Read Online The Fire's Center by Shannon Farrell - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Shannon Farrell
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somehow Riona had a rather unsettling habit of growing on a person, Lucien admitted to himself with a sigh, as he gathered up a pile of newspapers from the sideboard, left there for the customers’ use, and took them upstairs to her.
Then he went into his own room to fetch out a book on fevers he had been struggling to read himself, and tapped on her door.
"Come in!" she called as she proceeded to take her purple and gold wrap out of her valise.
"I just thought I would bring you those things to read as I promised."
"Oh, thank you, that’s very kind," she murmured shyly as she took the things he offered and placed them on the table by the hearth.
"Is the fire drawing well?" Lucien asked, before going up to it and giving it a bit of a poke. "It doesn't look like it's doing much except smoking at the minute."
"It will take a little while to get going, but it’s warm enough in here," she reassured him.
"Don’t be shy about asking for anything you wish downstairs. I imagine they will be bringing up the bath water soon."
"Another bath? But really, Dr. Woulfe, it’s so much trouble for them."
"Nonsense. After trailing around in the workhouses all day, I want you to have a good scrub and put on a fresh set of clothes, and I am going to treat your hair again, as well as my own, just in case we did pick up any unwanted visitors in our travels today."
"Really, there's no need. I can...."
"No, I’ll do your hair, and you can do mine before we go to bed. So take off those things and make sure you get them to wash, dry and iron them for you, is that clear?"
"Yes, Dr. Woulfe. Will we be going to see more workhouses tomorrow as well?" Riona asked, genuinely interested.
"Having seen so many today, I wonder that we should bother," Lucien said grimly.
"I think we should," Riona advised. "After all, the more we see, the better educated we will be, the more we might be able to help."
Lucien admitted the wisdom of her sentiments, but insisted, "But I don’t like exposing you to such unpleasant things."
"I’m sorry to say this, but it was part of daily life in Dunfanaghy. You don’t need to try to protect me, Lucien."
Lucien sighed. "All the same, Riona, you seem so young."
"You were sincere about having me work in the clinic weren’t you?" Riona suddenly demanded.
"Yes, of course," Lucien replied, taken aback.
"Then there will be no chance to protect me there, eh?" Riona said with small smile.
Lucien shook his head, but could see what she meant. At the clinic she would be exposed to all sorts of unpleasant things.
"But you could also help me as my apothecary, make notes on my cases and so on."
She rolled her eyes in exasperation, and sat down in the fireside chair with a flounce. "You’re doing it again, trying to protect me."
"And you're doing it again, causing us to argue. So for the moment we will say nothing, just that we will wait and see once we get to Dublin, all right, Riona?"
Riona nodded, pleased that he had begun calling her by her first name.
"Thank you again for the reading material."
"I’ll see you downstairs for dinner at nine, then? Unless of course you’d like to have your meal in your room again?"
"No, downstairs at nine will be fine."
"I'll see you later, then."
He vanished out the door, leaving her feeling as though she could finally breathe at last. Just what was it about him that was so, so larger than life?
After her bath, Riona dressed carefully in the grey dress Lucien had purchased for her, and after checking her still slightly damp hair in the mirror, she threw a dark floral-patterned shawl over her shoulders and descended the stairs to where Lucien was waiting to escort her into the dinging room.
She moved towards the room where they had had their tea that afternoon, but Lucien shook his head and led her across the foyer to a small private
Then he went into his own room to fetch out a book on fevers he had been struggling to read himself, and tapped on her door.
"Come in!" she called as she proceeded to take her purple and gold wrap out of her valise.
"I just thought I would bring you those things to read as I promised."
"Oh, thank you, that’s very kind," she murmured shyly as she took the things he offered and placed them on the table by the hearth.
"Is the fire drawing well?" Lucien asked, before going up to it and giving it a bit of a poke. "It doesn't look like it's doing much except smoking at the minute."
"It will take a little while to get going, but it’s warm enough in here," she reassured him.
"Don’t be shy about asking for anything you wish downstairs. I imagine they will be bringing up the bath water soon."
"Another bath? But really, Dr. Woulfe, it’s so much trouble for them."
"Nonsense. After trailing around in the workhouses all day, I want you to have a good scrub and put on a fresh set of clothes, and I am going to treat your hair again, as well as my own, just in case we did pick up any unwanted visitors in our travels today."
"Really, there's no need. I can...."
"No, I’ll do your hair, and you can do mine before we go to bed. So take off those things and make sure you get them to wash, dry and iron them for you, is that clear?"
"Yes, Dr. Woulfe. Will we be going to see more workhouses tomorrow as well?" Riona asked, genuinely interested.
"Having seen so many today, I wonder that we should bother," Lucien said grimly.
"I think we should," Riona advised. "After all, the more we see, the better educated we will be, the more we might be able to help."
Lucien admitted the wisdom of her sentiments, but insisted, "But I don’t like exposing you to such unpleasant things."
"I’m sorry to say this, but it was part of daily life in Dunfanaghy. You don’t need to try to protect me, Lucien."
Lucien sighed. "All the same, Riona, you seem so young."
"You were sincere about having me work in the clinic weren’t you?" Riona suddenly demanded.
"Yes, of course," Lucien replied, taken aback.
"Then there will be no chance to protect me there, eh?" Riona said with small smile.
Lucien shook his head, but could see what she meant. At the clinic she would be exposed to all sorts of unpleasant things.
"But you could also help me as my apothecary, make notes on my cases and so on."
She rolled her eyes in exasperation, and sat down in the fireside chair with a flounce. "You’re doing it again, trying to protect me."
"And you're doing it again, causing us to argue. So for the moment we will say nothing, just that we will wait and see once we get to Dublin, all right, Riona?"
Riona nodded, pleased that he had begun calling her by her first name.
"Thank you again for the reading material."
"I’ll see you downstairs for dinner at nine, then? Unless of course you’d like to have your meal in your room again?"
"No, downstairs at nine will be fine."
"I'll see you later, then."
He vanished out the door, leaving her feeling as though she could finally breathe at last. Just what was it about him that was so, so larger than life?
After her bath, Riona dressed carefully in the grey dress Lucien had purchased for her, and after checking her still slightly damp hair in the mirror, she threw a dark floral-patterned shawl over her shoulders and descended the stairs to where Lucien was waiting to escort her into the dinging room.
She moved towards the room where they had had their tea that afternoon, but Lucien shook his head and led her across the foyer to a small private
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