Page 29 of A Touch of Charm
“That’s so sad,” she said, eyeing the skeleton as if it were a recently deceased friend.
“Yes, it is unfortunate. She didn’t die of a sudden injury, so perhaps she had an infection. The traces are long gone.”
“And yet, she’s continuing to serve people.”
“What do you mean?” Andre asked the question even though he knew the answer. But if she did and had concluded what he’d learned no sooner than in his second year of studies, she was much more intelligent than him.
“You’re performing miracles; I’m in awe of you,” Thea said. Her dark eyes sparkled in the very shimmery gold of the lightest parts of her blonde curls. She had such a sense of perfection that Andre almost felt she wasn’t real. She was too good to be true.
And certainly out of his reach no matter how close she stood to him.
“You can’t stay here,” Andre stepped back, tasting the words he wished he hadn’t uttered.
Thea let her hands drop to her sides and blushed.
“I mean, this is not adequate for a princess. Not even for Mary.”
She swallowed visibly and lifted her chin in defiance.
“I already arranged for a room at Cloverdale House,” Andre added. “On Abbotsberry Road.”
“What is that, a hotel? I’m afraid I can’t pay for it.”
“No, Cloverdale House is going to be the rehabilitation center I spoke of earlier. It’s a grand estate in London, near Pall Mall.”
Why was speaking so difficult when Thea looked at him so intently?
Andre raked his hand through his hair only to realize she followed his every motion.
“So the oculist’s room you slept in last night, Nick’s room, remember?” An unexpected compulsion seized Andre to present Thea to the others, the physicians who were both his confidants and companions—much akin to a gentleman’s desire to acquaint a lady with his family. Yet, he mused inwardly, with a touch of humility, there was naught of significance or grandeur to parade before them. He had no claim on the princess.
“Of course I do.” She narrowed her brows.
Stop rambling and get on with it.
“Well, he recently married a duke’s daughter, an heiress. She wishes to convert Cloverdale House into a rehabilitation center, but a few patients have arrived early, since Nick and Pippa’s wedding. It’s still in the transitional phase, but the building and the grounds are much more suitable for you. There’s a staff and gardens—abutting a park—and Pall Mall is only a short walk away.”It’s so much better for a princess than this.
Andre waved at his treatment room, set up to be practical, easily cleaned, and bright. It was not the elegant ballroom with sparkling chandelier he’d imagine for the princess. And yet, even in his modest practice, her eyes sparkled brighter than even the crystal chandeliers at the Hofburg Palace in Vienna.
“It’s a nicer prison to keep me safe for as long as Stan wishes, isn’t it?”
“It’s big but safe. And elegant. Plus Stan could have a nurse when I’m not there.”
No, it’s a way for me to see you every day.
Thea quirked a brow that was so un-princess-like that Andre nearly laughed out loud.
“I arranged for a room for Stan so that I can look after him every day. There’s a nurse and at least one of the doctors there at all times.”
“Who’s there now? If you are here and the others are still at the wedding,”
“Dr. Rosen, the surgeon, and his wife, Nurse Shira. They remained there with two wounded soldiers. Those are the first two patients. I am going to see them later this afternoon, too.”
“So this would be the best for Stan? A hospital?”
“A rehabilitation center,” Andre corrected her.
“Why don’t you call it a hospital? It seems like one to me,” Thea said.
