Chapter 6

"Love is three quarters curiosity."

Giacomo Casanova

With the weight of a thousand cannonballs pressing his lids shut, Julius opened his eyes. The windows were open as well as the chamber door, creating a brisk draught through the room. He shivered and, peering down, realized he was bared to the elements, his skin puckered with gooseflesh.

Across from him, on the dressing table, stood a tea tray piled with cups and used cloths, and next to his bed was an armchair in which an exhausted maiden slept. Her head was at an awkward angle, leaning against the wing of the chair, and her mouth hung open. She exhaled a snorting bleat.

Despite her disheveled blonde hair and the lamentable condition of his richly hued banyan enveloping her body, Audrey was beautiful in the morning light.

His future bride.

His wound ached in a dull rebuke and Julius sighed. He was eminently relieved to awaken, having survived the worst night of his life, but now that his fever had broken, it was time to address the muddle he had created with his ill-conceived attempt at blackmail.

Like his friends before him, Julius had entrapped himself in a scandal, and the honorable path forward was to marry the young woman who had saved his life not once, but twice. It was the least he could do.

I am forced to do the right thing. I hate doing the right thing!

Growling his disdain of all things matrimonial, he turned his head back to watch the sunrise and mourn the passing of his freedom. He supposed Audrey was a good sort. If he was required to place his head in the parson's noose, at least it was with her and not some frightful flibbertigibbet of the beau monde.

"You are awake!"

Audrey's tone was exuberant, shattering the silence of the morning with a finality.

Julius smiled reluctantly. "I am too obstinate to die."

"I see that," she responded with an impudent tone. "Which means it is time to drink."

Some fresh concoction was thrust in his hand. Julius's stomach flip-flopped in repulsion, but he could feel the weakness in his muscles and knew she was right. He would force himself to do so.

"Drink up!"

Julius leaned back and downed the brew, pulling a face. It tasted like embittered earth with a hint of honey. "Faugh!"

Audrey chuckled. "Now that your fever has broken, you must drink that for a few days to prevent further infection."

"I suppose foul drinks never killed anyone."

"Just so."

She moved around the room, putting her things back in the valise she seemed to never be without. In the corner sat the birdcage where the little starling was chirruping to greet the morning like an old friend being welcomed home. Audrey appeared quite cheerful, returning to flop back into the armchair she had slept in.

"I am ever so relieved," she confessed, her silver eyes bright.

"Never say you did not want my death on your hands."

"Of course not! You are my first patient since Papa died."

Julius gestured toward the starling, who was flapping its free wing. "What of the bird?"

Audrey laughed. The throaty, lyrical quality tinkled into his loins to set off an unexpected stirring. Oh well, he supposed it was fortunate that he found her attractive, what with being required to marry her and all.

He wondered if there was any way to avoid that eventual outcome, but he could not think of one.

"It is a pity you cannot be a physician. You are most competent."

Her face grew solemn, and she slumped back in her chair. "I could practice medicine officially if the Company of Apothecaries would allow me admission."

Julius blinked in surprise. "The apothecaries allow women in their ranks?"

Audrey heaved a heavy sigh. "Under special circumstances, they have permitted women into the guild since the seventeenth century. I have petitioned them several times but have been unsuccessful as yet. I await a response from my most recent request."

Julius was intrigued. "What sort of circumstances?"

"Usually, it is the widow of an apothecary, if she can prove that she apprenticed successfully at her husband's side. The Widow Wyncke was one of the first, having worked in her husband's business for decades. The guild considered he had done a great service to them and was favorable to her circumstances."

"So you wish to practice medicine?"

Audrey's nod was enthusiastic. "Once I convince the guild to accept me, I will return to Stirling to tend to the villagers."

Julius's spirits lifted at this news. He might be required to wed her, but the doctor's daughter would be quite happy to rusticate in the country. After Julius did the right thing, he would remain mostly a free man.

"Why have they rejected you? Dr. Gideon apprenticed you since you were a young child."

She appeared dejected. "It is politics. I cannot join the physicians without a university degree, and Papa was a member of the physicians' guild which is a rival to the apothecaries' guild. In my most recent petition, I provided them with documentation that he was a committed student of Nicholas Culpeper's works, and apprenticed me in the apothecary arts, but … I am not certain that it will be well received. They might be irate that he infringed on their domain."

"Ah, yes. The competition between the guilds is not to be underestimated for the pettiness that can arise. What will you do if they reject you again?"

She fidgeted with the tie of his banyan, making him think about how her pert bosom was shielded by the single embroidered layer. Julius flickered his gaze away just as his stomach growled in hungry rebuke. He hoped Patrick appeared with his tray soon.

"I suppose I shall apply again and I will continue to apply until they accept me. I could practice in Stirling without their permission, but as a member, I would publish my father's notes so that others can benefit from his research. Just as Nicholas Culpeper did when he published his book to encourage ordinary people to care for their own health."

His heart twisted at the heartfelt words.

Stuff! Audrey was the second female he was allowing into his circle of valued chums in a handful of weeks. Fraternal bonds were reserved for … well … brothers. But after what the new baroness had done for his chum, Brendan, destroying her reputation to save him from the gallows, she had earned a place in his loyalties. Now Audrey had claimed her place, too, with her courageous intervention in his street battle yesterday morning before providing earnest care at his bedside. Julius was … feeling things … on her behalf.

Egad! Is this … compassion?

But how could he not feel for her? The young woman had lost her only parent, and was challenging societal conventions to secure her father's legacy. It was laudable. And, if she succeeded in her quest, Audrey should be more than happy to be his estranged bride living at the Stirling estate.

This would be an excellent outcome because he had no wish to mature into a humorless adult, and certainly he had no wish to follow in the footsteps of his parents and their miserable marital situation.

How happy they had all been as a family in his youth, but when his father had become more and more encumbered with his dealings on behalf of the Crown, the happiness Julius shared with his kin had withered to ashes. He had not seen his little sister in years, his brother Pierce did not bother coming home from Oxford, and his mother's face was becoming a hazy memory. A fact that still filled him with a sense of desolate rage.

His thoughts were interrupted when Audrey crossed the room to ring the bell that summoned the servants, freeing Julius of the obligation to respond to Audrey's tale of her frustrating crusade.

Audrey rangthe bell to order breakfast, reflecting that it had been pleasant to confess her hopes and dreams to someone. Julius had not been at all condescending to her plans, despite her being a woman, and he was respectful of her skills in medicine. He had obeyed her instructions, had he not? And, this morning, he had acknowledged her role in his recovery.

She had not been able to freely discuss her wishes since Papa's death. Most members of polite society would have scoffed in horror at the notion of engaging in work, not to mention a female doing so. Somehow, she had guessed that Julius was not one of those members, perhaps because he had followed her directions without complaint. Yesterday he had asked questions about her treatment, but not resisted except expressing worry about her reputation.

It was … nice.

She felt seen for the first time since arriving in London. For the first time since Papa had died.

For a brief instant, tears threatened at the memory of her late parent discussing her future with her over tea in his study. She missed Papa with a fierce longing for days gone by, happier times when the future had been full of possibilities.

Mourning him while remaining idle in London had been the worst of options, one she herself would have advised her patients against. But she had been biding her time and taking advantage of her proximity to the guild until she received her inheritance.

Perhaps she should inform Lord Stirling of her wishes?

Perhaps Julius or the earl would write a letter of recommendation on her behalf, if she needed to reapply?

It had been a while since she had considered her situation with optimism, but after treating Julius successfully and admitting her vision of the future, Audrey's spirits were uplifted.

She tidied the tea tray and collected the swabs from the table by the patient's bed. She hummed as she carried out the chores, feeling quite cheerful about her patient's healing while he lay dozing.

Retrieving a fresh bandage and her jar of honey, Audrey roused him to sit up with her help, then unwound his bandage before lowering him back down. She scrutinized the sutured laceration and was satisfied with what she found. Julius was healing.

Audrey swabbed the injury and had reapplied the dressing when Patrick and Rose both arrived at the door. Both servants looked pleased to find Julius awake. She requested fresh sheets and the breakfast they both required. The servants departed the room, but as soon as the door shut behind them, Audrey recollected that she needed her gown and underthings. She could hardly remain in men's garments now that her patient was awake!

She raced across the room to fling the door open, hoping to catch Patrick or Rose before they disappeared down the servants' stairs. Finding the two of them embracing in the hall startled the wits out of her!

The couple leapt apart, nonplussed to have been discovered. Rose's eyes were moist, as if she had been weeping, and Audrey realized Patrick had been comforting her.

All three of them stood in awkward silence, casting their eyes about while they considered what to say. After several ticking seconds, Audrey cleared her throat.

"Patrick, do you have my dry things?"

The servant swallowed hard, appearing relieved that Audrey was to pretend nothing had happened.

"Aye, Miss Gideon. I shall collect them along with the sheets."

"All right … Thank you." She nodded her head and hurried back into the chamber, shutting the door behind her with a decisive click.

Julius was watching her from the bed, having plumped his pillows to raise himself and stretched out his long, lean limbs. A huge grin split his face, and he was holding back laughter. His shoulders shook with the force of it, and Audrey had to fight back the urge to explore the muscular expanse with her eyes. It had been easier to treat such a handsome patient when he had been unconscious, and she was not so aware of his virility. Julius was a potent man when he was awake and his customary humor restored. To her dismay, she felt a blush creeping up her neck as she contemplated their respective half-dressed states and realized she was all alone with an eligible gentleman.

Julius found his voice, having seized control over the threatening laughter.

"You are pondering the nature of Patrick and Rose's relationship?"

"Are they …" Audrey made clumsy gestures, her palms connecting in a suggestive manner.

"They have been married for at least twenty years."

She considered this news with considerable surprise.

"Oh … I thought servants in high society homes were prohibited from marrying?"

Julius chuckled out loud, his lean face lit like a candle. Audrey caught her breath—he was devastating now that he was awake. She was finding it hard to believe she had had the audacity to treat him, but yesterday the situation had focused her attentions as a healer.

"Aunty Gertrude is traditional. It is a secret that they are married."

Audrey frowned. "So they married, yet live apart in the men's and women's quarters?"

"No, they have a room in the attic."

She shook her head, trying to make sense of his words. "So Aunty Gertrude knows about them?"

Julius shook his head with a smile on his face. "Aunty Gertrude is a traditional peeress who would never allow such a thing."

"Then how?—"

He shrugged. "It is the way of high society. If no one acknowledges it, it is not true. Rose and Patrick enjoy their marriage, while Aunty Gertrude is willfully ignorant but ensures that they share a room. She is kind, after all, and would not stand in the way of love."

Audrey groaned. "These rules make no sense!"

Julius grinned in agreement. "You might be a simple country lass from Stirling, but I believe you begin to understand."

"God help me if that is the case! I do not wish to understand this nonsense."

Julius's levity dissipated. "I could not agree more. It tries one's sanity to know how the ton thinks. Logic has little place in the beau monde."

Audrey experienced immediate regret, wishing to see him in good humor again, but she supposed this was not the time and place for that. Returning to the bedside, she sat down in the armchair and contemplated him with great solemnity, careful to keep her focus on his face despite an urge to glance down at his bared chest.

Sadly, the distance she had created between them while he was at risk had vanished and she was all too aware that this was the older boy she had been infatuated with as a young girl. From a distance, of course. They had had little reason to interact, given their age difference. Julius must be a good seven years older than her. Except for a few words at dinners and other gatherings at the earl's country seat, they had conversed more in the past twenty-four hours than they had in a lifetime of knowing each other.

"While we wait for our breakfast, could you inform me of what this is all about? You mentioned a murder?"

Julius turned away, gazing out the window. Audrey's gaze traced the line of his profile, the straight nose and firm chin that spoke to his superior lineage. Taking in his tousled curls, she yet again wondered why, for so many years, Julius had dyed part of his hair a different color. The brown part, she now knew after observing him in his semi-naked state.

"My chum, Brendan Ridley, his father was murdered a few weeks ago. On the night of the coronation."

Audrey gasped, her musings over his appearance forgotten. "I am so sorry."

The corners of his mouth lifted as he glanced her way, then turned back to the window where morning light revealed the clear sky beyond. Yesterday's storm had abated, and the day was bright with just a few puffy clouds to serve as a reminder of the merciless rain that had pummeled them the morning before.

"Brendan was not close with the baron. It was the fact that he was to be accused of the murder that was my primary concern. As a consequence, a young lady braved scandal to provide him with an alibi. Brendan and her were forced to take their vows, and the true killer is still about. Since the wedding, the killer's hired men have been attempting to gain access to Brendan's home for evidence, which is how the baroness came to be attacked."

Audrey's mouth fell open. Julius had stated after the violent incident out on the street that his assailant was brazen, but hearing the details of a baron being murdered and a baroness being attacked made his claim all the more real.

"We found the evidence. It was a letter that the late baron had composed to the Home Office, but much of the words were obliterated by dripping ink. What we could read led to a list of six suspects, and over the weeks this was narrowed down to four contenders."

"What was the note I delivered?"

"It was to inform Brendan that it was one of the three men whom I was investigating who had done the deed. The attack out on the street confirmed that the fourth man must be innocent, so it was imperative I inform Brendan, in the event …"

In the event he did not make it through the night.

Audrey breathed a sigh of deep relief that her father's training and Julius's strong physicality had led to success. What would they have done if Julius had expired?

A knock on the door announced one of the servants had returned. Audrey called for them to enter and was pleased when Rose did, bearing a tray. It was high time Julius ate, and her own stomach was rumbling.

They ate where they were, Julius sitting up in bed to gingerly fork ham and eggs into his mouth. Audrey commiserated. It was obvious he was forcing himself to eat, and she appreciated his good sense in doing so. One needed food in one's belly to heal because it took a lot of physical energy to repair a body. As inquisitive as she was to hear the rest of his story, she allowed him to eat without interruption.

Julius's stomachrolled in protest, but he picked his way through his breakfast. Bite by bite his stomach subsided, and the strength returned to his limbs. The colors in the room were brighter, and his awareness of the beautiful young maiden at his side rose as he ate.

He might be injured, but he was still a man, after all.

Audrey finished her meal, rising to collect another cup of the awful brew. She brought it over, and he dutifully swallowed it. At least the tepid drink assuaged his thirst.

By the time they were finished eating, Patrick had returned with clean sheets and Audrey's garments. The old servant helped Julius from the bed to sit in the armchair, where he watched while the two of them changed the bedding.

When they were done, Audrey took her clothing to a room down the hall to wash up and get dressed. Patrick supported him to his washstand to do the same, helping Julius into a fresh pair of trousers and a loose shirt from the wardrobe.

The chair was returned to the table by the window, where Julius sat. His side ached, but he felt much better, and he concluded that getting some rest and a few good meals in his belly would put him back to rights.

Audrey returned, exquisite with her freshly combed hair re-pinned and the gray mourning gown, which accentuated the silver hue of her eyes. She might be one of the few women of his acquaintance who was attractive in one of those drab gowns, what with her creamy skin, blonde tresses, and those eyes! Her eyes were fascinating.

Julius reminded himself that a wedding might be unavoidable, but he was not to get any ideas of a proper marriage. The sort of marriage that started off full of hope and eventually entrapped both parties—and their children—in misery. He had hated seeing the growing distance between Lord Snarling and his mother throughout his youth.

Audrey interrupted his thoughts with the question he had been dreading.

"How do you know the fourth suspect is innocent? What was the attack about?"

Julius flushed. It was inevitable he would have to explain his stupidity to someone, and he was rather embarrassed that Audrey was the first person to hear the explanation, but he owed it to her after involving her so deeply in his plot. It was sobering to acknowledge he could have gotten himself killed with his idiotic antics!

"I thought to draw the killer out by sending blackmail notes providing different locations for a meeting. None of the men showed, but I assume that one of the suspects had his man follow me."

Horror crossed her features, and her plump lower lip dropped. "Julius! You could have been killed!"

"I freely admit it was a poorly devised plan," he grumbled, mortified, as he twisted his signet ring.

"Poorly devised! It was barely a plan at all! You are pursuing a cold-blooded killer." Under her breath, she mumbled something like daft imbecile. Julius's lips quivered despite his embarrassment. He was growing to like the tempestuous Miss Gideon. One moment she was professional competence, and the next she was waving a sword at a blackguard in the street. He would like to see her unravel when she made love for the first time.

The thought sent a tide of lust cascading to his groin as he acknowledged he would be the man to bed her, what with their impending vows. Julius tilted his head to examine his virginal temptress. Did Audrey know what fate awaited them? That their wedding was inevitable now that she had run off with him?

"Yes, but now I know it was one of the three men I attempted to blackmail, which improves my odds of discovering who it is. I shall need to follow them to learn more about them."

Audrey harrumphed. "Not today. You must rest until your strength returns. What would you do if you encountered that villain? You are as weak as a kitten."

"Tomorrow, perhaps?"

She nibbled on her lip, thinking. "Mayhap, but I would need to accompany you. And, strategy must be considered. Some sort of disguise, perhaps. Your first attempt was waving a red flag in front of a bull and racing away with the hopes it would not gore and trample you to your death."

Julius gave an exaggerated pout, drawing a reluctant giggle from his headstrong healer. The throaty tone caused a shiver to run down his spine. Mayhap a wedding night with Audrey would not be so torturous. He could think of worse companions with whom to enter the parson's trap.

"Shall we play piquet?"

His brows shot up in surprise, but Audrey was already across the room searching through her valise. She held up a pack of cards in victory.

"What does that bag not contain?"

She shrugged. "Sometimes patients are bored. The cards are in here for those occasions."

Julius grinned. "We can play, but I warn you I will not be gentle."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realized the double entendre. His thoughts had been hovering in the wrong direction since he had eaten, and the flirting was inadvertent. Audrey's nostrils flared. She must have noted the train of his thought, being a worldly individual who had followed her father into all sorts of patients' rooms, but she brushed it aside as if she had not heard him.

Walking over with the cards, she shifted a chair to face the table where he sat. Her face was downcast, her blonde lashes fanning her cheeks, but Julius did not miss the reddening of her ears that spoke to her awareness of his words.