Read Online Lady in the Mist by Laurie Alice Eakes - Free Book Online
Authors: Laurie Alice Eakes
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wet, a stable yard, fetid and dirty, blood soaking into the cobbles, washed pink from the rain. His blood, shed in such a humiliating way . . .
“Mr. Cherrett?” Tabitha gripped his shoulder, her fingertips resting on the scar, though he doubted she could feel it through his coat and shirt. “You’re not going to faint on me, are you?”
“No.” He opened his eyes to find her face mere inches from his. Her breath fanned his face, and he caught his reflection in her clear eyes. “I’ve humiliated myself enough for one lifetime. I won’t add losing consciousness over a little blood and pain to the list.”
“Good.” She smiled and drew back. “I’ll set a poultice on this, and you’ll be back to your duties in a day or two.”
“I have to be. Mr. Kendall is having important guests.”
“That’s right.” She smeared a foul-smelling ointment on his hand. “You’ll do well enough. Come to see me in two weeks and I’ll remove the stitches.”
“I’d rather see you sooner.” He caught her gaze and held it.
She blinked several times, like someone suddenly exposed to strong light. “That isn’t necessary, Mr. Cherrett, unless you pull a stitch or it goes septic.”
“I could go for a walk on the beach with you.”
“I like my walks early in the morning.”
“How early?”
“Earlier than a bondsman should be about.”
“Ah, a direct hit.” He feigned a recoil as though from a blow. “You don’t like me much, do you, Madam Midwife?”
“You’re English. You were where you shouldn’t have been the night three of my countrymen vanished.”
“And I’ve been charged guilty because of a little walk on the beach and my country of birth?” He kept his tone light, playful, to mask the tension running through him, tension that had nothing to do with pain. “Is that any fairer than Harlan Wilkins accusing you of his wife’s death?”
“Ah, so you’ve heard that talk.” She curled her upper lip. “He’s off drinking and gaming and thinks I did something to harm the poor creature.”
“Will it harm your work, your reputation, Madam Mermaid?”
“Not likely.” She shrugged, though her jaw hardened. “My family has served this community for three generations without a whiff of scandal.”
“Would that I were so confident in my family name saving me.” Dominick heaved an exaggerated sigh. “But I’m judged guilty for being the dreadful English.”
“If I judged you guilty, Mr. Cherrett, I’d have told your master of your escapade.”
“So why haven’t you?”
She shrugged. “You were a bit too far from where the men were last seen. And we have no proof the British are involved, only suspicions due to your ships being in our waters.”
“But not too far”—he raised his uninjured hand to touch her throat with a whisper of his fingertips—“to have done this to you.”
She sat perfectly still as though his contact paralyzed her. He didn’t even know if she breathed until she drew in a ragged breath and pulled away from his caress.
“Whoever it was, I heed the warning. I’m used to keeping my mouth shut in my work.” She bent her head over his hand, which she wound in a strip of bleached linen. “Keep this clean. I’ll leave some salve with Letty. She’ll find you fresh cloth for bandages.”
After giving the bandage a final tweak to tighten the knot, she rose and turned toward the house.
Dominick stood too and rested his hand on her arm for a breath. “I can tell you it wasn’t me, and you’ll believe what you will.”
“You have reason to want to keep your nighttime activities private, where no one else I know does.” Her mouth pursed. “A whipping is painful.”
Skin along his back crawled. “Oh, don’t I know.”
“Do you?” Her eyes narrowed, and he knew he condemned himself with that careless remark.
“I was an English schoolboy.” He tried to recover from his slip. “You can imagine that I often gave my tutors cause to whip
“Mr. Cherrett?” Tabitha gripped his shoulder, her fingertips resting on the scar, though he doubted she could feel it through his coat and shirt. “You’re not going to faint on me, are you?”
“No.” He opened his eyes to find her face mere inches from his. Her breath fanned his face, and he caught his reflection in her clear eyes. “I’ve humiliated myself enough for one lifetime. I won’t add losing consciousness over a little blood and pain to the list.”
“Good.” She smiled and drew back. “I’ll set a poultice on this, and you’ll be back to your duties in a day or two.”
“I have to be. Mr. Kendall is having important guests.”
“That’s right.” She smeared a foul-smelling ointment on his hand. “You’ll do well enough. Come to see me in two weeks and I’ll remove the stitches.”
“I’d rather see you sooner.” He caught her gaze and held it.
She blinked several times, like someone suddenly exposed to strong light. “That isn’t necessary, Mr. Cherrett, unless you pull a stitch or it goes septic.”
“I could go for a walk on the beach with you.”
“I like my walks early in the morning.”
“How early?”
“Earlier than a bondsman should be about.”
“Ah, a direct hit.” He feigned a recoil as though from a blow. “You don’t like me much, do you, Madam Midwife?”
“You’re English. You were where you shouldn’t have been the night three of my countrymen vanished.”
“And I’ve been charged guilty because of a little walk on the beach and my country of birth?” He kept his tone light, playful, to mask the tension running through him, tension that had nothing to do with pain. “Is that any fairer than Harlan Wilkins accusing you of his wife’s death?”
“Ah, so you’ve heard that talk.” She curled her upper lip. “He’s off drinking and gaming and thinks I did something to harm the poor creature.”
“Will it harm your work, your reputation, Madam Mermaid?”
“Not likely.” She shrugged, though her jaw hardened. “My family has served this community for three generations without a whiff of scandal.”
“Would that I were so confident in my family name saving me.” Dominick heaved an exaggerated sigh. “But I’m judged guilty for being the dreadful English.”
“If I judged you guilty, Mr. Cherrett, I’d have told your master of your escapade.”
“So why haven’t you?”
She shrugged. “You were a bit too far from where the men were last seen. And we have no proof the British are involved, only suspicions due to your ships being in our waters.”
“But not too far”—he raised his uninjured hand to touch her throat with a whisper of his fingertips—“to have done this to you.”
She sat perfectly still as though his contact paralyzed her. He didn’t even know if she breathed until she drew in a ragged breath and pulled away from his caress.
“Whoever it was, I heed the warning. I’m used to keeping my mouth shut in my work.” She bent her head over his hand, which she wound in a strip of bleached linen. “Keep this clean. I’ll leave some salve with Letty. She’ll find you fresh cloth for bandages.”
After giving the bandage a final tweak to tighten the knot, she rose and turned toward the house.
Dominick stood too and rested his hand on her arm for a breath. “I can tell you it wasn’t me, and you’ll believe what you will.”
“You have reason to want to keep your nighttime activities private, where no one else I know does.” Her mouth pursed. “A whipping is painful.”
Skin along his back crawled. “Oh, don’t I know.”
“Do you?” Her eyes narrowed, and he knew he condemned himself with that careless remark.
“I was an English schoolboy.” He tried to recover from his slip. “You can imagine that I often gave my tutors cause to whip
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