Page 95 of A Sight to Behold
Amidst the sea of voices, Pippa found Violet and the earl.
They beamed, and the earl had a protective hand on Violet’s stomach. As overjoyed as she was for him, Pippa gave him what she hoped was a pleading look. And then he nodded; he’d understood Pippa. He signaled the orchestra to continue their playing.
The music soared with the one-two-three strains of a waltz.
In a few seconds, the crowd had organized themselves and swayed to the music.
“I don’t know how to waltz.” Nick found Pippa and gave her a sheepish look. “But I’m willing to try if you guide me.”
Pippa had never been happier in her entire life. At this ball, everybody came under scrutiny, not just her. And the most vicious tongues were reminded that they were just human, possibly in need of a doctor, most likely two. People aren’t perfect, lesson learned. And Pippa hoped the Ton wouldn’t forget that any time soon.
“It looks like the practice will be booked up for months,” Nick said.
But Pippa had something else on her mind.
She led Nick out of the ballroom. The floors were adorned with gleaming marble tiles meticulously arranged in a classic herringbone pattern, reflecting the warm glow of the crystal chandeliers suspended from the lofty ceiling. Rich, intricate carpets with ornate patterns graced the center of the hallway, offering a sumptuous and inviting path for guests to traverse. After a week at the Langley estate as a guest, Pippa had come to know the house rather well.
“Pippa!” Father’s voice came from a settee in the hall. “I heard everything.” He patted his forehead with a handkerchief and slumped, his shoulders drawn together with visible tension.
Pippa held Nick’s hand and didn’t let go as she moved to see Father.
He had removed his cravat and opened the top buttons of his shirt. He looked pitiful, an old man, a mere lump of what he’d been. And she no longer cared.
She’d detached herself from him in a way she never thought possible. Alive, her father had hurt her more than her mother’s death had hurt, and she wasn’t sure she could forgive him for that.
“You and Bea saved me from the poison, didn’t you?”
Pippa nodded. “With charcoal for a few days and the ipecac today. You needed to purge the poison from your body.”
“You wanted my permission to marry?”
“Yes.”
“You tricked me a little.” The duke wagged a finger in the air.
“I provoked you. That wasn’t the hard part. But I didn’t want your permission as you are now, I wanted it from how you were, when I was little, and Mama was alive.”
The duke dipped his head in his hands and groaned into the handkerchief.
When he looked up, his eyes were bloodshot and welling up with tears. He addressed Nick. “Is there a chance that I can get better, Doctor? I don’t want to be like this anymore.” He pointed at himself, top to bottom, and shook his hand off as if he had to rid himself of the disgrace that he’d become.
Nick blinked a few times and cast Pippa a look. But she couldn’t give him any direction; he’d been addressed in line with his profession.
“That depends as much on the patient as the doctor. I can only promise to welcome you for a complete physical exam at the practice on Monday morning with our general practitioner.”
“It will take a while to get better, Father. I won’t be there.” Pippa spoke with finality. Her voice was steady, and she stood straight. She felt more grown up than ever before.
“I know the house will be yours. Can I not stay? It’s been my home for over thirty years,” Father asked. He was pitiful. The man who’d made fun of her when she stumbled over a potted plant, who’d easily used the nickname, “clumsy goose,” and who’d discarded her like an old shoe. Her! His daughter.
He hadn’t mourned her mother and had just occupied the place in their marriage bed with another and then another and another. Pippa’s heart had frozen for him and splintered; it wasstill broken. And the heartbreak a father caused ran deeper than even death’s pain of loss.
“I leased the house to Violet. It’s going to be a rehabilitation center for wounded sons of the peerage,” she reminded him. “With Prinny’s approval.”
“I’m wounded, Pippa. And I was a son of the peerage once, but I’ve lost the self-respect of my station.” He shook his head. “I could at least show the boys how not to become like me.”
Pippa cast Nick a glance and he shrugged. “A doctor never gives up on a patient.”
“A daughter never gives up on her father,” Pippa decided.
