by Rose Gordon
Ashes meowed as Matt slid from Sanus’s saddle. “Yes, yes,” he grumbled. “She’s softer than me. I know.”
And she was soft. Touching Lady Patience’s skin was like brushing his hand across the petals of a flower. What an idiot he was. Petals of a flower! Of all the ridiculous drivel. He was a man of science not a poet, for God’s sake.
He put Sanus back in his stall and then darted for the cottage to escape the wind, with Ashes pressed against his chest the whole while. And the damn little thing poked him with those claws again. “I think you may be more trouble than you’re worth,” he said as he stepped inside Allwynds and shut the wintry air outside behind him.
“I beg your pardon?” Mrs. Henderson said from the middle of the foyer, blinking at him with an ashen expression. “Did I do something wrong?”
“Oh, no, no.” Matt couldn’t help but laugh. The poor woman. “Not you at all, Mrs. Henderson.” Then he opened his greatcoat and revealed the little grey terror in his arms. “This is Ashes. Our new guest.”
The woman’s mouth dropped open. “Oh good gracious! Where did you find her?”
“Him,” he corrected, not that the gender of the cat mattered one way or the other. “I saved him from being unceremoniously tossed from Danby Castle.”
Mrs. Henderson stepped closer to Matt, a wide smile on her face. “Isn’t he precious?”
Precious? He’d turned Matt into a pincushion on the ride over. “One of His Grace’s great-nieces certainly thinks he is.” And he’d never forget the look of adoration in Lady Patience’s eyes when he said he’d take in her kitten.
“Is this the same kitten who bit one of the duke’s guests?” Mrs. Henderson reached her hand out for the little grey menace.
He had done that. Matt nodded, and actually…Well, actually he would never have met Lady Patience if Ashes hadn’t bit her. He supposed he owed the kitten for that, not that he wanted the pretty blonde to be in any sort of pain. He would never want that. But he was happy that he had met the lady, however.
“Why are you smiling?” His housekeeper looked at him as though he was mad. She probably thought he was. Why would he smile about someone getting bit?
“It’s just been a very long day,” he said.
“Aye,” she agreed. “When you came in earlier, you looked bedraggled, if you don’t mind me saying so…”
It would be a little late if he did mind.
“…but now you look like you’re floating up the clouds.”
Apparently, it was impossible to get anything past Mrs. Henderson. “Dinner is still warm, I hope.”
“Of course, of course.” She placed the kitten on the floor and then started towards the kitchen. “And I’ll get your warm cider right away, sir.”
Ashes looked up at Matt and yawned. He probably was tired with all he’d done that night – biting Lady Patience, soiling the duke’s slippers and wailing all the way from Danby Castle to Allwynds like a banshee. “Don’t even think abut soiling my slippers,” he said and started for the dining room.
His dining room was nicely apportioned with an oak table that had once belonged to his mother, God rest her soul, and six very sturdy chairs, though he was the only one who ever sat in them. How many meals had he taken in that room all alone over the years? He sat down at the head of his table and thanked Mrs. Henderson when she brought in a large bowl of stew and warm cider.
“Meow.”
Matt glanced over the side of his chair to discover the little grey kitten blinking up at him from the floor. Matt couldn’t help but shake his head. All those years alone and now he had a companion, though it wasn’t the sort he’d really wanted.
Honestly, he’d never given much though to the sort of companion he would like. Matt had always been quite focused on his work, on learning more about medicine every chance he got. Once upon a time while he was away at school in Edinburgh, he’d fallen quite under Miss Annys Buchanan’s spell. But she hadn’t cared the least about his medical musings and their courtship had not lasted terribly long. Looking back now, that was probably for the best. Annys with her wild Scottish blood would have been quite miserable in Yorkshire.
Lady Patience was a bit wild too, wasn’t she? That maid of hers had said the lady and her sisters caused havoc for their brother. She didn’t strike Matt as wild though. She was quite serenely perfect, actually, in a very innocent way.
He dipped his spoon into the bowl, and…
“Meow.” Ashes rubbed up against the side of Matt’s chair.
“You are not getting my dinner.”
Though Ashes apparently had a different idea as he climbed up the side of the wooden chair. Then he crawled into Matt’s lap and pushed up on his hind paws as though to look down into the bowl of stew on the table.
“You are an enterprising little piece of baggage, aren’t you?” He scoffed.
But then the kitten looked up at Matt and blinked his green eyes as though he was the most innocent creature ever born.
Matt was an idiot for doing this, but he couldn’t help it. “All right,” he sighed. “I’ll give you a bit of mutton but that’s all.” Then he returned the cat to the floor and pulled a piece of mutton from the stew. The entire piece was inhaled before it could even hit the floor. But then Ashes rubbed up against Matt’s boots and plopped on top of his feet, apparently quite content.
What the devil had he gotten himself into?
His bedchamber was freezing when Matt blinked his eyes open. Sometime during the night, the fire in his hearth had gone out. His chest was heavier than normal and it was buzzing or humming or…
“Meow.” Came the tiniest meow he’d ever heard. And then Ashes walked further up Matt’s chest and rubbed his face against Matt’s jaw, bringing with him her rosewater scent. Damn it all, the cat smelled like her. No wonder he’d dreamt of her all night. They were rather nice dreams too, inappropriate as they might be.
He cast the tiny grey creature a little smile and scratched him behind his ears. “That’s how you do it, huh? Burrow your way into people’s hearts and then use those razor-sharp claws to stay there?”
Ashes just purred more and plopped down right beneath Matt’s chin.
He couldn’t help but laugh. “I will be sure to tell your lady how you’ve completely taken over my household in just a single night.”
And honestly, he couldn’t wait to see Lady Patience, especially after dreaming about her slightly crooked smile, her twinkling emerald eyes and wondering how her pretty flaxen hair would feel through his fingers. He probably should get to Danby Castle to look in on his patient. He probably should get there as soon as he possibly could.
Patience alighted from bed, well rested and rather cheerful. It was going to be a remarkable day. She could just feel it. She stretched and then smiled when she remembered that Doctor Campion was going to call on her today. All right, so he wasn’t actually calling on her. He was just going to check on her wound, but in order to do so, he’d have to take her hand in his again and…
“His Grace would like a word with you,” Sarah announced as she stepped into Patience’s room without invitation. Usually the woman at least scratched before barging in.
The delightful feeling that Patience had been experiencing evaporated in an instant. What did the duke want with her? Was it because of his soiled slippers? Blast Hope for not hiding them better. “Isn’t it a little early?” she asked. “I mean, I do have my injury to consider.”
And she’d crawl back into bed and stay there all day if that meant she could avoid His Grace. She’d mostly escaped his attention so far, as the duke had taken immediate notice of Grace and her cheekiness. But the man was intimidating. He was tall with a full head of grey hair and he had the most commanding presence of anyone she’d ever met. He could cut someone in two with just the narrowing of his eyes. And his tongue was most acerbic. But the worst was watching Mama nearly quake with fear. Never in her life had Patience ever seen her mother in such a state. And Mama’s fear of th
e Duke of Danby had certainly caused anxiety to bloom in Patience’s heart.
“Your mother said you mustn’t keep him waiting.” The maid went straight to Patience’s wardrobe and retrieved one of her favorite dresses, the blue one with the little pink flowers. “Off with your nightrail.”
In no time, Patience stood at the threshold of the duke’s study and her hand trembled as she reached up to knock. But the trembling had nothing to do with her wound. She wished Grace was with her. Grace was the bravest of any of them. Grace would hold her head high and she wouldn’t let the duke cow or intimidate her. In fact, the duke would probably be smarting by the time Grace was through with him. What if she sent Grace in to deal with the duke instead? No one could ever tell them apart. That was the perfect solution! If only—
“I don’t have all day,” grumbled an old voice from the other side of the door. “Do stop wasting my time.” The irritation she heard in His Grace’s voice sent trepidation spiraling through her.
Heavens! How did he even know she was there?
With a wince, Patience turned the handle and opened the large mahogany door. “You, um, you wanted to see me?” she asked, fairly quietly.
From the large chair behind the desk, the duke looked her up and down. “Do you always stand at doorways and debate whether or not to enter?”
“It’s my hand,” she lied. “It’s still bothering me. I am sorry.” The truth was, her hand felt much better than it had the night before. Who knew lime juice could work such wonders?
“When Doctor Campion arrives, he can take another look at it.”
At least seeing the doctor was something to look forward to. Patience nodded quickly, silently vowing to take whatever reprimand the duke had for her and then escape to somewhere else until the handsome doctor arrived.
“Do sit.” The duke gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk.
On shaky legs, Patience crossed the floor and then delicately sat on the very edge of the leather chair, praying this interview would be over just as soon as it began.
He sat back in his seat, folded his hands together and looked her over once more as though she was some sort of specimen he hadn’t encountered before. “You’re the one I haven’t heard much about, though you have made quite the scene since arriving, haven’t you?”
“I’m sorry,” she said for lack of anything else to say.
“Mmm.” He narrowed his eyes on her. “Your mother assures me that hellcat you brought with you has been removed from my property.”
Ashes was not a hellcat, but she wasn’t about to disagree with the duke, even though Grace surely would have in her place. “Doctor Campion offered to let my kitten stay with him while we’re here.”
“So I understand.” He paused for a moment to study her once more. “Your sister Hope cannot tell an honorable man from a scoundrel. Do you share her lack of good judgment?”
Patience had no idea where that had come from. “I beg your pardon?”
“You have a flighty sister without any sense and a tart-tongued sister with more wit than is fitting in a lady. I’m just not certain where you land on the scale in comparison to them.”
“I love my sisters very much,” she said and wasn’t at all pleased with the way the duke had chosen to speak about either Hope or Grace.
“That wasn’t what I asked,” he said a little sharply. “Are you more like Lady Hope who wouldn’t know an honorable man if he wore a sign around his neck? Or are you more like Lady Grace who would send both scoundrels and gentlemen running for the hills after just a taste of her biting wit?”
Patience had no idea how to answer that. “I’m me, Your Grace. My sisters and I may look alike, but we are each our own person. None of us are like or unlike the others. We are each ourselves.”
He didn’t seem to care for that answer as his brow furrowed slightly. But she wasn’t trying to be difficult. It was simply the truth. She might wish she had Grace’s bravery or Hope’s charm, but they were each their own person.
He sucked in a breath as though he was just about to give her an earful when a scratch came at the door. “Damn it all,” he grumbled. “What now?”
The door creaked open and the middle-aged butler stepped inside the study. “I am sorry to disturb you, Your Grace, but there is quite a fracas happening in the breakfast room. I do think you should come right away.”
The old duke pushed out his chair with reflexes of a much younger man. “What the devil now, Dawson?”
“I’m not even certain how it started, Your Grace.”
The duke started from his desk, towards the threshold, looking most irritated, and Patience was relieved to be done with the man, especially if he was about to lose his temper.
“Oh,” the butler said, just now noticing Patience. “Doctor Campion has arrived, Lady Patience. He wanted to inspect your hand this morning. I left him in the yellow parlor.”
And then the duke stopped briefly in his tracks to cast Patience the most curious expression. “We will continue this conversation later. Do not for one moment think it is over.”
Patience waited until the duke had left before returning to her feet and crossing the floor. What could she do to keep from continuing that conversation? Perhaps whatever fracas was occurring in the breakfast room would take up so much of His Grace’s attention that he’d forget all about Patience.
But for right now, she didn’t want to think about the Duke of Danby, not when the most handsome doctor in all of Yorkshire, probably the most handsome doctor anywhere, was waiting for her in the duke’s yellow parlor. All right, he was waiting to inspect her hand. But perhaps he had news of Ashes too.
She darted towards the yellow parlor, stopping only once she reached her destination. The sight of Doctor Campion, standing by a window, his hands clasped behind his back, stopped her where she stood. Even his profile was striking, and he quite took Patience’s breath away. Oh, she wished she possessed Hope’s charm, that she knew what to say and not sound like a blithering idiot.
The air suddenly felt different and Matt turned away from the window to find her, even lovelier than she had been the night before. “Lady Patience,” he breathed out.
“Doctor Campion,” she answered softly as she stepped into the parlor. “How nice to see you again.”
It was very nice to see her. But she was a patient. It would do him good to remember that. “How is your hand this morning?” He gestured to the nearby settee.
“I think it’s much better,” she said as she sat on the very edge of the seat. Then she blushed slightly. “Do you want to see it?” She reached her hand out to him in invitation.
Her wound. That was why he’d come. Matt nodded as he took the spot beside her and took her hand in his. Lady Patience’s emerald gaze met his and Matt was mesmerized. How was it possible that she was even prettier today? “I’ll just remove the wrap,” he said, forcing himself to shift his gaze from her face to her hand.
Her fingers curled over his hand and Matt sucked in a breath. Never in his life had the line between him and a patient ever blurred with lust, not until now. What in the world was wrong with him?
He unwound the gauze and was struck again by the softness of her skin. He nearly groaned from the softness of her. He was playing with fire. Of all the women he should feel this undeniable attraction for, one of Danby’s relations was a terribly bad idea. The duke didn’t necessarily employ Matt, but he did pay most of his wages either from tending to the inhabitants and staff at the castle or even the tenants on his property from time to time. If Matt fell out of Danby’s favor, he might as well pack up and move to a different county.
He locked his jaw and tried to tamp down the feelings Lady Patience brought about in him. Then he removed the cloth from her hand and was relieved to see that swelling was gone and that her skin was no longer an angry red. “I believe you will survive,” he said, lifting his gaze to hers once more.
“That is a relief,” she said, and then she blushed a
s she held his gaze. He didn’t imagine it. She was just as affected by him as he was by her. “But I hope I’m not so well recovered that you won’t need to check on me again.”
Against his better judgment, he squeezed her fingers instead of releasing her as he should have done. “Should I keep an eye on you?”
She bit her bottom lip slightly. “I think perhaps you should. What if I should relapse? It would be best if you were nearby, I think.”
Matt found himself nodding in agreement. “I probably should keep an eye on you then. A relapse is quite unlikely, but I would never forgive myself if I was wrong, my lady.”
She smiled at that and then said, “Patience,” so softly it barely hit his ears. “Just Patience.”
“Matthew…uh…Matt,” he replied just as quietly. Damn it all, what where they doing? Had they both lost their minds?
Her grin widened. “Matt, I can never thank you enough for taking Ashes last night. I hope he’s behaved himself.”
“No ruined slippers yet.” And then he laughed because being near her made him happy. “But he is completely spoiled rotten.”
She blinked at him. “He’s not spoiled.”
“Oh, yes he is.” Matt squeezed her fingers again, hoping she didn’t think he was criticizing her. “He ate more than his share of my stew last night, and then a bowl of cream, like you said.”
“You gave him your stew?”
“He didn’t really give me a choice in the matter. And when we was done with all of that, he slept on top of me right—” Matt touched his chest “—here all night and…”
“Patience, you will never guess what happened in the breakfast—” One of her sisters raced into the parlor, but then stopped in her tracks when her eyes landed on Matt, still most inappropriately holding Patience’s hand. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything.” Then she gave Matt a once over as though she was determining what she thought about him, and that made him release her sister’s hands and stand up, like he should have done when the lady had first entered the parlor.