Bride for a Duke

by Bryn Donovan

  * * *

  “Hmmm?” Liam stared out the window, his focus elsewhere.

  * * *

  Ellie straightened, her mouth twisted to the side.

  * * *

  “Robert is starting a new job today. That’s what he’s looking at.”

  * * *

  Ellie’s face relaxed. “Oh. I didn’t know he had found one.”

  * * *

  “It could be temporary. He’s helping at the General Store. He was supposed to make the final delivery for Hughes Hospital today.” Mary stood and all three congregated at the window

  .

  * * *

  Robert gingerly hopped down from the wagon he had been driving and began unloading the boxes and parcels from the back. He stopped halfway through, his back straight, and turned, looking directly at the three staring at him from across the yard. Robert lifted an arm slowly and gave a confused wave.

  * * *

  Mary giggled.

  * * *

  “I’ll go see to it,” Liam said, and left the room. Moments later he appeared, walking briskly towards his brother.

  * * *

  “He really does feel badly, Ellie, for how he treated you that day.”

  * * *

  Ellie sighed. She didn’t want to discuss it. Eva had tried telling her the same thing. How could she explain that it had more to do with protecting her heart from Liam Parsons than any wrong he ever did her?

  * * *

  “It’s…it’s not a simple matter,” Ellie stammered.

  * * *

  Mary angled her body towards her. “Things of the heart rarely are.”

  * * *

  Ellie’s lips parted and she looked at her friend with wide eyes.

  * * *

  “Yes, I already know.” Mary said with a nod.

  * * *

  “Does…”

  * * *

  “Liam? I doubt it

  . Men are sometimes too simple. Sometimes they need a more direct response before they figure things out. I know he misses the way you two used to work together.”

  * * *

  “You speak as if you have experience.”

  * * *

  “I do.” She laughed and stepped away from the window

  . “When I met Robert, things between us were difficult.”

  * * *

  “Why? You seem perfect together.”

  * * *

  “I’m half Sioux. Some folks don’t think a half breed of any kind should be with someone white.”

  * * *

  “That’s ridiculous.”

  * * *

  “Yes, but I didn’t want Robert to suffer, so I tried the cold shoulder. I even tried being downright mean.” She smiled sweetly

  . “But the heart wants what it wants and is not easily deterred.”

  * * *

  “I’m glad to see that no one treats you any differently now.”

  * * *

  Mary’s face hardened. “As long as I dress and speak like everyone here there’s no problem.”

  * * *

  Ellie reached for her and opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted as the front door banged open, a cry for help following. Both women ran into the waiting room to see a bearded man holding up another smaller man. The smaller man winced in pain and tried to hold up a mangled arm. Blood dripped in fat, slow drops on the wooden floor.

  * * *

  “Please! Help him!”

  * * *

  Ellie and Mary snapped out of their initial shock.

  * * *

  “Quick!” Ellie said

  . “Get him to the examining table!”

  * * *

  The bearded hoisted his friend and began moving him to the adjoining room. The toes of the man’s boots drug the floor. He screamed in pain as they moved him onto the examining table.

  * * *

  “What happened?” Ellie demanded, seeing multiple wounds other than the profusely bleeding arm

  .

  * * *

  “Wagon accident. Horses got spooked and just ran over him.”

  * * *

  “Go get Liam.” Ellie said under her breath to Mary

  .

  * * *

  Ellie grabbed scissors and began carefully cutting the man’s suspenders and torn shirt so she could better see his wounds without having to move him more than necessary. The man screamed as her hand brushed his side. Beyond the deep scrape and cut on his side, there was a large knot forming and dark bruising. Ellie suspected a broken rib or two.

  * * *

  The front door banged open again and Liam ran in with Mary. He looked at the bearded man and took him by the elbow, moving him into the waiting area.

  * * *

  “Ben, you’re going to wait out here.”

  * * *

  The man, covered in his friend’s blood, simply nodded and stood stock still as Liam closed the examination room door in his face.

  * * *

  Over an hour later the injured man was sleeping peacefully under the haze of a morphine injection in one of the only beds in Hughes Hospital.

  * * *

  “He’ll be alright?” Ben asked quietly

  . “He’s my best friend.”

  * * *

  “Yes. He’ll need some time to heal, and honestly, he may never use his right arm properly again, but other than that he should make a full recovery.” Liam clasped Ben on the shoulder

  . “Lester McCullough is a very lucky man.”

  * * *

  “It was the good Lord’s protection.”

  * * *

  Liam nodded. “I agree.”

  * * *

  Liam gave Mary final instructions and went back across the yard to the office. A nice flagstone walkway would be the perfect thing to link the office to the fledgling hospital. Perhaps Robert could help with that too. Liam was of a mindset to make many of the wrongs around him right, and Ellie was first on the list.

  * * *

  “How is he?” Ellie looked up from her current task of scrubbing the waiting room floor when he walked in.

  * * *

  “He’s sleeping. The morphine was a good idea. He needs the deep sleep right now.”

  * * *

  Ellie nodded and continued scrubbing. Liam continued.

  * * *

  “You and Mary did a knock up job. I’m impressed.”

  * * *

  Ellie hesitated for a moment before she moved the scrub brush back and forth along the floor again. “Thank you.”

  * * *

  “Are you about ready? Everyone will be congregating out front any minute now

  . It’s almost three.”

  * * *

  Ellie stood and plopped the brush into the pail of soapy water. “Yes. I just need to wash up.”

  * * *

  Liam watched her enter the examination room, butterflies tickling the inside of his stomach. He hoped his biggest wrong was about to be made right.

  * * *

  Please, God, show your grace and mercy today.

  Liam smiled at the crowd that had gathered on the street and on the wooden walkway around the office. The mayor of Clinton was present, as well as various shop owners and others who had graciously taken the time away from their day and businesses to come to the small unveiling. Roy and Eva were even present with a wiggling Roy Jr. being passed between them. The day was growing colder, and Liam didn’t want to delay. After a moment of silence for the deceased Dr. Hughes and a prayer from the Reverend McDonnell, Liam began his speech.

  * * *

  “Thank you all for coming. I am grateful to know each and every one of you. I’ll always be grateful to Dr. Hughes for all the opportunity he gave me to learn and to practice medicine here, and it’s an honor to name our very first hospital after his name. It’s fitting.” A murmur of agreement rippled through the crowd

  . “What I would like to do now is unveil the new door plaque for this office
and to give any of you who would like to see the work done on the hospital an opportunity to see it. However it can’t be a full tour, because thanks to the fast work of Miss Fowler and our new nurse in training, Mary Parsons, we already have our first patient.” Applause echoed in the crowd

  . Liam motioned for the mayor to come forward.

  * * *

  Teddy Oswald raised chubby arms and smiled at the crowd. “Well, let’s see this new plaque so we can go see this new hospital!” He pulled the cloth away and read aloud

  . “Office of Dr. Liam Parson and Assistant Dr. Ellie Fowler.” The crowd went silent

  . Many looked at one another, a hushed whisper rising.

  * * *

  Ellie’s face turned red. She looked nervously from the crowd to Liam. He stepped forward to say something to her but was interrupted by Patrick Smith stepping forward.

  * * *

  “I for one am glad for this change! If it wasn’t for Liam and Ellie, my family and I would have died of pneumonia!”

  * * *

  Lee Schmitt also stepped forward. “My wife and baby might not be here if it wasn’t for Ellie! So what if she’s a woman doctor!”

  * * *

  “I like it!” A woman yelled out.

  * * *

  “Me too!” Another answered.

  * * *

  Before Ellie could think there was cheering, and a wave of people descended to offer their congratulations until Mayor Oswald quieted the crowd.

  * * *

  “Alright folks! Give her some room! Let’s make our way orderly and quietly to the new hospital!” He stepped onto the street and began directing people to the back area of the office

  .

  * * *

  Ellie sucked in breath and felt her bottom lip quiver. Roy and Eva had just made their way to her, but she shook her head and went into the office before any tears could fall from her eyes.

  * * *

  Liam shared a puzzled glance with them before he followed her into the office.

  * * *

  “Ellie?” He found her watching the people take turns and all but tiptoe up to the door of the hospital and stick their

  head in. She was glad for the patient’s sake that no one felt the need to enter. No one but Mayor Oswald, anyway.

  * * *

  “I thought you would have been happy. I didn’t mean to upset you.” Liam stood a few feet away, unsure if she would want him to approach any further

  .

  * * *

  “I’m not upset. Just overwhelmed. I’m grateful.” She turned and faced him, her hands folded primly in front of her skirt

  .

  * * *

  Liam moved one step forward. “Ellie, it’s been an honor to work with you these past months, and if a work relationship is all you ever want with me, then I understand. But, please know that I do want more. I do want to have dates with you.” He took another step towards her

  . “I do want to meet your family. I do want to one day ask your father for your hand.”

  * * *

  Ellie wiped her face as fat tears coursed down her cheeks. She didn’t trust her voice. She crossed the distance to him and encircled his neck with her arms. Maybe she really could trust him with her heart.