Page 49 of Tamed By a Passionate Lady
She was almost tempted to tease her about it, but then stopped. It was all new and very fragile for Isabel. She might not respond well to it, and indeed it might make her crawl back into her shell if she realised that other people had worked out how she felt about the good doctor.
“What a wonderful idea,” said Adaline. “And did the examination go well?”
Isabel nodded. “He gave me some tips to manage my cough,” she said slowly. “Apparently, camphor mixed with some goose fat is good, when rubbed onto the chest during an attack, and could aid my sleep at night.” She hesitated. “Dr. Brown is a firm believer in using old herbal remedies alongside more modern medicine. He says that both are valid, and that the symptom or illness should decide the treatment, not vice versa.”
“Very wise,” said Adaline. “He is a good doctor.” She paused, gazing at the young woman carefully. “He is also a good man. He provides medical care to the poor for free, you know.”
Isabel looked surprised. “No, I did not know that,” she said slowly. She smiled. “But it should not surprise me. He has an exemplary character, as well as Christian goodwill. It is a most becoming combination in a gentleman…”
“He is also rather good looking,” said Adaline, smiling gently.
Isabel blushed to the roots of her hair. “I had not noticed,” she said quickly, picking up her teacup and drinking deeply.
Adaline took pity on her. “Did Dr. Brown say when he would be calling at Birkenhead Lodge to see James? He was rather vague about it, last time that he was here.”
Isabel took a deep breath. “Yes, he said to apologise to you, but he has been very busy with an outbreak of measles in the village.” She paused. “He plans to come here in two days, to check on James. He did mention that he is very pleased with his progress.”
Adaline smiled. “That is good to hear. I am hoping that James’ leg will be almost healed, and he may do away with the wheelchair once and for all.”
“He is coming along in leaps and bounds,” said Isabel, smiling joyfully. “I am so happy. When I first saw him when those sailors brought him here after the accident, I was so scared that he was not going to make it. He looked simply dreadful…”
“His condition was very grave,” agreed Adaline. “Thank the Lord he has such a strong will to battle through it, and come out the other side.”
“I think it is not only his will, Adaline,” said Isabel, gazing at her steadily. “I think it was your tender, loving care, that aided his recovery the most. I have never seen anyone so committed, and so tenacious. Without you, I do not know what would have become of him…”
Adaline waved her hand dismissively. “Anyone would have done the same.”
Isabel looked doubtful. “Perhaps anyone would have nursed him, but no one could have done it quite like you did, my dear.” She hesitated, her eyes shining with tears. “It was very moving to witness it. How the power of love can pull someone back from the brink of death.”
Adaline’s heart lurched, remembering how scared she had been that he would die. The sheer terror of it.
“It was Dr. Brown’s suggestion, you know,” she said slowly. “He told me to speak to him, to encourage him back into the world. I was only doing what he said…”
“Adaline,” said Isabel, leaning forward, staring at her earnestly. “It was your love that pulled him through that led him back to us. I am sure of it. And he knows it, too, deep in his heart. That is why he is so open to you now, and why he is falling in love with you at long last…”
Adaline blushed. “He is a different man to the one who walked away that fateful morning,” she said quietly. “I often must pinch myself to believe that this is real. I feel that I am in a dream, sometimes, and I must surely awaken to discover that it is back to the way that it once was…”
Isabel was quiet, for a moment. “Is his memory returning at all?”
Adaline shook her head slowly. “No, it is just the same as it was.” She glanced sadly beyond Isabel, out of the window for a moment. “I feel ashamed that I do not want it to return. That I want to remain the way that we are, now. Is that selfish of me, Isabel?”
Isabel’s eyes were wide. “I do not think so,” she said quietly. “James was very unhappy before the accident. I do not know why, but it is the truth.” She paused. “Now, he is different. He takes joy in small things, and he delights in spending time in your company. I think that it would be a shame for everyone, including him, if he became the person he was before the accident again. That is my opinion.”
Adaline frowned, thinking about it. There was truth in Isabel’s words. James had been tortured by something prior to the accident, and it had been like that the whole time that she had known him. It had robbed him of the ability to appreciate his life, and that had been a tragedy.
But now, it was as if the slate had been wiped clean. Because he did not remember his deep unhappiness, nor the source of it, he was able to be the man that he should always have been. Each day was new and fresh for him, as if he had been born again. It wasn’t just the fact that he was open to loving her now.
He was open to life again.
She had thought that she was doing him a disservice in not telling him the truth about their marriage. But perhaps it was the opposite. Perhaps if she told him, and he started to remember the years spent here, he would become that sad, distracted man again, always living in the past, rather than the present.
Would hewantto become that man again, wallowing in his sorrow, or would he prefer to be the man that he was now, where every day was a miracle?
She sighed deeply. Maybe she was playing God in denying him the truth. She still wasn’t sure about it. But she knew she wanted to cling onto this new James as long as she possibly could. To grasp this precious time with him, before it slipped away entirely.
Suddenly, she remembered her dream from the night before. The dream where he had split into two people. One who loved her…and one who did not.
She knew which one she preferred.
