Falling for the forbidde.., p.8
Falling for the Forbidden Duke, page 8
‘I’ll sleep later. I’ve brought a bowl of hot water. The steam will hopefully bring some relief.’ Georgina usually told Olivia everything, but she did not wish to tell her that the Duke had helped her light the fire and boil the water. Nor did she want to share details of their conversation. Why she wanted to keep that to herself she was unsure. After all, she had done nothing to be ashamed of, and yet she still could not prevent self-reproach from once again clenching at her chest.
‘You’re so good to me, Georgina,’ Olivia said with a small cough.
Olivia was most certainly not at her best. Her blonde hair was damp and matted, her nose was red and her breathing laboured. The dull pain in Georgina’s chest intensified, and this time it was guilt over her own good health. If Olivia were not stuck in this bed she would be laughing and flirting with the Duke. He would not be spending time with Georgina and she would not be having these confusing emotions and thoughts.
‘Now, let’s get you better, shall we, so the Duke can court you?’ Her words sounded false in her ears, and for a moment she struggled to breathe. What on earth was happening to her? She could not be jealous of Olivia. Guilt and shame were bad enough, but jealousy, that would be unforgivable. Olivia’s happiness was something she wished for with all her heart. The Duke would make an excellent husband. He was handsome, charming, intelligent, caring, everything she would hope her sister’s husband would be. No, she was not jealous. To be so would make her the worst of all possible women.
She pushed those thoughts away as she helped Olivia out of bed and to the desk and chair in the corner. Olivia obediently leant over the bowl of hot water, and Georgina placed the cloth over her head to make a steam tent.
Some mumbled words came from under the cover.
‘Sorry, what did you say?’ Georgina asked, leaning down close to the cloth.
Olivia lifted up a corner and peered from underneath. ‘I said I heard voices outside the door and it sounded like the Duke.’
Georgina placed the cloth back over Olivia’s head so she would not see her blushes. ‘Yes, he found me down in the kitchen boiling water and helped me carry the bowl to your door.’
But that was all, she wanted to add. Nothing happened between us.
Although it didn’t feel like nothing. For some reason their conversation felt decidedly intimate, and when their hands had touched it had been unlike anything Georgina had experienced before. She clasped her hands together, remembering how the touch of his fingers had sent tingling heat radiating up her arm.
No, Olivia did not need to know any of that. Georgina could hardly bear to think about it herself, but one thing she knew to be true. She was attracted to the Duke. It was a foolish, pointless attraction but she could no longer deny its existence, even though she knew it was an attraction that could go nowhere.
Georgina collapsed into the nearest chair, wishing she had never met the Duke. Life had been so much easier before she laid eyes on his handsome countenance, before these turbulent emotions welled up inside her.
After a few minutes Olivia lifted up the steam tent and smiled.
‘Do you feel any better?’ Georgina asked.
‘A little, thank you.’ She climbed back into bed and Georgina fluffed up her feather pillows and placed them behind her head.
‘But I think I’m going to need to see the doctor again tomorrow,’ Olivia said as she lay down and closed her eyes.
‘Yes, of course. He did say he would make another visit to check on your progress, and hopefully you’ll be better tomorrow and you and the Duke can get back to courting.’
Olivia was already drifting off to sleep and thankfully did not hear the way her voice had quavered when she had mentioned the Duke.
* * *
The next morning it was obvious that Olivia would have to remain in bed all day. Even Lady Dallington had to concede that fact. When she entered the bed chamber after breakfast, she rushed to Olivia’s side, worry etched into her brow. ‘Oh, this is dreadful,’ she said, placing her hand on Olivia’s forehead. ‘The Duke cannot see you like this. You have to stay in bed until you look more presentable.’
‘Yes, Mother,’ Olivia snuffled.
‘I suppose I’ll have to do my best to convince the Duke that, despite this illness, you really are exactly what he’s looking for in a wife. I’ll emphasise how you’re usually so healthy and remind him once again that I’ve had four sons, and your father has three brothers.’
Olivia gave a small laugh. ‘I’m sure the Duke will appreciate being told that yet again. But if I’m to get well as quickly as possible, I think I need my rest now.’
‘Certainly, dear.’ She stood up, her brow still furrowed. ‘I’ll look in on you again later. Hopefully, you might be well enough to join us all for dinner tonight.’
Georgina looked at her sister, at her flushed cheeks, her reddened nose and bloodshot eyes, and assumed it had to be wishful thinking on Lady Dallington’s part.
‘Perhaps,’ Olivia answered before another coughing fit took over.
‘The Duke has kindly arranged for the doctor to visit again this afternoon. I’ll ask him if there’s anything he can give you that will get you out of bed quicker and mend your...’ She circled her hand around Olivia’s unfortunate appearance.
Again, Georgina assumed that was wishful thinking on Lady Dallington’s part, as such a miracle cure for the cold did not exist.
Lady Dallington left, and through her coughing Olivia laughed. ‘Poor Mama, I think I might have ruined all her hopes of becoming the mother of a duchess.’
‘Nonsense. You just need to spend some time with the Duke and I’m sure the two of you will find you have much in common and that there is a mutual attraction.’
Olivia sent her a long, considered look, causing her to blush as brightly as her sisters. Did Olivia know of her attraction towards the Duke? To hide her consternation she once again fluffed up Olivia’s pillows and straightened the bedcover, although her actions were entirely unnecessary.
Once that was done, Georgina sat down in the armchair beside the bed and picked up the copy of Pride and Prejudice. It was a book they had both read before, on several occasions, and both took comfort in the enjoyable journey towards true love for Elizabeth and Mr Darcy.
The day passed pleasantly enough, with the two young women chatting and laughing together, and taking their meals in the bed chamber on trays.
In the early afternoon, the doctor arrived to examine Olivia. Lady Dallington insisted on being present and interrogated the doctor on what he could do to hasten Olivia’s recovery.
‘There must be something you can give her,’ she repeated, and Georgina almost expected her to take him by the lapels and shake him, such was the strength of her frustration.
‘The best thing the patient can do is have plenty of bed rest, nourishing food and fluids,’ the doctor said, something that elicited a hmph of disapproval from the Countess.
When the doctor left, Lady Dallington also departed, and the sisters could hear her haranguing the poor man as they walked down the hallway.
Fortunately, Olivia did as the doctor said, and slept through the night, with Georgina dozing beside her in the armchair.
The next morning Olivia was slightly better. Her breathing was less laboured, her sneezing less frequent, but her cheeks and nose were still bright red, and her usually clear blue eyes remained bloodshot.
When Lady Dallington marched into Olivia’s bed chamber, followed by the Earl, they were both dressed in their dark travelling clothes.
Olivia’s parents stood by the bed and stared down at the patient, who had abandoned her tray of toast and tea and was now lying back on her bed.
‘I’m pleased to see your appearance has improved, but you must do as the doctor says and remain in bed,’ Lady Dallington said, taking her daughter’s hand.
‘I will. I am starting to feel a bit better and Georgina is taking such good care of me.’
‘Lady Rosemont has said you can remain until I return in ten days.’ She paused, her frown deepening as she turned to her husband. ‘I do think I should stay. While Olivia is still confined to her bed,’ she nodded towards Georgina, ‘other people will be free to do as they please.’
Georgina bristled. What did Lady Dallington think she was going to do? Take the opportunity while Olivia was ill to seduce the Duke, perhaps convince him that she could become his mistress? It was an outrageous idea, but Georgina had to stifle her fury.
‘You will not be staying,’ the Earl said.
‘But...’
He held up his hands to stop her arguments. ‘In case you have forgotten, my dear, you have invited your entire family to visit on our return from the Rosemont Estate. I will not be entertaining your family alone. You will be returning with me.’
The Earl had not said so, but everyone in the room knew that Lady Dallington had extended the invitation in the expectation that she would be proudly announcing that her daughter was being courted by a duke, or, more hopefully, engaged to be married.
Lady Dallington’s brow furrowed more deeply in consternation. ‘Well, Gina will have to come back with us as well.’
‘No,’ the Earl said. ‘Olivia said that Georgina has been a great help to her. She can remain and nurse Olivia.’
‘But...’
The Earl sent his wife a stern look.
‘Now, I believe we should say our goodbyes and depart,’ he said, leaning down to kiss Olivia on the forehead. ‘Stay in bed, stay warm, and do whatever the doctor tells you to.’
‘Yes, Papa,’ Olivia snuffled.
He smiled at Georgina. ‘And I’m sure you will be an admirable nurse.’
Lady Dallington leant over Olivia and also kissed her on the forehead. ‘I’ll return once my family has left. It was so kind of Lady Rosemont to allow you to stay until I return. She obviously has high expectations for you and the Duke. Just make sure he doesn’t see you looking the way you do now. And once you’re better make sure you only wear your prettiest gowns at all times, even if you’re going for a walk. And tell Molly to style your hair in that new French manner, and...’
‘Come along, my dear,’ the Earl said. ‘Unlike coaches, trains do not wait for anyone, even countesses.’
She stood, sent Georgina another disapproving look and was about to speak when her husband coughed in irritation, so she took his arm and left the room.
Once they had gone, Georgina and Olivia smiled, exchanged sighs of relief, and spent the rest of the day chatting and reading.
At mid-afternoon, Olivia’s lady’s maid entered the bed chamber to inform them that the doctor had arrived.
‘Oh, has he? Pass me my mirror, please,’ Olivia said to Molly, sitting up in bed and adjusting her nightdress. ‘And can you tidy up my hair, please?’
Georgina smiled at her vanity. ‘I’m sure the doctor has seen people in worse condition than you.’
Olivia ignored her and continued fussing with her hair.
‘While the doctor’s here you should take a break,’ Olivia said. ‘Molly can chaperone me.’
‘No, I’m content to stay with you.’
Olivia flicked her hand towards the door. ‘You’ve hardly left this room for the last two days. I will feel terrible if you don’t get out for a while. Please, if you don’t take a break for yourself then do it for me so I don’t feel so guilty.’
‘I believe the Duchess is taking afternoon tea in the drawing room,’ Molly said as she drew Olivia’s long hair up into a bun on the top of her head.
‘There you are. Go and have afternoon tea with the Duchess.’
Still Georgina waited. ‘Are you sure?’
Olivia didn’t appear to hear, as she was staring at herself in the hand mirror and instructing Molly to free a few locks, so the bun did not look so severe.
Turning to the mirror above the dressing table, Georgina also attempted to tidy her dishevelled hair, but there was little she could do about the tell-tale signs of tiredness under her eyes, caused by sleeping the night in an armchair.
She shrugged, said goodbye to Olivia and Molly and left. What did it matter if she did look bedraggled? After all, there was no one she wished to impress.
Chapter Seven
Luther had released a sigh of relief as Lord and Lady Dallington entered the carriage and drove off towards the train station. Lady Dallington had used their farewells as yet another opportunity to regale him with a seemingly endless list of Lady Olivia’s attributes and was only stopped when her husband reminded her that they had a train to catch.
He had promised the Countess that their invitation to the Rosemont ball would be the first to be dispatched. He had also assured her that, once Lady Olivia was back to her usual good health, they would spend plenty of time together getting to know each other.
Now he could relish being free of the Countess and her constant chatter. She would be back in ten days, and that was not a date he was looking forward to.
In the meantime, he had the house back to himself. He had not seen Lady Olivia for two days and had seen nothing of Miss Daglish since their encounter in the kitchen. The two young women had taken their meals in Lady Olivia’s room, and he suspected they would remain there until Lady Olivia recovered.
Not long after Lord and Lady Dallington’s departure, the doctor’s gig had turned the corner at the end of the driveway. Luther couldn’t help but wonder whether the timing was deliberate. Poor Duncan Campbell had been on the receiving end of Lady Dallington’s displeasure yesterday. She had insinuated that it was the doctor’s fault that Lady Olivia was not recovering at the rate Lady Dallington expected.
After a brief conversation with the doctor, who assured Luther that Lady Olivia was an otherwise healthy young woman and should be recovered from her chill in a day or so, Luther joined his mother in the drawing room while the doctor disappeared upstairs.
‘What did the doctor have to say?’ she asked as she handed him a cup of tea.
‘He believed Lady Olivia would soon recover. Apparently, he agrees with Lady Dallington that Lady Olivia is in robust good health. Although he didn’t take the opportunity to remind me of how many brothers she has or uncles on both sides of the family.’
His mother smiled slightly, then adopted a more serious expression. ‘We should not make fun of the Countess. I know how hard it is to marry off sons. I can’t imagine the pressure on a mother trying to find a suitable husband for a daughter.’
‘If I remember correctly, nature took its own course when it came to the marriages of your other two sons.’
‘Well, with Lady Dallington now gone, once Lady Olivia is well again, you will be able to spend time with her and hopefully nature will take its course once again.’
‘Perhaps,’ was all Luther was prepared to add on that topic.
The footman opened the door and Miss Daglish entered. ‘I hope you don’t mind,’ she said, her eyes lowered. ‘Lady Olivia suggested I take some time away while the doctor is attending to her.’
‘How lovely of you to join us,’ his mother said, pointing towards the chairs. ‘Please take a seat. And Luther, pour Miss Daglish some tea.’
The young lady took the seat closest to his mother and continued not to look at him. This was not the bold woman he had met in the kitchen, or who had walked with him in the garden. Once again she was acting the part of the meek ward. And an act he was sure it was. The real woman was the spirited, defiant one he was coming to admire.
As he poured the tea, Luther ran through all the instructions he had given himself after he had left her at the door of Lady Olivia’s bed chamber. When they had been alone together in the kitchen, he had allowed his attraction for her to run rampant. That should not have happened, but it had. To deny it would only mean he was deceiving himself.
Of course he was attracted to her. That was a logical reaction from any red-blooded man in the company of a beautiful woman. But experience had taught him that attraction faded. He’d had many women in his life, all of them beauties in their own way, and he had found that, with time, that initial desire began to wane. He was sure the same would be true of Miss Daglish. If he did marry Lady Olivia, he was certain that he would eventually see Miss Daglish as just another pretty young woman among many.
Unfortunately, at present the pull of attraction was just as powerful. But it would fade. He just had to keep reminding himself of that fact.
‘How is the patient today?’ he asked as he handed Georgina a cup of tea.
‘She seems a little better. I’m sure she’ll soon make a full recovery.’
‘Yes, that is what the doctor said.’
‘Well, I’m very pleased you can join us for afternoon tea,’ his mother commented as Luther took his seat.
Georgina smiled at her, then once again lowered her eyes.
‘So tell me, Miss Daglish, what does your future hold?’ His mother was never one for skirting around a subject. ‘Lady Dallington mentioned that she was hoping to find you a post as a governess or a lady’s companion. Is that what you are hoping for?’
Miss Daglish took a sip of her tea, and that defiant look he found so appealing flitted across her face. It was as if she was in constant conflict with herself, trying to decide whether to play the humble ward or to reveal the real Miss Daglish.
Luther was also interested to hear her answer. He could not imagine her in the role of a demure governess or keeping some elderly lady company. But would she follow in the profession of her mother? She hadn’t answered when he had asked a similar question when they were alone in the kitchen. Would she be bold enough to answer this time?
‘My mother left some money for me in trust which I will get when I turn twenty-one,’ she said. ‘Then I intend to buy one of those new Singer sewing machines and start a business making ready-to-wear dresses.’
