Vail was glad he’d come looking for Victoria when he had. Who knew what might have happened to her if he’d even thought to wait one more night to seek her out? He was still bewildered about why had found her on the ground outside the summer house when she had told him she was being constantly watched and guarded by Saints. It seemed strange to him that they would have let her go out on her own like this. Unfortunately, he wasn’t going to get any answers from her chilled and listless form at the moment.

Taking care not to make her more uncomfortable than she probably already was, he carried her inside the summer house and laid her down on the chaise lounge near the fireplace. It was still unclear if she was suffering from hypothermia—judging by the stammer in her weak voice, she seemed close to it—so his goal was to warm her up as fast as possible, just in case there was time left to save her frail heart from stopping. He took off his coat to drape over her shivering body and knelt by the hearth to light a hot fire. As soon as that was done, he located a few candles to light as well, placing them on the tables near to where the Lady was lying.

Having done everything he could to help raise her temperature, Vail sat on the end of the lounge and stroked her side with his hand, hoping the friction of the movement might give her a little more warmth. If he had been human, he might have laid beside her to use his own body heat to bring her comfort, but being what he was, he knew his cooler skin wouldn’t do much to change anything. So, he sat with his shoulders pressed comfortably against the backrest while he waited for Victoria to warm up via the fire and his coat.

It took some time, but eventually, he felt her stir beside him. He removed his hand from her side and watched patiently as she awoke and oriented herself to the situation. When she spoke to inquire if she was dreaming, he gave a gentle shake of his head. “No,” he answered quietly. Her sickly complexion didn’t slip past his gaze but, not knowing any better, he attributed it to the state he had found her in.

“I did,” he admitted when she asked if he had come for her. Placing his hand on her arm, he rubbed her still-warming skin again. “Although I had no idea I would find you in this condition. Why were you going to your summer house in the middle of the night?”