Page 45 of Tutoring a Lady into Sin
Rather, it struck Christianna that that maid was being evasive because she had not, in fact, ever gotten around to answering the question. Christianna took one step back toward the parlour, determined to get a straight answer out of the young woman, but was stopped by her aunt before she could do such a thing.
“Oh, Christianna,” Auntie said fitfully. She had a sleek fan in her hands and was flapping it vigorously, making every effort to stir the air and cool herself. “I am so glad you are out of bed finally.”
“Is something the matter, Aunt? I cannot seem to find either of…”
“But the very worst has happened,” Auntie Mary-Anne said dramatically.
They know. Phineas went to Percival already and told him. Everyone knows that I am in love with Phineas and that we are going to be together.
A series of strange feelings drifted through Christianna’s body all at once. First, her heart rate accelerated as she experienced an intense sense of joy and relief. But then, as she continued looking at her aunt’s distressed face, she was consumed by guilt.
Perhaps I should have told someone other than Miss Fitzroy how I was feeling. Had I confided in my aunt, I might have saved her all these worries now.
For Christianna did dearly adore her aunt, and she had never meant to give her cause to fret. Her aunt had been most obliging, first in arranging the wedding to the duke, then in agreeing to help pay for this lavish celebration. Christianna wished very much to reach out and embrace her aunt, so that she could somehow take away all the pain, hurt, and bruised feelings that were about to pile up because of her actions.
“Aunt…” Christianna allowed herself to take a large inhalation before she continued with her speech, “I wish to explain everything, and if you will permit me—”
“But then you already know?” Auntie Mary-Anne interjected. “You have heard that Lord Linfield is ailing?”
Christianna was startled by this news. She blinked twice at her aunt. “There is something wrong with his lordship?”
“The house is in a stir over it,” Auntie Mary-Anne replied as she made her fan flutter even more rapidly. “He has been hiding his sickness for months, and this morning, just a few moments ago, he nearly collapsed. Doctor Radcliff and one of the servants had to convey him to his bedchambers at once and…But where are you going?”
Christianna had already spun on her heel and was heading toward the staircase. She knew how much Lord Linfield meant to Phineas, and that helped her understand precisely where she could find him. “I must see to his lordship,” she replied as she placed her foot on the bottom step.
“That seems wholly unnecessary,” Auntie Mary-Anne lectured as she trailed after Christianna. “Doctor Radcliff is already attending him and—”
“Then I shall assist,” Christianna volunteered. She looked over her shoulder at her aunt. “I know it is perhaps beneath my station to offer my services, but you know how I have always been fascinated by the human condition, Aunt.”
“Christianna,” Auntie Mary-Anne rebuked lightly, “now is not the time for you to try and further your education. Allow Doctor Radcliff to handle the situation as he is trained to do so and….”
“But I will just be his assistant,” Christianna pressed. “If he needs someone to fetch a pitcher of water or perhaps—”
Auntie Mary-Anne gasped. “If Doctor Radcliff needs someone to fetch a pitcher of water, he can ring for one of the servants.” Her nostrils flared, and it was evident to Christianna that her aunt was trying to control her temper. “You should be focusing on your wedding to the duke.”
“I have spent nearly a fortnight doing just that,” Christianna replied, aiming to keep her voice as even and controlled as her aunt’s even though her own emotions were roiling. “Now, I think my attentions could be better used elsewhere. I pray you forgive me the impertinence, Aunt, but I feel called to be at Doctor Radcliff’s side.”
With that, Christianna lifted her skirts and walked carefully up the staircase. She did not dally, for she knew not how much time she had already wasted, both in searching for Phineas and Percival and by conversing with her aunt.
Poor Phineas…he must be beside himself with worry.
She could just picture his lovely features twisted into a pained expression.
He is likely blaming himself in some way for what has happened to Lord Linfield.
While Christianna had no other information than the sparse amount she was allotted by her aunt, she knew Phineas well enough to surmise his reaction to his friend’s illness.
She reached the top of the stairs, turned right, and knocked crisply on Lord Linfield’s door. “May I enter?” she called, not sure of the protocol that ought to be followed in such a situation. She knew, on the one hand, that it was likely many people had simply been bustling in and out at various intervals, bringing whatever implements Phineas required. But she also understood that as a lady, she must not overstep.
“Enter!” Phineas’ voice was sharp as he answered her.
Christianna walked into the room and was immediately overcome by the swelling heat. All the windows had been closed, with heavy drapes pulled over the top of them. A fire was burning in the hearth, and it was spitting madly, releasing an odour that was not entirely unpleasant. She could not put her finger on the scent, but it reminded her of pine.
“How can I help?” Christianna offered as she padded forward, taking slow steps, not wanting to allow even the floorboards to creak underneath her feet. Lord Linfield lay abed. The covers were pulled up to his chest, and a light blue quilt rested on top. His hands lay limply at his sides, and his face was ashen. Phineas sat at his side, carefully measuring a bit of medication, then tipping it into a small teacup.
As Phineas placed the cup on the nearest table, he gave her a feeble smile. “I need someone with slim fingers and a steady hand to help me unstopper this,” he said as he picked up a miniature bottle. The glass was a vivid hunter-green shade, so Christianna could not make out the liquid, neither the colour nor consistency, that was concealed inside.
She held out her hand for him to pass it to her, and as their fingertips brushed, she inhaled deeply. There was a warmth there, almost a tingling, and her mind flooded with recollections of what they had shared with one another just the night before.
