He released a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. She wasn’t at hand, but she was still nearby.
Mrs. Forrester looked back at the needlepoint in her lap, tactfully trying to hide her amusement. “She lives over on Cherry Hill Street. Usually, Coraline comes to visit me while Brynne is at the clinic, but she sent a note that the little one was feeling poorly this morning.”
Richard frowned. He hoped the little girl was okay. And why hadn’t her mother bothered to send him a note?
“Her message said that Coraline had a bit of a cold, but I’m sure Brynne would be happy to see you. Perhaps you could take a look at my granddaughter to be sure everything is all right.”
“Of course, I’d be delighted to be of assistance.” Richard’s mood lightened considerably. Now he had the perfect excuse to drop in on her unannounced. “If you’ll excuse me, I think I will head over there now.”
He tipped his hat in Mrs. Forrester’s direction and spun about on his heels. Before he could reach the door he realized he didn’t have Brynne’s address and turned back around.
“Number 412,” Mrs. Forrester said with a grin.
“Thank you,” Richard replied, turning before she saw his embarrassment. He hurried outside, hailed a hack, and within moments, was on his way to Brynne’s new residence.
The carriage pulled up in front of an older four-story townhouse, lovely with its red brick and ivy climbing the walls. Richard grabbed the medical bag he never left the clinic without and mounted the steps leading to Brynne’s door. He rang the bell and waited impatiently for it to open. When it finally did, he moved to enter, already handing his gloves and hat to the butler.
But instead of politely inviting him inside, the butler blocked his path. Richard stopped short, still holding out his hat and gloves, and froze as he got a good look at the man. The butler let him look and his eyes narrowed coldly as Richard’s gaze raked over his face, pausing on his tattoos. Richard quickly collected himself and did his best to hide his shock from the man.
“I am Doctor Richard Oliver, come to call on Mrs. Forrester.”
“I’m afraid Mrs. Forrester is unable to take callers at this time,” the butler said. Richard was surprised at how deep and cultured the man’s voice was. Not at all the type of voice he’d expect from a man with a face full of tattoos.
Richard cleared his throat. “Yes, I’m aware that Mrs. Forrester’s daughter isn’t feeling very well today. Her mother-in-law asked me to stop by and take a look at her.”
The butler regarded him for a moment longer and then nodded and moved aside so Richard could enter. He took Richard’s hat and gloves and led the way to the fashionably decorated salon. “I’ll let Mrs. Forrester know you are here, sir. If you’d be so kind as to wait a moment?”
Richard perched on the edge of a sofa. His qualms about Brynne being unprotected from outside strangers had diminished considerably. No one would get by the intimidating man guarding her door. However, the fact that that intimidating man lived in the same home as Brynne was a cause for great concern. How in the world had she come to employ such a man? Richard had to admit, he couldn’t fault the butler’s manners or conduct. If it were not for the facial tattoos, Richard wouldn’t have given him a second thought.
Brynne opened the door to the salon and the sight of her erased all else from his mind. She looked lovely in a pale lavender gown, her chestnut tresses parted in the middle and swept into a soft bun at the nape of her neck. Richard stood and went to her without making any conscious decision to do so. He simply couldn’t remain a room’s length away from her.
“Thank you for coming, Dr. Oliver. I do apologize for not sending a note, but it has been a busy day.”
Richard took her hand and kissed the back. “Don’t worry about it at all. Your mother-in-law said that your daughter wasn’t feeling well today. I thought I’d come by and give her a quick look-see.”
“Oh, that’s very kind of you, but I’m sure it will be a waste of your time. It’s only a simple cold. But Coraline likes to have me with her when she’s feeling ill.”
“It would be no trouble at all. I’d be happy to take a look at her.”
Brynne hesitated but in the end nodded and led him out of the salon and up a flight of stairs. They passed some open doors, bedrooms that looked neat and tidy, but unoccupied, before entering the large master suite. Brynne’s cheeks flushed becomingly as she stood aside for him to enter.
“There is a nursery on the third floor, but I prefer to have Coraline close to me. She sleeps in the room adjoining mine, but she wanted to sleep with me last night and I didn’t want to move her.”
Warmth spread through Richard at the image of Brynne sleeping snuggled with her child all night. His own mother, while he knew she loved him, had left his main care to his nurse. He’d never been allowed to step foot into his mother’s bedroom, let alone spend the night sleeping curled up with her, no matter how poorly he’d felt.
“Your daughter is a very lucky little girl to have such a mother as you.”
Brynne’s cheeks flushed even hotter. She didn’t respond to his compliment, but instead walked over to the bed and sat down on the mattress beside a chubby-cheeked little girl with black ringlets. She looked like an angel snuggled down among the pillows and quilts.
“Coraline, this is Dr. Oliver. He’s come to see how you are feeling.”
Richard bent over the little girl. “Hello there.”
“Hello,” she answered, her voice soft and a bit hoarse, but not at all hesitant or afraid. She was her mother’s daughter for sure.
“How are we feeling today?” he asked, resting his hand against her forehead for a moment. Warm, but not distressingly so.
“My nose hurts,” she said, tapping her finger on her nose a few times.
“Yes, it does sound a bit stuffy.”
Coraline nodded solemnly and warmth spread through Richard’s heart. What an absolute sweetheart. A young woman bustled in with a tray laden with what smelled like chicken soup. Richard nodded approvingly.
“Well, you must make sure to get plenty of rest and drink all your broth. Stay nice and warm and listen to your momma.”
“Yes, sir,” Coraline said quietly, giving him a shy smile. Richard smiled back at her, thoroughly charmed.
Richard looked up to find the young woman staring at him with an amused and curious expression on her face. Now that he was looking more closely, the young lady looked remarkably like Brynne, very pretty with thick dark hair framing a pert, expressive face.
“I’m Lucy,” she said, not waiting for Brynne to introduce them.
He grinned, more taken with her exuberance than surprised by her forwardness.
“Very pleased to meet you, Miss Lucy. You must be Mrs. Forrester’s sister.”
“That would be me,” Lucy said, bestowing a huge grin on him. “One of them, in any case.”
“Ah yes, the other is still out west, in California, if I’m not mistaken.”
Before Lucy could answer, Brynne stood. “Dr. Oliver, why don’t we speak downstairs so Coraline can eat.”
Coraline’s little face puckered in distress, her hand on her belly. “Don’t want it, Momma.”
Richard frowned and bent down, smoothing Coraline’s curls away from her face and feeling her forehead again in the process. A bit warmer.
“Uh oh,” she whispered.
Richard jerked back, but not soon enough. The front of his suit was splattered in whatever Coraline had managed to get down earlier that day. He looked up at Brynne, who stared at him, eyes wide with surprised horror. Coraline whimpered, then hunched forward and vomited again. Avoiding being covered in the mess was a moot point, so Richard simply wrapped his arm about the little girl and held her until she’d finished.
She lay back, her pale face crumpling as she realized what she’d done. Her lip trembled. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t you worry about it at all,” Richard said. “Luckily, you got it all over me an
d not a drop on your bedding. Very smart of you,” he said with a wink. He pulled the covers back up to her chin, careful not to move too much. “Perhaps it would be best to wait a bit on the soup, eh?”
Coraline nodded and gave him a tiny smile that melted his heart into a puddle of warm fuzziness.
Brynne hurried forward with a cloth and mopped up the worst of the mess while he held as still as possible. Lucy handed him a glass of water that he offered to Coraline. She took a couple sips and settled back into her pillows, curling on her side with a sigh.
Brynne kneeled down by her daughter’s side and kissed her forehead. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“All right, Momma.”
Lucy settled down next to the little girl. Brynne gestured for Richard to follow her. She led him into a bedroom at the far end of the hall and rang a bell. Then she poured some water from the ewer into the basin and dampened a towel for him.
“I am so sorry, Dr. Oliver.”
He stripped his soiled coat and vest, chuckling as he mopped up any spatter that had hit bare skin. “No worries at all, Mrs. Forrester. It certainly isn’t the first time I’ve been in the line of fire.”
Brynne smiled and Richard stopped his ministrations as the expression transformed her face. She was beautiful under the worst of circumstances, but when she smiled, she literally took his breath away. What he wouldn’t give to make the woman laugh.
A maid hurried into the room, her eyes wide. Richard wasn’t sure which sight shocked her more. The fact that her mistress was standing in a bedroom with a man, or his…disheveled appearance.
“Mary, could you ask Taggart to find some clothing for Dr. Oliver? I’m afraid there was a bit of a mishap with Coraline.”
“Yes, Mrs. Forrester.” The girl scurried out again, throwing a curious glance over her shoulder as she went.
Richard and Brynne stood in awkward silence. Brynne plucked at her skirts. “I am sorry I didn’t send a note around, but I got busy with Coraline and…”
He waved her off. “No need to apologize, I completely understand. Your daughter, of course, must be your top priority.”
“Why did you…I mean, was there something you needed?”
“Forgive me for barging in on you. There wasn’t much going on at the clinic this morning, so I was hoping that we could get started on the transcriptions. When you didn’t come in and didn’t send word, I was a bit concerned and since I had the free time, I thought I’d drop in for a visit. Make sure that all was well.”
“How did you know where I live?”
“Your mother-in-law gave me your address.”
“Of course,” she said with a slight blush. “Well, I’m afraid I can’t come to the clinic today…”
“Oh, of course. Those can wait until you are able to return. I only wanted to assure myself that you were well.”
Brynne’s mouth dropped open, a bit taken aback. As well she should, he supposed. After all, they didn’t know each other that well, and it certainly would have sufficed to have sent a messenger to find out why she hadn’t been able to come. He didn’t know what he’d been thinking, stopping by her home uninvited.
That wasn’t true. He knew what he’d been thinking. His near compulsive need to spend time with the woman was getting out of hand. He couldn’t get her off his mind. He’d never had a woman react to him, or not react to him, the way Brynne did. It was becoming an almost fanatical aspiration to get a rise out of her. It was distracting and beginning to affect not only his personal life but his professional one as well, which was unacceptable.
He found himself thinking of her, wondering about her, far too often. It was more than what had happened to her husband, though that would be enough to scar any woman for life. No, whatever she was hiding didn’t have to do with her husband’s untimely death. After all, that was common knowledge. Brynne acted like a woman with secrets. And he was determined to discover what they were. Maybe once he did, this ridiculous obsession with her would fade. She was attractive, to be sure, and he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t interested in her, but he wanted to know what he was getting into before he became romantically involved with her. If she’d even have him.
That idea startled him out of his daze. He’d never considered before that a woman wouldn’t want him. He’d never come across one that didn’t. And if that didn’t make him sound like a conceited prat, he didn’t know what did.
He tried to force all such thoughts from his mind and was about to give Brynne his apologies and excuse himself as quickly as decency allowed, when Brynne spoke.
“That was very kind of you. I’m glad you came.”
Richard started to respond but froze when the strange Taggart entered the room, his arms full of clothing.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I’m afraid the only men’s clothing in the house is my own. I hope these will do.”
Richard accepted the bundle from the butler. “Thank you. These will be fine, I’m sure. Anything would be preferable to what I’m currently wearing.”
The butler smiled even while his nose twitched. The smell coming from Richard really was quite ghastly.
“I’ll return these as soon as possible,” he assured the man.
“There is no hurry, sir. If you’ll leave the clothes you are wearing on the bed, I’ll see that they are laundered.” Taggart turned to Brynne. “Is there anything else, ma’am?”
“No, Taggart, that will be all, thank you.”
He bowed slightly in Brynne’s direction and turned to leave, almost bumping into Lucy on the way out.
“Excuse me, Miss Lucy.”
Lucy flushed prettily as she beamed up at Taggart. “It was my fault entirely. I can be such an oaf sometimes.”
Taggart ducked his head, his lips pulled into a smile that a butler had no business bestowing on his employer’s young sister, and left the room. Lucy’s gaze followed him until he was out of sight.
Richard wondered if he should warn Brynne about keeping an eye on her sister and Mr. Taggart, but judging by the frown on her face, Brynne was already aware of that fact.
Lucy sauntered in. “Coraline is asleep, the poor little dear. I’ve got her all tucked in, snug as a bug.”
“Thank you, Lucy,” Brynne said.
Lucy nodded and spun about, fairly skipping from the room. Brynne opened her mouth to call after her sister, but decided against it. Instead, she turned to Richard. “Well, I’ll leave you to change. I really feel dreadful about…”
Richard waved her off. “Don’t trouble yourself about it at all. I’ve never been vomited on by a more enchanting child.”
A startled laugh erupted from Brynne, a funny, throaty chuckle that had Richard breaking out in a grin. He’d never heard a woman laugh quite like it before. Full-throated, from the belly, deep and pure laughter. Nothing like the simpering, “lady-like” giggles from the ladies in whose company he usually spent his time. Brynne’s laugh was entirely like her; alive, invigorating, and infectious. He could listen to it all day.
“Well, then. I’ll excuse myself while you…change. I’ll make sure Coraline is settled. Perhaps, as you are here already…my cook has promised an especially delectable supper, trying to tempt Coraline to eat. Would you…would you care to join us?”
Richard did his best to hide his flush of pleasure at her hesitant invitation. “I’d be delighted to join you.”
“I’ll go tell Taggart we’ll be one more then.” Brynne gave him a small smile and quickly left.
A few hours with the mysterious Brynne Forrester. He stripped off his reeking shirt. It was beginning to look like a good day after all.
Chapter Eight
Brynne sent Charlie off with her note of apology with a heavy heart. Richard would surely believe she was purposely trying to get out of her agreement to help him with his documents. But while Coraline was feeling better, Lucy was not, and Cora had other engagements that morning and couldn’t keep Coraline for her. She could leave her with Mrs. Krause,
but Brynne didn’t want to do that. Mrs. Krause was an excellent housekeeper, but she wasn’t the most nurturing woman when it came to children.
So, there was no help for it. She’d had to desert Richard once again.
Not an hour had passed when there was a knock at the front door. Mrs. Krause opened it to reveal a smiling Richard, his arms laden with boxes. His man, also burdened with a large box, followed him in.
Brynne’s eyes widened. “Are you moving in?”
Mrs. Krause’s jaw dropped and her eyes narrowed in disapproval. Brynne’s stomach sank. Would she never learn to mind her mouth? It was too late. The suggestive comment was out there.
But Richard laughed, immediately easing Brynne’s worries.
“Not today, no,” he said with a wink that sent a bolt of heat straight through her. “I received your note and I thought since you were unable to come to me, perhaps it would be easier if I came to you.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. What a nuisance for you.”
“Not at all. On the contrary, working somewhere other than my office will do me a world of good. I spend far too much time in there.”
Brynne nodded in agreement. That was certainly the truth.
“Perhaps we could work in your library?” Richard suggested, gesturing in that general direction with his overburdened arms.
“Yes, of course.” Brynne chastised herself for leaving them standing in the foyer and led the way to the library.
Richard deposited his boxes on the floor near a desk and then took the box his man was carrying.
“Are these all documents?” Brynne asked, a bit dismayed at how many papers the boxes must contain.
Richard chuckled. “Not quite. These are the documents,” he said, pointing to the boxes by the desk. “But that one is for Coraline.”
“Coraline?”
The child in question chose that moment to come bounding into the room. She ran to Brynne, wrapping Brynne’s knees in her exuberant grasp and gazing at Richard from behind her mother’s skirts.
“Coraline, you remember Dr. Oliver.”
Coraline nodded and gave Richard a shy smile.
Blood Blade Sisters Series (Entangled Scandalous) Page 29