back on English soil, I predict a rapid recovery. If he gets rest, of course, good nourishment, and takes his medicines.”
“He wants to travel on this week,” Rafe said, his brow furrowed.
“Impossible,” the doctor said, snapping his case shut.
Rafe nodded. “As I thought. Thank you. I’ll see it is impossible.”
Eric sat up against his pillows. “We’re leaving, Rafe. I’m getting better. Didn’t you hear the man?”
“I heard. You didn’t,” Rafe said. “You’re staying, if I have to sit on you.”
“You’ll have to do more than that to get me to stay on. There’s no reason for me to sponge on you any longer,” Eric argued. “I can travel home. It’s only a matter of days.”
“No. Until the doctor says you can walk home if you want to, you stay on here. And there’s an end to it. I’ve already made all the arrangements. I hired on a valet for the both of us and a housekeeper for the look of things. A footman too. And a cook. I’m sending a note to my family to ask the name of arespectable female relative to come stay on here for the duration too.”
“You don’t need all that help, at least not for my sake,” Eric insisted, “because I’m leaving. And your respectable female won’t stay that way long if she’s all alone in the house here with you—and that’s what she’ll be in a day, I promise you.”
“Now, look—” Rafe said angrily. He didn’t get a chance to finish. Brenna’s calm voice cut him off. He hadn’t seen her; she’d been sitting in the shadows. Now she rose and walked over to the physician.
“Doctor,” she said in her gentle, soothing voice, her dark eyes on his, “forgive me for interrupting, but these two have their horns locked over this. Can we two work out a compromise, do you think? If my brother travels in slow stages, in a well-sprung coach, with me watching over him all the way, being sure he takes all your medicines on schedule, won’t that do as well? After all, as you can see, he’s fretting himself to pieces just lying here day after day.”
“Day after one day!” Rafe said in annoyance.
But neither Brenna nor the doctor paid any attention to him. She smiled at the fascinated physician and went on, “Dear sir, what do you think if we make the trip in three days rather than two? Or four, if we must. He can rest as well in a comfortable coach as he can in a bed, can’t he? Better, perhaps, because if he thinks he’s got his way, he’ll be able to relax and sleep. He can’t do that here, if he’s fussing, can he? We’ll find a middle ground. If we don’t go until the end of the week, will that suit?”
“Why, yes, my dear, if you put it that way, I suppose he can,” the physician said, his eyes on Brenna’s soft smile.
“Damme, but—” Rafe said, and stopped as the physician spun around and glared at him.
“My lord!” the doctor said. “There’s a lady in the room.”
“A clever one,” Eric said, and grinned.
“Thank you, Doctor,” Brenna said, ignoring her brother. “And that way, too, I can pay a call and see if I can mend matters here before we leave.” But now her eyes were on Rafe, and the question in them was for him.
He nodded, grudgingly. “All right. Can’t see it will hurt. But if things go wrong, you’re to turn right around and come back.”
Brenna nodded back at him. He hadn’t said if he meant their trip back home or her visit to Lady Annabelle. She decided he meant both, and she agreed. Both ventures were gambles, after all.
Six
“I t was kind of you to see me,” Brenna told her hostess after she was shown into the salon by a footman.
“Mama would have my head for it,” Annabelle said simply. “But she’s out now. If you don’t take long, you can avoid her. I’d suggest avoiding her…Miss…Ford,” she said, reading from the card Brenna had left, as though she hadn’t already committed it to heart.
“Thank you, I’ll be brief,” Brenna said, holding her head high,
“He wants to travel on this week,” Rafe said, his brow furrowed.
“Impossible,” the doctor said, snapping his case shut.
Rafe nodded. “As I thought. Thank you. I’ll see it is impossible.”
Eric sat up against his pillows. “We’re leaving, Rafe. I’m getting better. Didn’t you hear the man?”
“I heard. You didn’t,” Rafe said. “You’re staying, if I have to sit on you.”
“You’ll have to do more than that to get me to stay on. There’s no reason for me to sponge on you any longer,” Eric argued. “I can travel home. It’s only a matter of days.”
“No. Until the doctor says you can walk home if you want to, you stay on here. And there’s an end to it. I’ve already made all the arrangements. I hired on a valet for the both of us and a housekeeper for the look of things. A footman too. And a cook. I’m sending a note to my family to ask the name of arespectable female relative to come stay on here for the duration too.”
“You don’t need all that help, at least not for my sake,” Eric insisted, “because I’m leaving. And your respectable female won’t stay that way long if she’s all alone in the house here with you—and that’s what she’ll be in a day, I promise you.”
“Now, look—” Rafe said angrily. He didn’t get a chance to finish. Brenna’s calm voice cut him off. He hadn’t seen her; she’d been sitting in the shadows. Now she rose and walked over to the physician.
“Doctor,” she said in her gentle, soothing voice, her dark eyes on his, “forgive me for interrupting, but these two have their horns locked over this. Can we two work out a compromise, do you think? If my brother travels in slow stages, in a well-sprung coach, with me watching over him all the way, being sure he takes all your medicines on schedule, won’t that do as well? After all, as you can see, he’s fretting himself to pieces just lying here day after day.”
“Day after one day!” Rafe said in annoyance.
But neither Brenna nor the doctor paid any attention to him. She smiled at the fascinated physician and went on, “Dear sir, what do you think if we make the trip in three days rather than two? Or four, if we must. He can rest as well in a comfortable coach as he can in a bed, can’t he? Better, perhaps, because if he thinks he’s got his way, he’ll be able to relax and sleep. He can’t do that here, if he’s fussing, can he? We’ll find a middle ground. If we don’t go until the end of the week, will that suit?”
“Why, yes, my dear, if you put it that way, I suppose he can,” the physician said, his eyes on Brenna’s soft smile.
“Damme, but—” Rafe said, and stopped as the physician spun around and glared at him.
“My lord!” the doctor said. “There’s a lady in the room.”
“A clever one,” Eric said, and grinned.
“Thank you, Doctor,” Brenna said, ignoring her brother. “And that way, too, I can pay a call and see if I can mend matters here before we leave.” But now her eyes were on Rafe, and the question in them was for him.
He nodded, grudgingly. “All right. Can’t see it will hurt. But if things go wrong, you’re to turn right around and come back.”
Brenna nodded back at him. He hadn’t said if he meant their trip back home or her visit to Lady Annabelle. She decided he meant both, and she agreed. Both ventures were gambles, after all.
Six
“I t was kind of you to see me,” Brenna told her hostess after she was shown into the salon by a footman.
“Mama would have my head for it,” Annabelle said simply. “But she’s out now. If you don’t take long, you can avoid her. I’d suggest avoiding her…Miss…Ford,” she said, reading from the card Brenna had left, as though she hadn’t already committed it to heart.
“Thank you, I’ll be brief,” Brenna said, holding her head high,
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