Though Allan had not been treated in this office, simply seeing the name of the man who had treated his injuries made him struggle to focus. Just knock on the door.
Allan knocked, and then took a step back. This was more difficult than he thought it would be. He couldn’t help but be affected by the situation, and he knew that seeing the surgeon would probably be tough. At the same time, however, he also knew that it would lead him to Bridget, whom he greatly wanted to see.
He heard a shuffling sound from behind the closed door, and then a click before the door opened and an older woman appeared.
“May I help you?” she asked.
“Yes,” Allan replied. “I am Lord Wiltshire, here to see Doctor Crampton.”
“Oh, I see, My Lord,” the woman said. “Is he expecting you?”
“No, he isn’t,” Allan said. “He treated me following the Battle of Waterloo, and I have come to thank him for that. I was hoping to speak with him.”
“Very well,” the woman said. “Please, come in.” She opened the door wide, and he walked through.
Allan looked around the room, and was expecting to see the doctor, but he was not there. The woman was continuing into the next room, so Allan followed.
“Please have a seat, My Lord,” she said, as she gestured to a sofa. “The doctor will be with you shortly.”
Allan sat down on the sofa and watched as the woman walked through to another room. He noticed another sofa and a chair. There was also a table between the two sofas, as well as a rug. The walls were decorated with paintings, all featuring the practice of medicine.
He could feel his palms sweating and his heart was pounding. Perhaps this wasn’t a good idea. Allan was just about to stand up and leave when the door on the opposite end of the room opened, and Doctor Crampton walked through.
“My Lord,” the doctor said as he approached Allan. “You are looking very well.”
Allan stood and smiled. He extended his hand and the doctor shook it. “All thanks to you, Doctor Crampton.”
“No, no,” the doctor said, “I was simply doing my job. It was important to get all of the wounded back on their feet as quickly as possible.”
“Yes, and I greatly appreciate it,” Allan said. “I wasn’t sure you would recognize me.”
“Oh, of course I did,” the doctor said. “You were in treatment for a long time, My Lord, and I must admit, your injuries were challenging. How are you feeling now?”
Allan nodded. “Yes, I am sure they were. I feel much better, now, of course,” he said. “I am rarely in pain, though sometimes when it is very humid or rain is on its way, my joints and bones begin to ache.”
“Oh, that is very normal,” the doctor replied. “Hopefully, it will go away in time, but it could be a permanent effect of your injuries. How has your back healed?”
“It feels fine,” Allan admitted. “Though I can’t say that it looks good.”
“Scars fade,” the doctor explained. “Though, it will take time, and they will never permanently go away.”
Allan nodded. “I suppose I should be happy that I got away from the battle with my life.”
“Of course, My Lord,” the doctor agreed. “Wear your scars proudly. You fought for Mother England, and we are all thankful for your service to the country.”
Allan smiled politely, but he knew that he would never be proud of his scars. “That is nice of you to say, Doctor Crampton.”
The doctor nodded. “What brings you to this area, My Lord?”
“Business,” said Allan, though the truth was, of course, to see Bridget. “But, since I was in the area, I remember that you practiced here, and I thought that I would come in and formally thank you and your daughter for treating and caring for me.”
“I was so thankful for Bridget’s help during those times. There were so many critical patients, and I was only one man. Fortunately, she had assisted me enough in the past that she had the knowledge to help then. I couldn’t have done it without her.”
“She was certainly a help to me,” Allan said. “I had hoped to thank her, too.”
“You can certainly do that,” the doctor said. “She’s here.” Doctor Crampton turned to the older woman, who was standing quietly in the corner of the room. “Mrs. Dunn, please inform Bridget that we have a guest.”
Allan’s heart began beating rapidly. He knew, within a matter of minutes, that Bridget would be walking into the room.
There was a brief, uncomfortable silence between Allan and Doctor Crampton as they waited for Bridget. Though the doctor had treated Allan, since he was sedated for most of his convalescence, the two men didn’t know each other very well at all.
The door opened and the older woman walked through, and behind her, Bridget.
As soon as Allan saw her, he felt a rush of emotion, and oddly, a rush of desire for her. She still had her dark blonde hair, which she had curled to frame her face, and her skin looked warm and inviting. Her breasts were almost peeking out of the top of her gown, and he felt an urge to reach out and cup his hands around them.
She stared at him, not quite placing his face, and he could see those dark, attractive eyes that he so often remembered looking deeply into.
“Miss Bridget,” he said. “It is lovely to see you.”
At first, he could tell that she was taken aback by the informal way that he greeted her, but in only a second, he saw her face change from one that was confused to one that had recognition. She gasped and brought her hand to her mouth, covering the full lips that he now wanted to cover with his own.
“It can’t be,” she said, as she started walking towards him. “It is really you? Lord Wiltshire?”
He nodded and smiled, trying to focus on the conversation and not just her body. “Please, after our history, I would prefer that you call me Allan.”
“Oh, Allan,” she exclaimed. “It is so wonderful to see you. You are looking so well!”
“Thank you,” he said. “As are you, Bridget.”
“It’s been too long,” she said. “How have you been?”
“I have been well, thank you for asking,” he replied. “I was here in the area and I knew that your father practiced here. So, I wanted to come in and say thank you to him…to both of you…for the great care you gave me after the Battle of Waterloo.”
“Oh, no thanks are required,” Bridget said. “I felt as if it were my duty to do this for you…for England.”
“Indeed,” Allan said, and nodded. He smiled at her. “You are still helping your father, then?”
“As needed,” she explained. He noted that Doctor Crampton and the older woman, Mrs. Dunn, were in a discussion over paperwork on the other side of the room. “Mrs. Dunn generally helps him now. I care for the household.”
“I see,” said Allan.
“How long are you in the area, Allan?” Bridget asked with a smile.
“Not long, unfortunately,” he said. “In fact, I must head back this afternoon.”
Bridget’s face fell, and Allan couldn’t help but notice she, too, was hoping for some time to become reacquainted.
“I do have business contacts in this area,” Allan explained. “So perhaps I will stop in to see your father again, the next time I am here.”
Bridget smiled slightly and nodded. “I am sure he would enjoy that.”
Allan replied. “It would be lovely to see you, again, too.”
Bridget’s smile grew larger and she said, “The pleasure would surely be mine.”
“Then we will make it so,” said Allan. “With this, however, I’m afraid that I must take my leave.” He turned towards Doctor Crampton. “Thank you for everything, again.”
“You are very welcome, My Lord,” the doctor replied. “Please feel free to come again at any time.”
Allan nodded at the doctor, and then turned back to Bridget. Her eyes seemed to bore right into his own. “Please take care. I look forward to seeing you again very soon.”
Bridget nodded, and A
llan took one more look at her attractive curves before he turned away from her. Mrs. Dunn approached him. “Let me show you out, My Lord.”
“Thank you,” said Allan, as he followed her out of the room, leaving Bridget and Doctor Crampton behind.
Mrs. Dunn lead him through to the entry room, and then turned to him and said, “Have a lovely journey home, My Lord.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Dunn,” Allan replied. “It was very nice meeting you.”
Allan stepped out to the street. He breathed in deeply, glad that his initial meeting with Bridget had gone well. He began walking down the street to meet his carriage, ready to head back to his home.
* * *
Two days later, Allan was sitting at the long dining table, alone. It was mid-morning, and he was waiting for Oliver to arrive. While he waited for his friend, he was eating some toast and having some tea.
“My Lord,” he heard from behind him. Allan turned around, and a footman was approaching him with a tray. “This just arrived for you.” The footman held the tray with a letter out to him, and Allan took it.
The letter was addressed to him, and when he turned it over, he saw the familiar crest of his cousin, Edward, set into the wax seal. Allan broke the wax and unfolded the paper.
He glanced at the first couple of lines, and immediately realized that it was an invitation to a dinner party, which would be held at Edward’s home in ten days. Allan was delighted. He was very interested to know how the wedding tour had gone, and he always enjoyed the time spent with his cousins.
“My Lord,” he heard again, this time, the voice was coming from across the room. Allan looked up and Clark, his butler, was standing there. “General Blackmore has arrived.”
“Thank you, Clark,” Allan said with a smile. “Please show him into the drawing room, and I will be there in a few moments.”
“Very well, My Lord,” Clark replied, and then walked out.
Allan took one last sip of his tea, and then stood up from the table. He gathered the paperwork that he had been looking at into a pile, the invitation sitting on the top, and then placed it all on a nearby tray, which was sitting on a table, that the footman could use to transport the papers.
“Please take these papers to my office and place them on the desk. I need to respond to a few of these letters, and I don’t want to lose them.”
“Yes, My Lord,” the footman replied, taking the tray from the table.
Allan then looked down at his shirt to make sure it still looked tidy, as he always did before meeting with Oliver, and walked towards the drawing room.
As he approached, Clark was waiting for him. “General Blackmore is inside, My Lord.”
“Thank you, always, Clark,” Allan replied, smiling at one of his most trusted staff members.
“It is my pleasure, My Lord,” Clark responded, as he opened the door for his employer.
Allan walked into the bright drawing room and saw Oliver sitting on the sofa. He smiled widely as Allan walked towards him, and then he stood.
“You are looking well, my friend,” Oliver said, as he extended his hand towards Allan.
Allan took Oliver’s hand in his own and shook it. “Thank you,” Allan replied. “I feel well these days.”
“That’s a relief, Wiltshire,” Oliver replied. “I’m very happy to hear that.”
“Please, have a seat,” Allan said, motioning back to the sofa where Oliver had previously been sitting. “How have you been?” he asked, as he sat on the sofa opposite of Oliver.
“I, too, am doing well,” Oliver replied. “I have been wondering, however, about your cousin’s wedding. The last time we saw each other you had been invited.”
‘Ah, yes,” said Allan. “That is true. I left for the wedding soon after our last meeting. The wedding was wonderful. It was truly special being able to meet Edward’s bride and her family.”
“Was it a big wedding?” Oliver asked.
“No,” replied Allan. “Most of the guests were family, though there were a few of Edward’s friends there, too. Would you care for some wine?”
“Yes,” said Oliver, “Please.”
Allan turned to the footman to ask for the wine, but he was already preparing to open a bottle. He then turned back towards Oliver.
“Mary, the Duchess of Daftwood, Edward’s new wife, is lovely,” Allan explained. “She really seems to care for him, and he for her.”
The footman approached with a tray holding two wine glasses. He bent at the waist, and both Allan and Oliver took a glass.
“I regrettably didn’t get to spend a lot of time with her, as she had her large family there,” Allan explained, “But from the short time I was with her, I can see why Edward has fallen for her.”
Oliver took a sip of wine. “Is she as nice as he is?”
“Oh yes,” said Allan with a grin. “Perhaps even nicer, if such a thing is possible.”
“I have met your cousin several times, and I must say that he is certainly one of the most pleasant people I have had the pleasure of meeting,” said Oliver with a joking tone. “So to know his bride might be even nicer is shocking!”
Allan had to laugh at that. No one could ever deny that Edward was overly nice and kind, the type of person whom everyone liked immediately. “They are certainly perfect for each other from what I have seen,” said Allan. “He also seems to enjoy her family, including her sisters. I have spoken to both of them, too.”
Oliver leaned forward. “Did you say you spent time talking to her sisters?” He smiled.
Allan smiled back. “I did,” he replied, “She has an older sister and a younger sister.”
“And?” said Oliver with a big grin on his face.
“They were both…nice,” said Allan, taking a sip of his wine.
Oliver laughed heartedly. “I remember that I told you perhaps you would meet a lady at the wedding, and you weren’t so sure. And here you have met two!”
Allan laughed, too. “Her younger sister is courting the son of an Earl, though she was quite pleasant to speak to.”
“Her younger sister?” Oliver asked. “What about the other sister?”
“She has an older sister, too,” explained Allan. “Her name is Lady Esther Nott, and we got along very well.”
“Oh?” said Oliver. “How do you mean?”
“Well, we had great conversations, and she was very attractive,” Allan said, taking another sip of wine. “I greatly enjoyed talking to her and learning about her work.”
“Her work?” asked Oliver. “What does she do?”
“She works with orphans,” explained Allan, “And she is very focused on it.”
“Is she someone who you might be interested in?” asked Oliver.
“I was interested in her,” Allan said. “However, she was not extremely interested in me.”
“What?” said Oliver. “Why?”
“I am not sure,” explained Allan. “I thought that the conversation was going well, and I was enjoying getting to know her. But then, things changed.”
“That’s odd,” Oliver replied. “Did you say something offensive?”
“Of course not,” Allan said quickly. “It was strange, though.”
“Yes, I can imagine,” said Oliver. “I wonder what happened?”
“I don’t know, but I soon forgot about Lady Esther Nott,” Allan said with a smile.
Oliver grinned. “Did you meet another?”
“Not exactly,” Allan said. “Remember I was telling you about Miss Bridget Crampton.”
“Yes,” said Oliver. “You said that she had been on your mind. You haven’t seen her, have you?”
Allan smiled. “I have. I saw her just two days ago. And I saw her father.”
“No!” said Oliver with shock in his voice. “How did that happen?”
“Well, my cousin, Harry, and I were talking at the wedding, and I mentioned that I wanted to know how she was faring,” explained Allan. “Harry then took it upon himself to find out whe
re she was. I planned a visit to her father’s office, and I was able to see both of them.”
“Oh my,” said Oliver. “That’s fantastic for you.”
“Yes,” Allan agreed. “And I would like to see her again.”
“You should,” Oliver replied. “Especially if you have interest in her.”
“I think I do,” Allan said. “She is the daughter of a doctor, not an aristocrat, but things like this have happened before, and I daresay they will happen again. My cousin, Edward, wasn’t totally supportive of the entire endeavor, but I think he would come around if I wanted to pursue courting her.”
Lusting For The Broken Earl (Steamy Historical Regency) Page 9