***
Sleep. Yes, that was all that she had needed. At least, that’s what Victoria told herself over and over as she prepared for the Randall ball that evening. In truth, her head hurt like the dickens and her body still felt weak, but perhaps it was simply that she needed to shake off the dregs of such a long afternoon nap.
“Are you sure you’re feeling all right, miss?” Lily asked after Victoria sneezed for the sixth time in a row.
“I’m fine, Lily,” Victoria replied rather shortly. “It’s that damned powder. It’s gotten up my nose is all.”
“I can have Cook prepare you one of her tinctures, if you like.” Clearly, Lily wasn’t convinced.
“Lily, I am fine.” Victoria stood and ignored the light-headedness that resulted. “I don’t need any tinctures and I certainly don’t need you fussing over me all evening. Now, where are my gloves?”
“Here, miss.” Lily handed them over reluctantly. Victoria snatched them from her with a huff of annoyance.
“Thank you, Lily. I shall see you in the morning.” With that, Victoria left her room and went to meet her brother in the foyer. Unfortunately, he wasn’t alone. He stood with Fin, deep in conversation. Victoria’s stomach flipped. It had never occurred to her that Fin might rat her out to her brother. Oh, dear. What would she do then?
No, it was unthinkable. She might not be on the best terms with Fin—although, that kiss said otherwise—but he would never do such a thing to her. This was between the two of them. Wasn’t it?
They stopped talking abruptly and turned to look at her. Fin’s brows came together in a frown, and Tom stepped forward to take her arm.
“Are you feeling all right, Vickie?” Tom asked. “You’re positively burning.”
Victoria rolled her eyes. “I wish everyone would stop treating me like a child. I feel fine, and I’m only warm because I just took a very long, very hot bath. Now, may we please go?”
By the time they arrived at the Randall’s townhome, Victoria was regretting her decision to come to the ball tonight. At least a hundred people had crammed into the modest ballroom, and there weren’t nearly enough windows to ventilate the place properly. It was hot and stuffy. She might suffocate if she didn’t get outside soon. However, she couldn’t even see the door from where she was, even though she stood on tiptoe.
Damn, she should have listened to Lily and Tom. Why did she have to put on such a show of strength all the time? It had certainly been her downfall this evening.
A large man leading an equally large woman barreled past her, and she stepped back to avoid getting trampled. That caused her to knock into the person behind her, and when she turned to offer an apology, she stepped on someone else’s toes. The confusion was making her head spin and she reached out to grab onto something, anything, to steady herself.
But there was nothing—just other people who didn’t take too kindly to her grabbing them. Sweat broke out on her brow and she gasped for her next breath. Oh, God. She really should have stayed home tonight.
She was about to give up and let her body do what it wanted to do so badly—collapse to the floor—when a hand gripped her elbow and led her through the crowd.
“It’s all right,” Fin said when she faltered. “I’ve got you.”
Victoria wanted to weep with relief. She hated that she needed rescuing. Fin knew that about her, but he’d come to her rescue anyway. Why the devil did that make her heart ache so?
A gust of air caressed her damp skin as Fin led her into the foyer where the door stood ajar to welcome the guests.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“You’re going home,” he said, leading her out the door and onto the sidewalk. He held up his hand to call for his carriage and then turned to Victoria. “What’s this? You’re not going to try to fight me?”
She shook her head. “I haven’t the strength right now.”
“I’m not surprised. You look like death. Maybe next time you want to go running through Southwark without proper attire, you’ll think twice.”
“There isn’t always time to think twice.”
“Nonsense.”
Victoria wanted to set him straight, tell him that someone might have died had she taken even an extra minute or two to dress properly. But she hadn’t been lying when she said she didn’t have the strength to argue with him. Her head throbbed, her body ached and every brush of her gown against her skin was painful.
“Come.” He held out his hand and helped her into the carriage, then climbed in after her.
Settled on the opposite side of the carriage, he leaned forward and put a hand on her knee. “Where does it hurt?” he asked.
Victoria couldn’t hold herself together any longer. She closed her eyes and leaned against the cushions. “Everywhere,” she whimpered.
Fin hushed her quietly as he moved to sit beside her. “It’s going to be all right,” he said as he pulled her into the crook of his arm. “I’ll make sure of it.”
Fifteen
Fin wasn’t the most patient of men. So waiting on the doctor to give his diagnosis of Victoria’s condition was pure torture. Every nerve in his body pricked at him, making his heart race, and rendering him unable to sit still.
As he stood at the window tapping out a frantic rhythm on the sill with his fingers, a tumbler full of amber liquid appeared before him.
“I thought a bit of scotch might calm your nerves,” Tom said, as he set the glass down on the windowsill.
“Thank you.” Fin lifted the glass and downed the scotch in one gulp. It burned a bit going down, but the calming warmth quickly spread through his body.
“Better?”
He nodded. “Much.”
“I’ve never seen you quite so worked up, Fin.” Tom took his post again on the settee, lounging back and propping his feet on the end.
“That’s because I’ve never actually been quite so worked up before.” He was treading on dangerous ground. It would be so easy to admit now how he felt toward Victoria. Or rather, how she made him feel. That kiss they’d shared yesterday was all he’d been able to think about. All he’d wanted to think about, actually. But now that she’d taken ill… “You think she’ll be all right, don’t you?”
“This is Victoria we’re talking about. Of course she’ll be all right.”
“I don’t understand how you can be so casual about this. What if she’s really and truly ill?”
Tom sat up straight and leveled Fin with a shrewd gaze, much like the one Lady Grantham used when she knew her daughter was up to something. “Why are you tied up in knots, Fin? What’s really going on here?”
Fin dropped his head and banged his forehead lightly against the windowpane. Could he really admit to Tom that he held certain feelings toward his sister? Probably not. Not now, not yet. “She’s like a sister to me. It’s nothing more than brotherly concern.”
“Well, she is a sister to me, and I can tell you that brotherly concern doesn’t run quite so deep.” Tom crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the back of the settee. “You fancy her, don’t you?”
Fin remained very still. Damn, but he needed to stop wearing his bloody heart on his blasted sleeve. He stood up straight and stepped away from the window, but he still couldn’t meet Tom’s gaze. “I don’t know that I fancy her, per se. But I…I admit that perhaps I could fancy her, were the circumstances…er…” He had no idea what he was saying, but he was sure it didn’t make any sense.
“Fin.” He looked up. Tom was grinning at him. “If you want to court my sister, you have my blessing.”
Thank God he didn’t have to elaborate further. But even if he’d wanted to, he couldn’t have. The doctor walked in just then, a grave look on his face. Of course, doctors tended to have grave looks on their faces, no matter whether or not they were about to deliver good news or bad.
Tom stood and addressed the doctor. “Is she going to be all right?”
“Oh, yes, I shou
ld think so. The fever’s not so bad, just make sure you keep her cool and in bed.”
“Is that all?” Fin couldn’t help but ask. “There’s nothing more we can do for her?”
“I’m afraid not,” the portly man said. He looked at his watch fob and then slipped it back into his pocket. “Gentlemen, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve more patients to see today. Your sister will be fine, Mr. Barclay. Oh, and do send my regards to your parents, won’t you?”
With that, the man was off, and Fin slumped back into his seat with a heavy sigh. “Well, thank God for that,” he said as all the tension of the day slowly drained from his body.
“I’m going to go tell my parents what the doctor said. Will you be here when I return?”
Fin shook his head. “I think I’ll go home and try to get some sleep. I didn’t sleep well at all last night.”
Tom smiled. “No, I don’t imagine you did. Go home. I’ll send for you if there’s any change in her condition.”
The Robber Bride (Regency Historical Romance) Page 18