Page 25 of A Sight to Behold
“It shouldn’t feel like work,” Nick said without thinking. He shouldn’t have said it, he was making matters worse.
“But it is. See, I’m twelve years older than her. In her eyes, I’m a bit of a spare parts storage with the lens replacements in my eyes, the fillings in almost each of my teeth. Do you know that my valet used to be my friend? We’d jest and chat every morning. These days, he works so hard to groom me for the day, I’m afraid the poor man can barely stand after the morning routine.”
“You feel as though you are aging?”
“Mm. With as much grace as I can muster, I suppose. How old are you, Dr. Folsham?”
“Twenty-six. Almost twenty-seven.”
That made him laugh, followed by a wince because the earl moved his face too much. “You’re a spring chicken.”
“I’m not a chicken, I’m a surgeon. With plenty of experience—”
“What about experience with women? Do you know what it means to work for the love of a woman?”
That gave Nick pause. He didn’t know how to answer, so he did what he knew best and applied the almond oil to the earl’s temple, forehead, and eyelid. It was good to apply after surgery to keep the skin moist. Still the beautiful blonde came to mind. Wendy would make her glasses, but she hadn’t returned yet and Nick already longed to see her again. Was that work, trying to stifle the feeling that had taken flight in Nick’s chest, but he knew he’d have to suppress? Honestly, Nick didn’t know what it would take to work for a woman’s affection, he’d only ever worked for his career. Could he dare dream of earning Pippa’s?
The door opened and his ladyship entered, followed by Mr. Sutton carrying a silver tray with a crystal decanter and two glasses. He set it down on the side table that he’d pulled to the foot of the earl’s bed and stopped to survey the small pile of used muslin in the metal bowl that Nick had brought in his medical bag. Then, he left without a word but a grim face like a concerned parent.
“May I pour you some brandy, Dr. Folsham?” Lady Langley offered with the practiced grace of a hostess.
“Just a little,” Nick said without making eye contact. He was a bad liar and knew how to avoid his tells. “Lady Langley, may I ask whether you might be able to assist your lordship in applying this ointment every hour?”
The earl’s eyes darted to Nick. Nick swallowed hard but remained undeterred.
“It’s of utmost importance that the skin around the stitches is kept lubricated. This is merely a moisturizing ointment but I’m afraid that it requires a tender touch to care for this wound. I shall be back tomorrow to check on our patient.”
“Dr. Folsham,” the earl growled, “this is surely not a task for the Countess of Langley.” But his polite verbal opposition didn’timpress Nick. He needed the earl to recover and be happily in love, or else all of the treatments would have been in vain. He’d be disgruntled and take his frustration out on him and the others in the practice. Plus, Nick was no novice and was aware that a full patient recovery encompassed the physical and emotional aspects. An earl smitten with his wife and expecting an heir was exactly what would accomplish the goal here.
“It’s a job not for the countess, my lord, but it is one for your wife. Tender care is all your eye needs for a speedy recovery.” The earlhmphedbut Nick feigned ignorance.
As he collected his vials and wrapped the used muslin in a small sack, the earl’s good eye bore into him like cannon balls burning to make the lethal hit.
Lady Langley, who’d been watching the exchange agog, suddenly said with a sense of enterprise, “Let me, Doctor.” She took the muslin and stuffed it into the bag. “I’ll have these laundered and pressed. We have others to use under the bandages.” Then she sat down on the side of the bed, just next to the earl, and placed a gentle hand on his cheek to examine the bandage.
The earl jerked his face sideways, blinking with one eye and keeping the recently operated-on one shut. It was a self-protective pose Nick knew all too well. By tomorrow, he would have to relax the muscles and open his eye. It needed the moisture of his tears. Hopefully, the tender touch of his young wife would help him relax.
“Thank you for the brandy, milord.” Nick snapped his medical bag shut and picked up one of the small glasses. He downed the amber liquid—tea with lemon—and then hissed as if the alcohol had burned his throat. “I suppose it’s never too early in the day for a drop from heaven.”
The earl snorted but didn’t look at Nick anymore. He was busy submitting to the tender caress of his wife.
Chapter Thirteen
Once she’d returnedfrom her eye examination (but what was so much more) the rest of the rainy day passed uneventfully, and Pippa spent as much time as she could in the orangery deeply in thoughts of the dashing oculist. Even the next morning, she pruned the vines, plucked off yellowed leaves, and pressed some flowers to dry between the pages of Sir Ellington’s treatise. But she couldn’t focus on any task at hand without thinking of the handsome doctor, and his breath on hers when she’d held the glass lens to his eye. And then there’d been the cocky smile when he’d looked her over from top to bottom. Even though it only existed in her memory now, the intensity of his stare sent a shiver through her every time she thought of it.
Despite the awful loneliness, Pippa had been delighted to come into the orangery this morning. It was just after eight and her father had taken the carriage to his quack, Wife Six was busy with her face massage, and the staff had started their usual busy Monday. Not that the afternoon callers on weekdays were any more pleasant, but the late evening gathering and dances on weekends really did Pippa in.
John Nash, a prominent British architect of the Georgian and Regency eras, had been an acquaintance of Pippa’s maternal grandfather. Before he became famous and became one of the royal architects, he left an indelible mark on Silvercrest Manor’s landscape. Her mother’s favorite design had been commissioned in 1789 and the design and construction of the exquisite orangery had been completed just before Pippa was born. Eventhough Nash’s designs were characterized by grand proportions and a heightened sense of space and light, this orangery had been an experiment to make the building especially airy by setting glass panes into the roof. It was a magnificent continuation of the sky and let Pippa look out at the stars from the comfort of her cherished indoor space. How often had she sunk up against her mother to watch and listen to the rain pattering against the glass while repotting shoots or drying bulbs for the next season.
Even though the orangery inevitably had seasons during which the plants grew or rested for the next growth period, most of the plants it contained defied the hasty rhythm of the outside world. Above all, here, Pippa could shut out the laughter and criticism, the gossip and lies. This was her space and only peace was allowed in here.
How delightful the silence was when Pippa shut the door to her orangery and took in the scent of the plants. The morning mist gave made the glass panes sparkle in hues of pink and white. As if the plants were exhaling perfume at this hour, the orangery smelled like mulch, fresh leaves, and tropical fruit.
Pippa sighed and watched the raindrops on the glass of the orangery. From her perspective from the inside, each droplet looked like a little circle, aimlessly running down a path until it hit another and formed a larger glob. The pitter-patter of the rain on the glass roof whispered sweet nothings. There was nothing to do for Pippa but hide, waiting for something to hit her and catapult her into motion like the little drops on the other side of the windowpanes.
“Where have you been?” Bea asked when she walked into the orangery and Sir Hoppington jumped into her arms. She cradled him and stroked his fuzzy little back.
“I had an eye exam and was fitted for glasses.” Even though that was the truth, it wasn’t the friendly nurse with the whiteapron who’d left an impression with her, but the gorgeous young doctor with hair the color of wheat and eyes the color of roasted chestnuts that occupied her mind.
