Miss Shaw and the Doctor

by Fenella J Miller

  The horse Adam was astride was forced to veer sideways in order to avoid a damaging collision. Whilst she maintained her seat, Adam was not so fortunate and was catapulted headfirst into the hawthorn hedge. The men with the lanterns, unaware of the confusion behind them, had ridden on, leaving them in darkness.

  She could not dismount without assistance, and she was racked by icy shivers. The gelding, unable to chase after his stable mates, stood restlessly beside her. The commotion coming from the hedge meant Adam was not seriously injured. It also indicated he was not pleased by being tossed into prickles for a second time by her foolishness.

  His thrashing about was unsettling the horses. She must ask him to desist before she too was unseated. “Adam, can you extricate yourself with less noise? Do you require assistance?”

  The clouds that had been obscuring the moon drifted on, just as his head appeared at the level of her knee. Her anxiety was replaced by concern, there was blood dripping down his face and one eye was closed. Without hesitation she kicked her boot free from the stirrup and swung from the saddle. Her feet dangled in midair until she released her grip on the pommel and dropped heavily to the ground.

  “Stay still, my dear, you are tearing yourself apart with your struggles.” The skirt of her riding habit was detachable, and she unhooked it without a second thought. Now was not the time to be worrying about her modesty. Regretting the fact that she had not found her leather gloves. Wearing them would make matters a little easier. She approached the hedge.

  “What the devil are you doing? Sarah, the men could return at any moment, you must put your skirt back on immediately.”

  Ignoring his protest, she wrapped her hands in the folds of the material and then pushed aside the vicious thorns. “This is voluminous enough to protect your face at least. Let me wrap it around you, then you can force your way out without further damage.”

  His answer was muffled as he was already enveloped. Together they pushed and pulled until he emerged like a cork from a wine bottle. He cannoned into her and, unable to keep her balance, Sarah staggered backwards, bracing herself, expecting to be embedded in the hedge on the other side of the path.

  But something solid blocked their fall. Bruno placed his bulk between them and disaster. She was sandwiched between Adam and her horse, the breath squashed from her lungs by the weight. He recovered first and pushed himself upright. With a deft flick her skirt was swirled around his head and then back about her waist again. Not a moment too soon, as hoof beats indicated the imminent return of the menservants.

  “Adam, I fear you will need stitches in at least two of those lacerations. I’m so sorry, I panicked when we—”

  “It doesn’t matter, darling. We should not have been travelling at that pace. I’m becoming quite used to falling into hedges when you’re around.”

  She tore strips from her petticoat and reached up to tend to his injuries. His gloved hand closed over hers. “I can take care of this. It’s not as bad as it looks. Trust me, I’m a medical man.”

  His light-hearted remark made her smile. How she loved this man. He was perfect in every way. “Who’s going to put in the sutures? Even a man of such incredible ability as yourself might find it difficult to stitch himself together.”

  The lanterns lit the scene like daylight. One of the men flung himself from the saddle and was beside Adam in moments. “Is there anything I can do, sir? It was our fault; we forgot that Miss Shaw was not accustomed to riding.”

  “As you can see, Jim, I have stemmed the worst of the gore by this excellent bandage. It will do for the moment. Toss Miss Shaw back in the saddle and we will continue our journey. If I remember rightly the Romany encampment is no more than a mile or two from here; we should be able to see the glow of their fires shortly.”

  This time Adam took the lead with one of the lanterns, Sarah behind him, the others relegated to the rear. They had not been travelling for more than one quarter of an hour when he called back. “Wait, I can see riders approaching.” She felt a flicker of fear. “Remain here, Sarah. Jim and Tommy come with me. George, stay with Miss Shaw.”

  She watched him ride forward fearlessly, always putting other people’s safety first.

  The two groups met too far away for her to hear what was being said, and even the light from the lanterns was not sufficient to show who these other horsemen were. Then the strangers turned and cantered away, Adam trotted back to her.

  Her eyes widened. He was cradling a small body in his arms. Isobel, it had to be. She urged Bruno forward, hardly daring to ask if the little girl was well. “How is she? She’s so still.”

  “She’s taken a nasty tumble, is suffering from a mild concussion, but her pulse is regular and her colour good. You were right. She was looking for the gypsies. They brought her to us. It seems she put her pony at a massive wall and sensibly it refused and she sailed over it.”

  “And Buttercup? Where is he? Is he not to be returned?”

  He shook his head. “No, I agreed they could keep him as recompense for their trouble. They had no notion where to bring her, but saw our lanterns in the distance and guessed we were searching. The loss of her pony is a small price to pay for her safety.”

  The return was made at a faster pace than their outward journey. Sarah was as eager as Adam to see the little girl safe in her own bed. Isobel would be devastated to have lost her pony, but perhaps it would teach her to think before she acted so rashly. The outcome could have been so much worse. She might not have been found, could have lain unconscious in the ditch until she suffered from a congestion of the lungs.

  The house was in darkness apart from a light that shone in the study. Thank goodness, Sir John was still awake. There were grooms waiting in the stable yard to receive them. No one had retired down here.

  She dismounted unaided and went to stand beside Adam. “Hand her down to me. She weighs little. I can easily hold her for you.” Isobel stirred a little and her eyes flickered open. “Sweetheart, you are safe now. Your papa and mama have been beside themselves with worry. They will be overjoyed to have you back.”

  “Is Papa very angry with me? I should not have run away.”

  “No, you should not have. But that is in the past. The important thing is that you have come to no serious harm. Here, Dr. Moorcroft is going to take you now and carry you inside.”

  One of the stable boys ran immediately to rouse the household. Adam was still a few yards from the side door when someone flung it open and Sir John erupted on to the pathway. There were tears streaming down his face.

  “My darling girl, I thought you lost to me forever. Let your papa carry you in. Your mama is waiting to greet you upstairs. I promise you things will be different from now on. You shall not go away to school but stay here with us.” He all but snatched the child from Adam’s arms and still talking lovingly, disappeared into the house leaving them alone. A footman closed the door.

  Sarah was upset Sir John had not thought to thank Adam for rescuing his child, had not even noticed she was at his side. Relieved of his burden, Adam swayed. If she had not steadied his arm, he might have crashed to the flagstones.

  “My love, I must get you home somehow. You’re in no fit state to ride. Here, lean on me, I shall take care of you now.” Two of his men arrived to assist her. “I shall need a vehicle of some sort to convey Dr. Moorcroft to his own home.”

  “We have one waiting, miss. I’ll take the ribbons. You’ll be safe with me.”

  Eventually, at dawn, Sarah was able to tumble into bed. Mrs. Taylor had taken over the care of her master, proved adroit with a needle and thread and stitched him up as neatly as a parcel. The fact that Sarah was now sleeping in the apartment intended for the mistress of the house no longer concerned her. One thing this night had shown her was where her loyalties really lay.

  She loved Adam. He must come first with her in future, but she still had the conundrum of her promise to the girls to overcome. She was too fatigued to worry about it. She must
trust to the Almighty to provide a solution that would satisfy everyone.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Sunlight patterned the boards when Sarah finally roused the following day. It must be after mid-day. How could she have slept so long without knowing how either Adam or Isobel were doing? Good grief! Lady Fenwick would be sending out search parties to look for her if she didn’t return to her duties immediately.

  The rattle of crockery approaching made her stomach gurgle in anticipation. Far too long since she had eaten; she would break her fast and then ask for a bath to be drawn. Heaven knows what she could put on as all her possessions were at Bentley Manor.

  “Awake at last, Miss Shaw? Dr. Moorcroft said to let you sleep.”

  “Betty, what are you doing here?”

  Her abigail grinned at her surprise. “Lady Fenwick sent me, and your garments, as soon as she heard what happened. Miss Isobel is wide awake and, apart from a headache, no worse for her adventure.”

  “Is Dr. Moorcroft well?”

  “Right as nine pence. He rode to the Manor to examine Miss Isobel himself and explain everything to her parents.”

  Sarah flopped back on the pillows. He was stronger than she, had not let their nighttime exploits get in the way of his duty. “They must think poorly of me for deserting my post. I don’t understand why my belongings have been sent—” Then she knew. She had been dismissed, hardly surprising in the circumstances.

  Betty placed the tray across her lap. There was a dish of strawberries and fresh cream to pour over them, fresh bread and sweetly churned butter, and succulent slices of pink ham. There was a jug of chocolate and one of coffee. It would be churlish to refuse to eat after so much trouble had been taken to provide her with her favourite things.

  Her appetite returned once she began; she was munching her way through the last of the ham when the door opened. “Adam, you should not be in here.”

  Ignoring her half-hearted protest, he strolled across and folded his long length on to a nearby chair. “I think it’s too late to think of propriety now, my love. After all, I saw you in your petticoats last night.”

  Her cheeks coloured at his unnecessary reminder. “Kindly refrain from mentioning it, sir,” she said with mock severity. “You look like a pirate with that eye patch. Is it to be a permanent addition to your ensemble?”

  He chuckled. “I sincerely hope not. My eye is not severely damaged, thank God. But I fear I shall carry the scars of my encounter with that hedge for the rest of my life.” He smiled ruefully. “I hope that you will still love me now that I am no longer an Adonis?”

  “I don’t care about such things, as well you know. I have been dismissed from my post. I don’t know whether I am glad or disappointed.”

  His eyes twinkled and he stretched out and stole the largest strawberry from her bowl. “You have misinterpreted the situation, sweetheart. Sir John and Lady Fenwick would keep you in their employ forever. They think the world of you, as do their girls.” His lips twitched—he was hiding something.

  “I hope you had nothing to do with this? I thought we had reached an agreement on the subject.”

  “Lady Fenwick suggested a solution. She wishes to spend more time with all her daughters in the future, but is not in a position to educate them herself. She would like you to continue to teach them. However, not as their governess, but as their schoolmistress.”

  Bemused by his statement, she shook her head. “I don’t see that there’s any difference. What is it you’re not telling me?”

  “I must admit that this suggestion was my own. I thought you could set up a small, select seminary here. We have dozens of empty bedrooms and as many unused reception rooms. My mother, and yours, are here to help with the teaching and running of such an establishment. The Bentley girls could attend as day pupils…don’t you see? This way you can keep your promise to the children and to me.”

  “My own school? Here? Oh, Adam, I can think of nothing I should like better. Are you quite sure you will not mind your home being overrun?”

  “I’m looking forward to it. I told you before: I’m an enlightened man. I have no objection to you working, as long as you put your family first.”

  Sarah pushed the tray to the end of the bed and, with scant regard for modesty, flung back the covers to fling herself into his arms. “I love you, Adam Moorcroft. I am the luckiest woman in the world.”

  He wrapped his arms around her, drawing her close. “And, I, Sarah Shaw, am the happiest man.”

  The End

  About the Author

  All my life I’ve been a voracious reader—usually five or six books a week. I devoured Georgette Heyer as a teenager and then went on to Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters. I wrote my first book when trapped in a cottage, unable to drive, with a toddler. I saw a huge horse galloping across the fields and this set me off on my first romance—a contemporary. From that moment I was hooked—had caught the writing bug—and was determined to one day be a published author. Eventually I achieved my dream, and I have around thirty books out there.

  I am now a full time writer of historical fiction and love every minute of it. I have a husband, two adult children and two grandchildren. I also have an ancient Border Collie called Zoe. I live in a quaint riverside village in Essex within minutes of lovely walks but equally important—the station and shops.

  www.fenellajmiller.co.uk

  Several of Fenella’s books are now available at Musa Publishing, including:

  ...

  A Cornish Maid

  Lady Eleanor’s Secret

  Miss Bannerman and the Duke

  Miss Peterson and The Colonel

  Miss Shaw and the Doctor

  Christmas at Hartford Hall