel", he said earnestly. "I really do want you to stay here, if… if you would like that too. I… I'm afraid I can't offer you everything you want, but please know that I care for you. You're my family now. If you should choose to stay, I promise… I promise you I'll be a better husband to you than I was before." He went a little red. "I mean… I know that's not saying much. What I want to say is… I'll try my best to make you as happy as it is within my power to make you."

She considered him. The knowledge that he would never love her like a true husband was painful, but knowing that he cared for her and would try to do better in the future was enough for now. He was right… they were family, and she wanted nothing more than to stay.

"Alright", she said, and his eyes lit up. "I'll stay."

She didn't want him to feel uncomfortable around her, however, so she felt like it was necessary to say:

"And don't worry, I don't expect anything from you anymore." She told herself it was true. "Any… any feelings I may have had are gone now." Maybe it really was true. She wasn't sure what she was feeling anymore. She just knew that she didn't want to burden him, and that she needed to protect herself.

He looked so relieved.

"Good! Then maybe we can be… friends?"

"Yes", she smiled at him. "Friends."

He smiled back at her, that shy smile she liked so much.

"You know", he said thoughtfully, "I think this is the first real conversation you and I have ever had."

"Yes", she agreed. "And you know why?"

"Why?"

She shot him an amused look.

"Because you can't run away this time."

He grimaced.

"Touché. And it looks like I won't be able to run away for a while."

She gave him a satisfied smile.

"Good. Then it looks like you and I are going to get to know each other a lot better."

He smiled.

"I'd like that. You are my wife, after all."

She raised her eyebrows.

"I'm glad you've finally realized that."

There was a little pause as he looked up at her, then he tentatively reached out with his uninjured arm and touched her hand. She looked at him, surprised but pleased.

"Raquel…" he said softly. "Can we start over?"

"Yes", she smiled. "I think we can."

…

His arm ached like hell, and every breath hurt his ribs, but it was worth it to have her home again. If he had to, he'd let himself get shot all over again. Having her sit next to him, talking to him, felt right somehow, and he wondered why in the world it had taken him so long to actually have a conversation with her. Talking to her was easy – so easy. Despite the pain, he felt a peculiar lightness at the thought that she was staying, and that they would be able to do this more often.

They talked for a little while longer, then there was a knock on the door and his brother and Lady Godfrey came in.

"Ah!" Lady Godfrey said. "You're awake. Excellent."

"Still alive, then?" his brother grinned.

"As you can see."

"You look like hell though."

"I'd like to see how you'd look with two bullet wounds", Raquel said.

Andrés' grin widened.

"I, madam, am indestructible."

"I see", Lady Godfrey said drily. "Like a weed."

His brother laughed.

"Quite. I'll go get you a whiskey, Sergio."

"Hmm", Lady Godfrey said. "Alcohol might numb the pain, but after the blood he lost, it would get him very drunk very fast."

"Well", Andrés winked at him. "Sounds like a party to me."

He turned and left the room, to Raquel's laughter and Elena shaking her head. When the door closed behind him, Sergio said:

"I don't really feel like getting drunk. But I would like some more water."

"I'll get it", Raquel said immediately, as he'd hoped she would.

She left the room, and he was alone with Lady Godfrey.

"I need to ask you something", he said.

She turned to him and raised her eyebrows.

"Ask away."

"Lady Godfrey… if I die…"

"You're not going to die, Marquina", she said crisply. "Don't be dramatic."

He turned red, but continued anyway:

"I know I've survived so far, but one of these wounds might get infected..."

"Then how about you wait to make your last requests until after that happens?"

"Lady Godfrey", he forged on regardless, "if I die, please… please make sure Raquel is alright."

She considered him.

"Are you asking me to watch over her?"

"Something like that, yes. I know you're a capable woman, I'm sure you'd be able to deal with anything that might cause her distress."

She gave him a piercing look.

"How about I start with you, then?"

He blinked. "With… with me?"

"Yes. From what I can see, you're the thing that's been causing her the most distress."

"I… I tried to make amends for that."

"But will you do better in the future?"

"I will", he said, earnestly. "I promise."

"Good", she said drily. "Because otherwise I'm taking her straight back to London."

He nodded.

"As you should."

She considered him a little longer, then said:

"I'm glad you're not dead. You know, for her sake."

He nodded.

"Thank you for everything you've done. You've been a true friend to her."

"She's a good person. I hope you realize that."

"I do", he said solemnly. "Believe me… I do."

…

Sergio slept a lot over the next few days, for which he was grateful, because when he was awake, the pain was terrible. Still, it was better than the alternative – the bottle of laudanum had disappeared from his bedside table, and he assumed Raquel had thrown it away. Good. For some reason, the pain seemed more manageable when Raquel was in the room, and fortunately she was in the room most of the time, sitting by his bedside, making sure he ate and drank enough water, talking to him when he felt up to it, and changing his bandages and cleaning his wounds several times a day. He protested when she'd first come in with a steaming basin of water and said it was time to change his bandages.

"You don't have to do that", he said. "We can hire a nurse."

"No", she said firmly. "You got hurt defending my honor, so I'm taking care of you."

"But I don't think it will look very nice, and you're a lady…"

"Don't you dare say I'm delicate!"

"No", he recanted quickly. "I wouldn't dare."

He felt himself blush furiously as she pulled away the sheet from his chest and started undoing the buttons of his nightshirt. She shot him an amused look.

"Don't look so embarrassed, I'm your wife, it's perfectly proper."

Having her notice his embarrassment only made him more embarrassed, but he suddenly forgot all about that when her fingers brushed his skin as she pushed the shirt off his shoulders. He'd always been very sensitive to people touching him, and generally he disliked it, but he noticed to his surprise that he didn't mind it at all when she did it. He was aware of every brush of her skin against his as she started undoing the bandages around his chest. When the last layer fell away, she grimaced, and he looked down and grimaced too. That looked awful – a long gash with stitches, surrounded by a mass of black and purple bruises. He quickly averted his eyes – seeing how bad it was made it hurt even more. Instead, he looked at her face as she took a cloth out of the basin with water, and carefully started cleaning the wound. Somehow, he couldn't look away again, and he barely noticed the pain anymore. Why had he never noticed before how beautiful she was? From that moment onwards, he rather looked forward to the changing of his bandages – she was always so gentle, and her touch on his chest and arm made his skin tingle.

When she wasn't there, he spent a lot of time thinking. Since he often slept during the day, there were moments when the pain woke him up in the middle of the night, when she was sleeping, and all he could do was lie there and consider the mistakes he'd made. Over and over, he kept coming back to Lady Godfrey's words, and he concluded that he had indeed been the thing causing his wife the most distress, and he firmly resolved to do better in the future. He came to a realization: ever since the beginning, he had been thinking of her as the queen in his game of chess… but he had been treating her as a pawn. From now on, that would change. From now on, he would give her the position she deserved.

The next day, as if she'd read his mind, she came in with his chess set.

"Here", she smiled, putting it on his lap. "I thought you'd be missing this."

"Thank you", he said. "That's very considerate of you."

She turned to leave him alone to play, but he called her back.

"Raquel", he said. "Would you… would you like me to teach you?"

Her eyes lit up.

"Really?"

"Yes. If you'd like to learn."

"Yes", she smiled. "Yes, I'd like that very much."