One mess after another

Ravi'en's POV

Kassidy's head fell forward suddenly surprising him. She inhaled deeply then seemed to go slack. He glanced down for the first time since the inappropriateness began. Her back leaned against the wall but her head sagged against his chest her breathing steady and slow, did she just fall asleep or pass out? He checked her pulse and it seemed fine as far as he could tell but he was no doctor. He patted her face but her head just lulled to the side. His heart picked up speed again but this time with fear. A few sips of alcohol shouldn't make her this unresponsive and so fast.

Thinking fast about how best to save her without exposing her identity he removed his cloak and tossed it over her as he swept her up into his arms. Then he rushed out down the hall not sparing the cheating couple any mind as he passed causing the girl to scream, but he was already flying down the stairwell and heading to the doctor's office.

Arms full and heart bounding he kicked the door open scaring the crap out of the doctor's apprentice.

"Where's the doctor?" he demanded.

The apprentice pointed a shaking finger to the back office and he kicked that door in as well.

The startled doctor stood up so fast his chair toppled over behind him. "What's this?" he asked.

"You tell me. One minute she was standing there in front of me perfectly fine then she just collapsed, what was in that tonic you gave her?" he demanded.

"Nothing unusual, just an herbal tincture, it's meant to cause drowsiness and help one sleep and heal while fighting off fever but it shouldn't work that suddenly. He looked out the window at the stars. But that was over half an hour ago didn't you say you would escort the lady right back to her room?"

"I did, I was, but there was a… delay…"

The old man gave him a stern disapproving look, then pointed to a small bed in the corner of the room. "Lay her down there and I'll take a look. If I find you've taken advantage of the lady I will report it."

"What? I would never" he exclaimed insulted. The old man didn't look in the least bit convinced but started checking the girl's pulse and breathing. Finally, he sighed and looked back at him. "There is nothing wrong with her. She is simply sound asleep, she should wake in six to ten hours feeling well rested, though her arm will still be sore for several days. If it keeps her up at night after tomorrow she can have some more of the tincher before bed. This tea during the day will help a little with the pain during her waking hours. Are you sure she didn't display any signs of drowsiness before she collapsed? Any slurred speech or anything?"

"Well… we weren't exactly talking…" the old man gave him a supremely disapproving look. "Not like that, we didn't, I would never…it had nothing to do with what you're thinking," he said suddenly feeling far younger rather than older than his age.

"Right, why don't I have someone else bring her back to her rooms."

"No, I can't have more people knowing about this. I'll do it. But, could you find out which room is hers? She's not exactly in a state to tell me anymore."

"She didn't share the location with you? he asked eyeing him suspiciously.

"She told me second floor halfway down but we only made it about a quarter of the way before we ran into... a complication… Barron Soler and a mistress… it wasn't something a young lady… or anyone should see or hear. I thought to wait until they left… I hadn't known she would simply collapse." he explained.

"Fine, I'll find out the room, but you or your master need to pay to fix my doors. Just stay here while I go ask the butler, I don't need you terrifying any more of the staff." it wasn't until then that he realized he still had no mask, eyepatch, or hood. His hood must have fallen down in his rush here... Hopefully, no one who knew him had seen him, many of the nobles might recognize him if they got a close enough look. He didn't think anyone got a good look at him and he hadn't gone anywhere near the banquet hall or ballroom.

Shortly after the doctor came back and relayed the directions, he covered Kassidy back up with his cloak and snuck back the way he'd come. When he arrived back on the second floor the Baron and his mistress were gone but he could still hear them in his mind. If he had known what would happen he would have just kept walking and hoped they were too focused on each other to take notice of them. He shook his head, no point wondering about what ifs. He located her door but it was locked.

She didn't have a purse… he fumbled around looking for pockets in her skirts but couldn't find any pockets. Feeling like a perve and a thief he checked her waistband then he spotted something shiny peek out the front of her dress while she was tipped over. That better not be what he thought it was. Should he shake her upside down and hope it fell out?

Taking a fortifying breath and double-checking that no one was watching he slid his hand down the front of her dress and instantly found the key. He quickly unlocked it and carried her in.

There was a sitting room with a hunting bow and quiver by the table next to a pair of boots but they weren't hers, they were fancier and less worn and he found himself upset at the thought of a man staying with her before he remembered no aristocrat would house an unmarried woman with a man that wasn't a relative. He checked the first door and found the master bedroom but it had a fan and gloves on the table along next to an open jewelry box full of jewels, somehow he doubted this was her room and went to the one on the other side.

The last was a smaller room but men's clothes were thrown across the bed so he closed it and tried the next and last door but it was a bathroom and he began to panic that this was the wrong set of rooms. Then he saw the hat she'd worn earlier that day hanging just inside the changing room door. He carried her over to find a small bed much like what was in the doctor's office taking up the majority of the changing room. A suitcase in the corner and her shawl on one of the hangers over the bed.

Was she the servant of Lady Kassidy instead of Kassidy herself? Well, right now that didn't matter.

He laid the girl in his arms out on the bed then removed his cloak and stared at the slumbering girl wondering what to do next. Looking at her he thought it must be uncomfortable to sleep in all that but he wasn't about to take off a lady's dress… but her shoes? Deciding that much was okay he unlaced and pulled off her shoes and put them by the wall, then he pulled the blankets free from under her legs and laid them out on top of her up to her chin to hide the fact she was still dressed in case someone checked on her.

Then he heard a muffled voice, "Did you forget to lock the door?"