Accompanying him to a society ball? A few carriage rides and walks around the park was one thing, but showing up on his arm at such a well-attended society function was tantamount to announcing their intentions before the world. What exactly were his intentions? With those blue eyes staring into hers, Brynne wasn’t sure she cared.
“That sounds lovely,” Brynne said, her pulse pounding so fiercely her head spun. She tilted her face towards his as he leaned down.
“You are lovely, Brynne,” he said, cupping his hand around the back of her neck. “So very lovely.”
Brynne hesitated for a moment. It had been such a long time since she’d been kissed. The familiar stab of guilt at the memory of the last time she’d been kissed tried to break through the happy haze enveloping her, but this time, Brynne pushed it aside. She would always love Jake, would always miss him. But he’d been gone now for nearly four years. Maybe it was time to at last let him go.
She allowed Richard to wrap her fully in his arms and rose on her toes to meet his lips.
When the library door burst open, Brynne nearly jumped out of her skin. She jerked away from Richard, her face flaming so hotly she was sure it would catch fire.
“Brynne, the most terrible thing has happened! Oh, it’s altogether too horrid, it’s—”
Lucy stopped mid-sentence and looked back and forth between Brynne and Richard. Even through the tears streaming down Lucy’s face Brynne could see the surprise, and approving calculation, in her sister’s eyes.
“I’m sorry,” Lucy said, wiping at her face. “I didn’t mean to interrupt…”
“No, no, you didn’t interrupt anything,” Brynne said, her gaze darting to Richard who had made himself busy gathering up his documents.
“Not at all,” he agreed. “In fact, we’ve finished up for the morning. I really should be on my way.”
Brynne suppressed a rush of disappointment. Lucy was obviously very upset and now that she wasn’t wrapped up in the heat of the moment, Brynne was a little embarrassed at how she’d nearly thrown herself at Richard.
He finished gathering up his things and started toward the door. He gave Lucy a polite nod and then looked at Brynne expectantly.
“I’ll see you out,” she said, warmth spreading through her at the loving gaze he bestowed upon her. “I’ll be right back,” she told Lucy.
“Take your time,” Lucy said, managing to aim a teasing smirk at Brynne even through her tears.
Brynne shot Lucy a warning glance and accompanied Richard to the front door.
“I am sorry we were interrupted,” he said, aiming that heart-melting smile at her again.
Brynne blushed but looked him in the eye. “As am I.”
“I do hope your sister is all right.”
“I’m sure she is. She’s at that age where she’ll pitch a fit over everything.”
Richard chuckled. Then he leaned forward and brushed his lips across her cheek. Brynne sucked in her breath. She desperately wanted to pull him closer, feel the lips that caressed her cheek press against her own. Instead, she reached out with a trembling hand and opened the door.
“I will see you tomorrow, Brynne.”
“Goodbye, Richard.”
Brynne watched him until he had climbed into his carriage. Then she closed the door, leaning her forehead against the cool wood. Blazes, what was she getting herself into?
When she’d composed herself enough to go and deal with whatever crisis Lucy was experiencing, she turned and found Mrs. Krause standing in the hall, her sour face puckered with disapproval.
Criminy! How long had the old bat been standing there? From the look on her face, long enough to see Richard kiss her, though a peck on the cheek hardly counted in her book. Mrs. Krause’s demeanor made it obvious she wouldn’t agree.
Well, it was none of the housekeeper’s business what Brynne did or who she did it with, so she could keep her sourpuss attitude to herself. Nothing was going to ruin the tentative happiness beginning to course through her.
“Mrs. Krause, could we have some tea and perhaps a few of those cookies Lucy likes so much sent to the library? Lucy appears to need a little cheering up.”
The housekeeper gave Brynne a sharp nod and spun on her heels. She sighed. If she had any other options, she’d send the woman packing. But finding good help was hard, and for her, nearly impossible. Mrs. Krause would have to do.
For now, Brynne had bigger worries. Lucy was usually level-headed, not prone to hysterics. For her to be this upset, something truly terrible must have happened.
By the time she re-entered the library, Lucy was pacing the rug, her tears evaporated into fury.
“What’s happened?”
“That, that arrogant, spineless, lying boot-licker told everyone that I…that I let him…that we…ahhh!” Lucy spun on her heels and started pacing again, her face flushed with frustrated fury.
“Lucy. Take a deep breath and calm down. You aren’t making any sense and I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on.”
Lucy flounced onto the sofa and buried her face in her hands. Brynne gave her a moment to compose herself.
Once she calmed, she tried asking again. “Now. Let’s try this again. Who exactly is an arrogant, spineless…”
“Lying bastard! Steven Bartlett, that’s who. I tell you, if we were back home, I’d have him hog-tied and strung up in the barn while I introduced him to the gelding shears.”
“Lucy!” Brynne tried to keep her voice stern though it was all she could do not to laugh. Lucy was normally a fairly sweet soul. But she was not someone you wanted to rile up. Brynne almost felt sorry for Mr. Bartlett, despite what he’d done to upset her sister.
“You don’t know what he did!”
“And I never will if you don’t calm down and tell me.”
Lucy flounced back onto the sofa, her lips trembling as her rage abated somewhat. “I was at Sarah Messer’s. I was so excited. I’d finally been invited to one of her super social afternoon teas.” Lucy rolled her eyes. “I was so stupid. I think they only invited me to have someone to poke fun at.”
Mixed in with Lucy’s anger was a sort of hurt bewilderment that made Brynne’s blood boil. She looked like an eager puppy who’d been kicked for being too friendly and couldn’t figure out what she’d done wrong. Brynne held her tongue through sheer power of will. She didn’t want to interrupt Lucy or she might never get the whole story.
“There was a whole group in attendance. Sarah, and her usual flock of followers, and several of the young men. They wanted to play a silly game. You know the one, where you hang a sheet and put a candle behind it and then disguise yourself as you walk behind it and see if the others can guess who you are. I can’t help that I’m better at it than the other girls. I suspect that they play dumb to protect the boys’ fragile opinions of themselves.
“I excused myself to get a bit of air. I only stepped out into the garden for a moment. But Steven followed me. I tried to go back inside but…he…he tried to kiss me.”
Brynne’s anger went from boiling to raging. “He did what?”
“I clouted him. It made him angry. He said I had no business putting on airs, that everyone knew what kind of women we both were, growing up wild like we did, and living with a heathen like we do.” Lucy stuck her chin in the air with a satisfied grin. “So I struck him again.”
“Lucy,” Brynne said, forcing a note of disapproval into her voice. Truth be told, she’d rather cheer. Lying bastard indeed. Brynne would like to give the miserable little snorter a good slogging herself.
“He had it coming.”
Brynne agreed but didn’t voice it. “Then what happened?”
Lucy took a deep breath, her anger dissolving into hurt again. “He went back to the group. I decided I wanted to go home, so I found a maid to get my things and waited in the foyer. But before I could leave, Sarah came out. She was furious, said I was trying to steal Steven from her but that my…my whorish ways wouldn’t wor
k. He’d told everyone that I’d let him…let him…take liberties with me while we were gone. And they believed him. I’m ruined! No one will ever believe I didn’t do it. I won’t be accepted anywhere, no one will ever want to court me, let alone marry me. It didn’t matter what I said, they believed him. And he just stood there, leaning against the doorframe, looking smug.”
Lucy dissolved into tears and Brynne wrapped her in her arms, her heart breaking for her sister. She was right. That vicious bastard had ruined her, even if everything he said was a lie. And Brynne had no idea how to help her. No one would listen to her either.
“Mrs. Forrester, I’m sorry to interrupt…”
Brynne looked up to see Taggart standing in the doorway holding a tray with the tea she had ordered. Her mouth dropped open. Sweet heaven, he’d probably heard everything. By now the rumor had surely spread through half the households in Boston, so it hardly mattered.
She gathered her wits and nodded. “Please set it on the table.”
He did as she directed, but instead of leaving once he’d finished, he hovered for a moment.
“Was there something else, Taggart?”
He hesitated for a second, then squared his shoulders. “Yes, ma’am. I believe I can help with the…situation Miss Lucy has found herself in.”
Lucy’s eyes shot to Taggart. “How?”
“I’d…rather not go into too much detail, miss. Let’s just say that I can help expose the gentleman’s true nature.”
Brynne and Lucy exchanged a glance and before Brynne could say a word, Lucy stood. “I’d appreciate any help you could provide, Mr. Taggart.”
His lips pulled into a slight smile and he nodded his head. “It will be my pleasure, Miss.”
He turned to leave, but Lucy stopped him. “Mr. Taggart, I want you to know that I didn’t do what he’s accusing me of. I’m not the kind of girl he says I am.”
“I know that, Miss Lucy,” he said, his gaze lingering on her before he bowed and excused himself.
Brynne frowned. It felt like there was more going on between her butler and her sister, but she’d never seen anything inappropriate between them. She might have to keep a closer eye on the two.
…
Two days later, Taggart brought Brynne the morning paper, already folded open to the society pages. There was a story about the son of a prominent lawyer in town who had been caught in an extremely compromising position. He’d been found with two prostitutes in the back room of a gambling hall, so insensible with opium that he’d had to be dragged out. His name wasn’t included in the article, nor was there any information about what had happened afterward.
“Steven Bartlett?”
“Yes, ma’am. It seems that his father received an anonymous note informing him of his son’s preferred pastimes along with the address of where he was most likely to be found. It just so happened that a distinguished member of the press was nearby when this all occurred and was a witness to everything.”
Brynne’s lips twitched. Taggart hadn’t been exaggerating about his ability to help.
“And what will happen to poor Mr. Bartlett now?”
“His father has decided a trip abroad might do the boy some good. His passage has already been arranged.”
“You work quickly, Taggart. Nicely done.”
“Mr. Bartlett made it easy, ma’am. I simply saw to it that his proclivities were exposed. I promise you that no one even remembers his lies against Miss Lucy now.”
“We owe you our thanks, Mr. Taggart.”
“It was my pleasure, Mrs. Forrester.”
Richard came in on the heels of Mrs. Krause and sat beside Brynne. “Have you heard about this business with the Bartlett boy? Quite shocking.”
Brynne’s gaze shot to Taggart, who echoed her smile as he nodded to her and left the room.
Chapter Ten
The day had been relatively quiet. Only a few patients with minor ailments had come into the clinic and Brynne had spent most of the morning in Richard’s office, transcribing some notes he’d made about a particularly interesting case he’d worked on. She’d become something of an unofficial secretary, a task that suited her nicely. Especially as it meant she was able to spend more time with Richard.
She’d been trying not to examine her growing feelings for him too closely. Dwelling on them brought the inevitable guilt and frankly, she was tired of feeling guilty. Jake had been dead for four years. It wasn’t a betrayal of him to have feelings for another man. She only wished it didn’t feel like one.
Richard filled the doorway and Brynne stopped in mid-motion, her whole body frozen as he stared at her. A slow smile stretched across his lips and Brynne’s heart flipped. Richard glanced into the hallway over his shoulder and closed the door halfway behind him before he entered the room.
“Hello, Brynne.”
“Hello, Richard.”
She stood as he came around the desk and took the papers from her, keeping her hand in his and setting them aside without glancing at them.
How did the simple touch of his hand render her so senseless? It was both irritating and exhilarating all at once.
“How have you been getting on back here? I trust it hasn’t been too wearisome.”
She looked into his eyes, a smile of her own appearing to match his. “Not at all.”
“Good. I’d hate to chase you away through sheer boredom.”
Oh no. She could never be bored. Not with his fingers caressing her palm, reaching up to skim across the pulse jumping under the tender skin of her wrist.
He pulled her closer. Brynne’s gaze flickered to the door for an instant. What if someone were to see?
Richard’s other hand wrapped about her waist and she suddenly didn’t care if the whole world could see them.
A cursory knock at the door heralded a very flustered Mrs. Birch. Brynne jumped and tried to pull her hand from Richard’s but he kept a firm hold of it. He didn’t seem startled at all by the woman’s sudden appearance. He merely looked at her politely, waiting for whatever emergency had brought her running.
“Dr. Oliver, I’m sorry to disturb you, but a woman has come into the clinic with her two children. They are all ill. I believe it’s scarlet fever, sir.”
Richard was on the move before Brynne could take another breath. “Shut up the clinic. Has anyone had any contact with them?”
“No, sir. As soon as I saw them I put them in the small sitting room off the hall.”
“Good woman. Anyone who has not had the disease must leave immediately. Tell them to burn their clothing when they get home, to be safe.”
Mrs. Birch ran off to carry out Richard’s orders. He turned to Brynne. “I want you to take Coraline and your sister and get out of town, immediately.”
“But I can help, I’ve—”
“No!”
Brynne flinched, startled at his shout. Richard immediately softened and took both of her hands, drawing her close to him. “I wouldn’t be able to live if anything happened to you or Coraline. Go to the country, get away from town until the sickness has passed. If this family has it, then there are others out there and there will soon be countless more. Get to safety.”
He kissed her cheek, letting his lips linger against her skin. “Stay safe and well.”
Richard kissed her cheek again, gave her hand a squeeze, and hurried out.
Brynne’s heart clenched as she watched him go. What if she never saw him again? He didn’t say whether he’d had the dreaded illness or not. And it was exactly like him to go throwing his life away to save others.
Brynne hurried out of the clinic and hailed a hack. Richard obviously didn’t know her very well if he believed she’d sit back and do nothing, and she was well aware that was entirely her fault. She’d been afraid to let him get too close.
Well, Dr. Oliver was about to find out what kind of woman she was.
…
“But Momma, I don’t want to go away.”
Brynne choked back th
e lump in her throat as she pulled a coat around her daughter’s small shoulders. “I know, chickabiddy. I don’t want you to go away either. I’ll miss you terribly.” She pulled her in for a hug and then tilted the little girl’s face up so she could look into her eyes. “But I want you to be safe and well even more. There is an illness in town, and I don’t want you to catch it.”
“You come too, Momma?”
For a moment, Brynne hesitated. The thought of being separated from her daughter was nearly a physical pain. But she couldn’t leave Richard alone to fight the battle ahead of him, not knowing what might come of him in the process. At least if Coraline was out of the city, Brynne could rest assured that she was safe. She could not say the same for Richard. And she knew she could be of use. She had to do what she could to help.
“I can’t, my darling. I will be fine,” she promised her daughter. “I’ve already had scarlet fever, and you can only get it once. But there will be a lot of people who haven’t had it before, and Momma must stay to help them.”
“With Doc Liver?”
Brynne choked out a laugh at her daughter’s mispronunciation of Richard’s name. It had always been sweetly amusing and with the possibility of not seeing her little girl for many weeks looming, was even more so. “Yes, my love. With Doc Liver.”
Coraline wrinkled her nose as she contemplated what her mother had told her. The lump in Brynne’s throat grew more difficult to ignore. “I stay,” she announced.
“Now young lady, your mother has told you, you must go. We’ll have no more fussing from you,” Mrs. Krause said. She tried to get a firm grip on Coraline, but Coraline was keen to that game. As soon as Mrs. Krause got a hold of her, Coraline went limp. The sudden shift from struggling prisoner to dead weight loosened Mrs. Krause’s hold and Coraline slipped right through her fingers.
“Coraline,” Brynne scolded. “That is enough.”
Coraline jumped up and threw her arms about Brynne’s neck. Brynne scooped her up, holding her close. “Come on now. Brisk up. I know you are sad, but you will have a marvelous time with Aunt Lucy and your grandparents. You’ll get to see the horse farm where your daddy and Uncle Leo grew up. Won’t that be fun?”
Blood Blade Sisters Series (Entangled Scandalous) Page 31