The Wedding Runaway (31 page)

He glanced over his shoulder at her and nodded toward the screens.
"
You can step behind the screen and have your maid help you get undressed.
"

His command was so unexpected, Helena froze.

He turned, his expression impatient and tired.
"
There are wrappers on hooks you might wear
,
but do hurry. I have other patients to see.
"

He had mistaken her for a patient.
"
I...I am not with child.
"

He seemed to slump.
"
Oh, that is why you did not summon me to your home. Well
,
I do not deal in that. You may ask Nurse Antton for the name of one of the midwives who might give you advice.
"

"
No
,
you don
'
t understand
,"
said Helena. She winced, thinking she could have phrased her correction more mildly. Gentleman do not like to be corrected. She started again to clarify
,
"
I have been unclear—
"

"
You either want assistance with becoming pregnant or you want to prevent it. I do not deal with such matters. Now
,
if you please
,
I have had a difficult night
,
and I have patients who need me.
"

Helena blinked.
"
My mother.
"
She looked down at her toes. Were there ways to indulge in sins of the flesh and prevent pregnancy? She had never even thought such a thing possible. Women had to stay pure until their marriage night for that very reason
,
while men were under no such restriction.
"
My mother is with child. Her physician recommended she consult with a specialist
,
with you
,
because of her age.
"

The doctor wiped his wet hands on a towel.
"
I apologize
,
I gravely mistook the matter.
"

Helena gave a tiny shake of her head.
"
I am sure I do not know of what you speak
,
but my father has requested I solicit your services
,
and I thought it best that you are warned that my mother is not...not likely to be a good patient
,
before you actually called upon her.
"

He met her eyes as if measuring her.

"
My father and I are quite concerned about my mother
,
although she is in good health and did give birth to my sisters and me
,
but it has been a good many years.
"

"
Give your direction to Nurse Antton and I will call on your mother this afternoon.
"

"
Thank you
,
sir.
"

He looked like he wanted to say something
,
but was uncertain
,
and Helena hoped her interest in preventing pregnancy was not apparent in her telltale skin. The idea of what transpired in this room and why
,
aroused a prurient interest.

If it were not for such a reason in such a clinical setting
,
what would it be like to allow a man to look upon her most private parts? Would Trevor want to look? Her insides clenched.

He opened the door and Helena walked across the floor. Biting her lip, she wrote out her direction in a ledger book Nurse Antton opened for her. She sent her maid out to the carriage as she handed back the pen. She looked behind her and saw the room was filling with young women in various states of breeding
,
along with a baby or two.

Now or never.

Helena leaned across the table.
"
Mrs. Antton
,
the doctor mentioned that you could give me the direction of a certain midwife.
"

The nurse looked up and her cherubic face crinkled in a frown.
"
You do not have need—
"

"
For my mother
,"
Helena spoke in a low rushed whisper.
"
After she has the baby
,
she wants to be sure this does not happen again. With her years
,
she fears...
"

Helena knew her face was flaming.

The nurse looked down and Helena feared everyone in the room stared at her
,
and Mrs. Antton could see right through her lie.

"
I
'
ll see whoever is next
,"
said the doctor behind her and Helena nearly jumped out of her skin. He would be in her house
,
discussing everything with her parents...Oh my heavens
,
what had she done?

~*~

Victor had made sure his houseguest ate a decent breakfast. Then her winces and the ginger way she moved convinced him her pain was greater than she would admit to. He insisted she take another dose of the laudanum. Her listless acceptance spoke volumes. He told her the pain would lessen in a few days.

He sat beside her bed until she fell asleep. As the furrows between her light brown eyebrows smoothed out
,
he knew the medication was taking effect. He bent forward, resting his elbows on his knees. What was he to do with her?

What she had said about coming to England because she had no opportunity to live an independent life at home worried him. He could take her to one of the many bluestocking societies
,
give her the Wollstonecraft woman
'
s essay on the rights of women
,
introduce her to Felicity or try to convince her she had better resign herself to her lot as a woman.

She could not live as a man forever
,
nor did he have the right to force her to be his mistress. Bloody hell
,
when he thought of the way she made him feel, he could not seem to remember that she was injured by his own hand.

He had thought he had learned a measure of self-control living with Mary Frances all those years
,
but his impulses toward Leonard were uncontrollable. Thank goodness she had possessed enough sense to reject his outrageous proposal to make her his mistress
,
although it was the time-honored fashion for an independent woman to make a living.

As soon as her maid woke and entered the room
,
Victor went out. He walked to Sheridan
'
s house
,
knowing he owed Felicity an apology.

He found the Sheridans in the morning room
,
and he was surprised to find Felicity perched on the arm of the chair where Tony sat with his injured leg propped on a footstool.

Victor walked over in front of her and bowed.
"
My deepest apologies for your husband
'
s wound
,
madam. I should not have embroiled Tony in my mess.
"

"
I blame those awful pistols. I told Tony not to bring them home last time. Do sit down and tell us how your young friend is doing.
"
Felicity
'
s brown eyes held nothing but sincerity and welcome.
"
Tony explained the accident to me.
"

"
Uh
,
er
,
Leonard is fine
,
fast asleep when I left. It was just a flesh wound.
"
Did everyone know of his sponsorship of Leonard?

Victor sat down as instructed. Immediately he felt pinned by Tony
'
s pale gaze.

Bloody hell
,
could the man see straight into one
'
s soul? Victor shook off the feeling. If Tony could see how very dark Victor
'
s soul was
,
Victor would not be allowed in the house.

"
Are you ready for the season?
"
asked Felicity.
"
We have been speculating on how many handkerchiefs might be tossed in your direction this year.
"

Victor shuddered. He supposed in the marriage mart he might be considered a great catch
,
because now he had not only the title
,
but the wealth to go with it. Assuming that the lack of a standing house on his estate was only a minor wart
,
all said.
"
I am in mourning.
"

"
Oh
,
well
,
you must give me a wink if you find yourself swarmed too unmercifully
,"
Felicity said with a little smile.
"
You are coming to our dinner
,
are you not?
"

"
I would not miss it
,"
said Victor
,
wondering if he could cry off later.

"
You should bring your young American gentleman
,
too.
"

"
No!
"
Victor winced.
"
The wound...will not be healed by then.
"

Now
,
Tony really stared at him.

Felicity seemed in a mood that nothing fazed her.
"
At first
,
I thought to call it off
,
but Tony assured me he would be well enough by then. Besides, he will be glad of the excuse to avoid the dancing after dinner.
"

She rubbed her hand across her husband
'
s shoulder and the two exchanged a look so full of tender meaning
,
Victor felt like an intruder. He rarely saw Felicity and Tony together
,
although they had been married a couple of years now. Usually he ran into Tony at all male haunts
,
while his wife spent most of her time with her ledgers.

"
I am surprised you are not closeted with your work
,"
Victor said
,
and then wished he could bite out his tongue.

She smiled.
"
Ah
,
I should be. I have much to do today
,
along with the plans for the party. I do seem to have a surfeit of women accepting my invitations this year.
"

"
Really
,"
said Tony
,
his eye on Victor.

"
Are you sure you would not like to bring your friend? I thought inviting him would be a way I could show him
that I bear him no ill will for shooting Tony.
"

Victor shook his head, not trusting himself to open his mouth for fear he would blurt out that
his friend
would make her too-many-women problem worse. And he was not taking not-Leonard out as a male ever again. Victor rubbed his forehead. He wished he had never taken him anywhere in the first place.

"
Lady Helena mentioned a Mr. Trevor Hamilton that she sent to you for advice
,
dear.
"
Felicity turned toward her husband.
"
Perhaps he might be invited. I am sure I have heard that name before
,
and if Lady Helena knows him
,
he must be acceptable.
"

"
Yes
,
I am expecting him and two of his companions this afternoon
,"
Tony said.

Felicity brushed a kiss on Tony
'
s cheek and slid off the arm of the chair.
"
I cannot dally any longer. If you will excuse me
,
Victor. I
'
m sure you gentlemen have things to discuss.
"

Victor stood and bowed
,
while Felicity left the room. When he turned back to Tony
,
the man eyeballed him.

Victor paced away.
"
I thought she would be angrier.
"

"
She was
,"
said Tony.

Victor picked up a decorative marble ball and transferred it from hand to hand.
"
What eased her mind?
"

"
Ah
,"
said Tony.

Victor turned and glared at him.
"
You never answer questions put to you.
"

Tony grinned and stretched his arms overhead while looking incredibly smug.
"
She is reassured that my new injury does not interfere in my ability to perform my husbandly duties.
"

He shouldn
'
t have asked
,
thought Victor. It reminded him he had a woman sleeping in his bed
,
a woman whom he should not touch
,
yet could not resist.

"
What are you concealing about your little American friend?
"
asked Tony.

Victor turned away.
"
Nothing.
"

Tony waited.

His silence often made Victor feel he had to fill it in with the truth. Instead
,
he asked
,
"
Have you learned anything of my mother-in-law?
"

"
Yes. Why don
'
t you want to bring your friend to Felicity
'
s party?
"

Victor tossed the marble globe and caught it
,
feeling the heavy cold weight.
"
That
,
sir
,
is no concern of yours. What have you learned of why my wife
'
s mother is in Newgate?
"

"
Sit and put that rock down. Are you sure you want to know?
"
Tony
'
s expression went stoic
,
unreadable.

Dread crept up Victor
'
s spine. If Tony thought he might not want the truth
,
then there was probably good reason for it.