Chapter 16

Chapter

Sixteen

Kathryn

" K athryn, why are your hands covered in ink?"

Kathryn looked down at her fingers. They were indeed spotted with flecks of dark ink, as if tens of spiders had been squished in her palms.

"Erm…"

"Lift your chin and speak clearly, child," Lady Georgiana said with clear affection.

Kathryn lifted her chin and looked across the carriage at Lady Georgiana. The coach jolted slowly from side to side as they traveled down the road. Lady Georgiana held her walking stick in front of her, holding herself up in the seat as the coach threatened to toss her out of it. Kathryn in contrast kept gripping to the bench beneath her, fearing she would fall at any second.

"I was making some notes this morning. That is all." Kathryn smiled, hoping it looked innocent.

"Hmm." Lady Georgiana was clearly not quite taken in by the innocent act, but as the carriage was coming to a stop, she didn't ask anymore. "Ah, we are here."

Kathryn sighed with relief. Two nights before she had spent what felt like half the night with Doctor Beille. He'd given her the notebook and a few more books to read, then sent her on her way. Since then, she had poured over every book he had given her, trying to draw more information not just in terms of botany and the use of herbs, but also in the way the body worked and its biological functions. She had been so fascinated by what she had read that she had made countless notes, filling the pages of the notebook that Doctor Beille had given her.

Doctor Beille.

Kathryn sighed again when she thought of him. Something she was trying not to think about was just how close they had been together that night she had gone to see him. Their proximity to one another had been an easy thing, and more than once he had moved back from her, clearly sensing they should not have been so close.

Yet Kathryn couldn't help it. Every time he came near, her heartbeat had thudded in her chest and her palms felt clammy.

"Come, Kathryn," Lady Georgiana called as she stepped down from the carriage. "Best put those gloves on if you are going to hide all those ink stains."

Kathryn pulled on the lace gloves that had been resting in her lap, masking the ink blots, then stepped down to follow her cousin. The grand house stretched out before her, making her falter and trip on the loose stones of the gravel driveway beside Georgiana. Her cousin took her arm, stopping her from falling.

"No tripping today, dear."

"No tripping?" Kathryn spluttered. "It's not as if I do it on purpose!"

"Hold your head high." Georgiana smiled and tapped her chin, urging her to look up.

"That makes the effort not to trip even harder."

"All I'm saying is have confidence. You do not need to be nervous going in here. You belong here, and you are a fine lady indeed." Georgiana's words warmed her, though Kathryn couldn't stop the nerves that were now growing within her stomach. "Come, follow me."

Kathryn followed behind Georgiana, repeatedly fidgeting with the new gown that Lady Nightburn had made for her. She flattened the skirt and readjusted the gloves on her wrists. So determined was she not to make a fool of herself and embarrass her cousin that she tried to do exactly as Georgian said and walk with her chin lifted. Climbing up the front step of the grand three-story mansion, she held her head high, but didn't look where her feet were going. Tripping on the hem of the gown, she fell straight into the doorframe.

Georgiana paused, with her walking stick striking the floor.

"I'm sorry," Kathryn murmured beside her. Despite Georgiana's rigid posture, as she turned to look at Kathryn, there was a small smile on her face.

"You do make such events more entertaining, Kathryn."

"I do not do it on purpose. I'm nervous. I fear it is making me worse." She stood straight and rubbed the sleeve of her gown, making sure she had got no dirt on it.

"Come on. You shall be fine." Georgiana led the way inside of the house. Kathryn followed behind, not holding her chin quite as high anymore and repeatedly glancing down at where she was putting her feet.

The two of them were shown through the house toward a large room at the back where an afternoon tea soiree was being held. The long gallery room, flanked by vases of delphiniums on one side, and portraits of previous generations of the host family on the other, was decked beautiful and full of people. Various tables filling the space were stacked high with plates full of cakes and various delicacies. The teapots, all patterned with flowers, had steam curling from the spouts, and any teacup was raised daintily, with little fingers held in the air.

"Is it not beautiful, Kathryn?" Georgiana asked as they stepped into the room.

"It is." Kathryn chewed her lip. "It is much larger than any tea soiree we have in Dorset."

"Fear not. It is only drinking tea," Georgiana reminded her.

"And walking to my seat without falling on the nearest table and making the cakes fly everywhere," Kathryn added in a hushed tone.

"Well, yes, that too." Georgiana laughed. "Come, let me introduce you to our hosts." She led the way to the end of the room. Kathryn tried to walk as calmly as she could, but her nerves had grown so great, she couldn't keep control of herself.

All she could think of was her mother and how worried she would be to see Kathryn in a room like this. She had a feeling that if Clara was here, she would have held onto Kathryn's arm to keep her from falling. Kathryn realized now that she longed for her mother's arm, for that encouragement and safety.

Am I incapable of walking alone? Apparently so!

She followed Georgiana, stopping when they reached a couple at the far end of the room. The gentleman was staggeringly tall with a hooked nose and a rounded mouth, his stomach straining at his tight waistcoat. His dark eyes darted over Kathryn, clearly looking down on her before she had even said a word. In contrast, the lady beside him was already giggling, incredibly happy with her cheeks pinched pink.

"Ah, Lady Georgiana, I am so delighted to see you again." The lady hurried to curtsy. "And who do we have here?"

"Allow me to introduce my young cousin. This is Miss Kathryn Fitzroy, daughter of the Baron of Aldington." Georgiana gestured to Kathryn, and she hurried to curtsy as Georgiana had taught her to do.

She noticed at once that the gentleman's expression improved when he heard her father's title. Apparently, that was the most important thing.

Kathryn suddenly longed for other company. She wished she could speak to Doctor Beille, to talk about real life and real people, rather than titles.

"Kathryn, these are my good friends, the Earl and Countess of Cambridgeshire."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, my Lord, my Lady." Kathryn completed the formal introduction and the countess smiled gleefully.

"Oh, isn't she lovely?" she said with a giggle. "Pretty as a picture. I bet your parents are proud of you, dear. Coming all this way from Dorset to London for the season too. How wonderful!"

Kathryn felt a tightness in her throat and looked at Georgiana. She nodded softly, showing she understood that Kathryn was ill at ease.

"I have been so looking forward to your tea, Lady Cambridgeshire," Lady Georgiana said calmly.

"Then please, do take your seats. Enjoy!" Lady Cambridgeshire ushered them on.

As they stepped away, Kathryn looked at her cousin in amazement.

"How did you know such a statement would extricate us from them?" Kathryn whispered.

"It is the virtue of the ton," Georgiana said with a small smile. "Their need to be incredibly polite means their next words are sometimes quite predictable. Come, let us find a seat." She led the way around the room, seeming completely in control with many turning to smile and greet her as she passed.

Kathryn scurried behind her, feeling rather like a mouse at the fine lady's heels. When two ladies looked toward her, one curling her lip and the other looking away to whisper behind a cupped hand, Kathryn hung her head.

This is worse than I thought.

Her nerves grew so great that her hands became damp in her gloves, and she rather wished she had had the forethought to scrub her hands before she came, to get rid of all those ink splotches. As they reached a table, Georgiana took her seat.

Kathryn did not look where she was putting her feet and had not noticed that Georgiana had put down her walking cane beside her. She was far too busy glancing at the two gossiping ladies that were still pointing toward her.

Kathryn tripped on the walking stick, feeling it roll under her foot.

"Oh!" Georgiana reached out and grasped the stick as Kathryn fell forward.

She reached for the back of Georgiana's chair, hoping to stop herself from falling any further, but instead of finding the chair, she found a pair of hands instead.

What the…

A pair of strong man's hands caught her and urged her back onto her feet. When she saw an ink stain on his own hands, she felt at once she knew who it was.

That's not possible.

Her chin jerked up and she found it was indeed who she had suspected.

"Doctor Beille?" she exclaimed in amazement. He offered the smallest of smiles as he released her hands. "Thank you."

"It is no matter." He nodded at her. "Take care, Miss Fitzroy." He stepped toward her and offered a small whisper. "There are many here who will gossip about such clumsiness."

"Then I am doomed to be talked of," she whispered back. "It is hardly something I can stop."

"Be yourself," he urged and stepped back.

Can he mean that?

Before Kathryn could say anymore, someone called to him across the room. A tall man with distinctly dark auburn hair waved at Doctor Beille, wanting his attention.

"Excuse me, Miss Fitzroy." Doctor Beille bowed to her and left, crossing toward the man who had beckoned him so eagerly.

Kathryn reached for the chair beside Georgiana, her focus so fixed on Doctor Beille that she had to have two goes at reaching for the chair.

"Pray, sit, Kathryn. Before anything else goes wrong," Georgiana whispered hurriedly.

Kathyrn sat down beside her with a heavy sigh.

"I am sorry. I feared I would be such a mess." Her cheeks felt heated, and she knew she was blushing a deep shade of crimson.

"There is no need to apologize." Georgiana shook her head. "Now, do you remember our other lessons?" She looked pointedly at the table.

"I do." Kathryn reached forward and poured tea out for the two of them, being careful to offer the teapot to others at the table and she even served Georgiana's cake too. The entire time, Kathryn glanced repeatedly at Doctor Beille, wondering why he was in such a room.

He is a doctor, housed in such small apartments. How come he has received an invitation here?

As he spoke animatedly with the man beside him, she saw that they could in fact have been arguing. There appeared to be a vehemence in the hushed tones of the doctor, and the man with him kept striking his hand through the air, as if it helped to emphasize his point.

"Look what you're doing, child. You're about to spill the tea everywhere," Georgiana said hurriedly.

Kathryn spilled a little of the tea out of the spout and hurried to mop it up. Returning the teapot to the table, she nodded at Doctor Beille across the room.

"Georgiana, how come Doctor Beille is here?"

"What do you mean?" Georgiana's brow wrinkled.

"Well, he is a doctor, and so far, my impression of this society…" Kathryn paused and looked around the room, noting that the two young women who had whispered about her before were now pointing at other young women in the room and gossiping about them too. In particular, they pointed to a young woman who had just walked in and was perhaps a little larger than most, with her floral gown making her stand out from the others. Self-consciously, she hung her head forward, embarrassed.

Kathryn decided she would try to be friends with this woman. She clearly knew what it was like to be singled out as not belonging to the rest of the ton.

"Yes, dear?" Georgiana urged her to go on.

"Well, some of the people here seem rather haughty." She halted, realizing she had used the exact word Doctor Beille had used a couple of nights before. She looked toward him once more.

The heated debate he was having with the man beside him had calmed down a little. Well, at least from the Doctor's point of view. He stared at the other man as he continued to speak.

"It surprises me they'd invite a doctor," Kathryn explained in a rush.

"Oh, my goodness, Kathryn, have I never fully explained to you who Doctor Beille is?" Georgiana held a hand to her chest. "I suppose that is hardly a great surprise. The day you were introduced I was rather…distracted." She chose the word carefully, clearly not wishing to confess to any illness or what she might perceive as weakness. "I know Doctor Beille would never introduce the manner of his birth either, for it does not interest him."

Kathryn looked once more at Doctor Beille's clothes. It was not the first time she had noticed the detailing in the embroidery of the waistcoat, or even the fine material, even if plain design of the jacket. She had commented on him being well-dressed before but had not thought much about it.

"He's part of the ton?" Kathryn spluttered.

"Of course." Georgiana nodded. "He is the second son of Viscount Purbeck. I cannot believe you did not know."

"I…" Words failed Kathryn as she stared at Doctor Beille. Suddenly, so much had made sense. It explained why he had looked so shocked when she offered him money for her lessons. What it didn't explain was why he had accepted her terms of payment. "But he's a doctor!"

"Yes. It is perhaps a little unusual for members of the ton to have such a profession." Georgiana leaned toward her, lowering her voice to a whisper. "Between you and I, I believe it best his father is not here today. Viscount Purbeck has not always been so proud of his son's vocation, though in truth, I do not understand the objections. The gentleman talking with Doctor Beille now is his brother. The Honorable Gentleman Robert Beille."

"Oh." Kathryn still sought out words that would not come as she stared at the doctor across the room. It was as if he sensed her looking, for he turned to face her, even as his brother continued to whitter on about something. He didn't smile but returned that stare.

"Don't stare, child," Georgiana urged. "It is not ladylike."

"Not much is," Kathryn muttered to herself, far too quietly for Georgiana to possibly hear her.

She tried to focus on her tea with Georgiana, but soon enough, her cousin was called elsewhere in conversation with other guests, and Kathryn was left alone at the table. She busied herself with eating the cake and sipping the tea, hoping it made her look busy and hardly bothered to be alone. When a shadow passed over her, she looked up, startled to see that Doctor Beille had approached her.

"Doctor—"

"Miss Fitzroy."

They spoke at the same time, hurriedly, almost awkwardly. He bowed to her, and she attempted to stand up to curtsy, but he waved a hand, urging her to sit again.

"There is something I wish to speak to you about," he said, taking Georgiana's vacant seat. "Please, do not let anyone here know about our les?—"

"Ah, brother. Who do we have here?" Mr. Beille appeared beside them, cutting off their conversation.

Kathryn's mouth was dry as she looked between the two brothers. There was a pain lodged in her stomach as she realized what the Doctor had bene about to plead with her.

No one can know. Is he ashamed of his association with me?

"This is Lady Georgiana's cousin." The doctor adopted a very formal tone as he stood and gestured to her.

Once more, Kathryn stood, and this time managed to avoid any clumsiness as she curtsied.

"Miss Kathryn Fitzroy."

"Ah, pleasure." Mr. Beille looked rather disappointed. He shared similar features to his brother, but where the result in Doctor Beille was a pleasant face, Mr. Beille was too angular, and if anything, the contortion of his expression made him a little ugly.

"She is the daughter of Baron Aldington." When Doctor Beille added these words, his brother lit up.

"Ah, a great pleasure indeed." Mr. Beille now offered a deep bow.

"What a sudden bow," Kathryn remarked with a humored smile. She caught sight of Doctor Beille trying to hide his laughter. He coughed and adjusted his collar behind his brother's back.

"I have met Miss Fitzroy once before at her cousin's house. I believe you are with us for the season, are you not?" The casual and rather cool way the doctor spoke of her, as if they did not know one another at all hurt indeed.

"I am." When she saw him smile a little, her feelings changed. Should she be offended? Or perhaps thrilled that they shared a secret and the man beside them had no idea how well they were actually coming to know one another?

"And how do you enjoy London, Miss Fitzroy?" Mr. Beille asked.

"Very much." She tried not to look at the doctor too much with her answer, fearing he would understand why she was enjoying it.

So many questions filled her mind as she looked between the brothers. Why did the doctor work if he was the son of a viscount? Had he been cut off? Had he turned his back on his father?

"Well, Miss Fitzroy, I'd be very glad to hear more details of your visit," Mr. Beille said with sudden warmth, and she snapped her gaze toward him.

What did he mean by that?