Chapter 25

Chapter

Twenty-Five

Nigel

" L ady Georgiana?" Nigel opened the door of his apartment and nearly dropped the books in his grasp.

Seeing Lady Georgiana in this part of London was not the only surprising thing, but she also seemed to be alone, dressed finely in her great gown with a cloak hanging loosely from her shoulder.

"What are you doing here, my Lady? Is something wrong?" He opened the door, pleading with her to come inside.

"Nothing is wrong with me. Though you have been neglecting your duty, Doctor Beille. I sent for you two days ago for my cousin, and yet you have not come." She strode into his rooms, her gaze dancing quickly across the space as she looked around at his books and the various things he had left across his table. "You need to tidy up, Doctor. How do you find anything in this mess?"

"My apologies. I get caught up in my work and sometimes I do not have the time to tidy." He tried to shift some of the stacks of books off a chair so Lady Georgiana could sit down. Instead, she chose one of the armchairs, her eyes looking around the chairs nearby, her brow ridged.

"Why have you not come?"

"To see your cousin?" Nigel knew what this was about. Two days ago, a letter had found him at his brother's house, requesting his assistance to check on Kathryn.

How could I possibly go? I know what this is about!

Kathryn had to be feigning the symptoms again. She had explained to him the ruse the week before. It made sense she was continuing it now in the hope of seeing him again, but he could not give in. He had to be strong. He couldn't see her, or he feared how weak his heart would be.

"Yes," Georgiana said sharply, moving her cane in front of her and leaning forward out of her chair, placing a lot of her weight on it. "Why have you not come? My cousin is in need of help."

"I believed the affliction to be the same as last time. I had every intention of coming eventually, yet I have had other patients to see too." He shifted some more of his books from another chair, intending to sit down when he noticed Lady Georgiana's rather harsh stare. He looked down at what he was wearing.

Since he had said goodbye to Kathryn the week before, he'd not looked after himself as well as he usually did. His clothes were messy, his hair and mustache too.

"If you'd excuse me. I'll just tidy myself up a little." He left her in his sitting room and went to his chamber, attending to the messy state of his cravat and pulling on his tailcoat. He flattened his hair with his comb and then returned to the other room, seeing that Lady Georgiana was reaching down to the floor.

He thought she could be picking something up, but as he stopped beside her, she said nothing about it, and he could see nothing in her hand.

"What is wrong with your cousin?" he asked, trying to remain business-like.

"She is not sleeping. Well, very little indeed." Lady Georgiana shook her head. "I have only managed to make her nap on occasion in the garden room, singing to her. She suffers headaches and dizziness."

"It's probably all because she is not sleeping. Exhaustion can take heavy tolls on the body."

"Then come and see her and tell me so for yourself once you have examined her." Lady Georgiana moved sharply to her feet.

Before him, Lady Georgiana had quite transformed. There was no trace of a smile, nothing, only a harsh look with her lips flattened together.

"Now?" he said in a quiet voice, wishing to be clear.

"Now." She turned and walked toward the door, her walking cane leading the way. "My carriage awaits us both in the road. I must insist you come now." She hesitated in the doorway, looking back at him, that same harsh look in her eyes. "I will pay you for your time, of course."

"You need not worry about that." Nigel reached for his medicine bag and tucked it under his arm. "I shall follow with my horse."

"No."

"What?" Nigel flicked his head around in surprise. Lady Georgiana seemed haughtier than before, the muscles in her neck strained as she lifted her chin high.

"You shall come in my carriage. It can return you here later when needed. It will be faster, Doctor. Come. At once. You must see my cousin." She led the way out of the room.

Nigel did not protest again. Fearing he had truly upset Lady Georgiana, a lady he not only respected but deeply cared for in his work as a doctor, he hurried to follow her out. He hastened to lock the door and scrambled down the stairs to catch up with her.

As they stepped out of the building together, Lady Georgiana led the way down the narrow lane, heading to the main road. At this early hour, there were only a few people wandering to and for. They all stepped out of the way when they saw Lady Georgiana, allowing her to pass easily, clearly judging by her clothes and the way she carried herself that she was a woman of some importance.

When they reached the main road, Lady Georgiana stepped up into the carriage quickly. Nigel followed and sat on the bench opposite her.

"How have you been, my Lady?" He attempted to make conversation as the carriage took off. There wasn't a trace of a smile on Lady Georgiana's face as she stared back at him. Those pale blue eyes seemed icier than he had ever seen them before.

"I have been better. My health is well enough, but now… Now I have many concerns." She made it clear she would say nothing more as she turned to the window and looked out beyond to the busy streets.

Nigel was left alone with his thoughts, spiraling out of control.

Oh God, Kathryn. What happens now?

Kathryn

"Georgiana?" Kathryn called to her cousin as she heard a door shut in the distant regions of the house. She had not long finished her breakfast and was sitting in the garden room, looking through one of the books Doctor Beille had given to her. She'd woken with yet another headache, something that was hardly surprising after her poor night's sleep.

She had spent much of her breakfast wondering when she could go home to Dorset. She presumed part of the problem was being in London, knowing that Doctor Beille was so close, yet so distant from her in terms of his heart. That was a great torture. At least in Dorset, she could be with her family again. They might be able to offer some distraction.

"This way." Georgiana's voice sounded down the corridor, firm, almost angry, in a way that Kathryn had not heard before.

"Georgiana?" Kathryn called again and sat forward on the chaise longue. She hadn't bothered to ask the maid to put her hair into an updo that morning, so it was loose around her shoulders, but as they were expecting no visitors that day, she had presumed it wouldn't matter.

"In here." Now, Georgiana's commands to someone made Kathryn realize this had been an error on her part.

Someone else is here!

The door opened and Georgiana led the way in. Behind her walked in a tall figure. Kathryn glanced toward him, then jerked her head completely in his direction as she saw Doctor Beille enter.

His eyes shot to meet hers, and he didn't walk far into the room. The distance he imposed between them across the space of the room made her feel quite nauseous.

"Doctor Beille." She slowly stood off the chaise longue and dropped a curtsy, as she knew she should do. She had to pray it showed him she was willing to be formal between them and would not be so intimate with him as she had been before.

"Miss Fitzroy." He bowed to her too. "Your cousin tells me you are not well."

"I am just not sleeping. That is all." Kathryn sat down again, avoiding looking at him. She fidgeted with the book in her lap instead.

"No? Are you certain there is nothing more wrong?" Georgiana said with fierceness. She dropped her cane – it landed on the chair behind her, then she tucked her hand into her reticule and pulled out something small and gold that glittered in the summer sunshine streaming in through the window.

She held up one of the pearl earrings that Arabella had given Kathryn.

Oh God. I lost them!

Kathryn stared slack jawed at the earning. She had remembered taking them off, and since then, she'd had no wish to put them back on, for she didn't feel as if she deserved to wear anything so fine. Now, she abruptly remembered where she had taken them off and covered her mouth.

"Doctor Beille, care to explain why my cousin's earning was lodged in the side of your chair in your apartment?" Georgiana turned sharply to face him, holding the earring higher in the air.

Kathryn could find no voice, just as the doctor couldn't either. He stood as still as a statue, as if he couldn't believe the proof before his eyes.

"Kathryn?" Georgiana changed tact and flicked her head around to face Kathryn instead. "Yes, yes, you may well look shocked indeed. I am shocked too. More so than I can possibly declare!" Her voice was growing louder now.

Kathryn backed up across the chaise longue as Georgiana moved toward her. She dropped the earing into Kathryn's lap, and she fumbled to pick it up again.

"Kathryn, you have been in his apartment, have you not?"

"I…"

"Yes?"

"It is not what you think," Kathryn managed to utter but Georgiana strode away. She hurried to pick up her cane off a nearby chair, clearly needing it again. She could have sat down, but she didn't. Instead, she used the cane to help her march around the room, clearly restless.

"No? Because at present, my mind is wild with ideas. I have discovered the truth. God, what a truth to uncover in this fashion." She halted at the far side of the room and turned to face the two of them. "Not only have you two been meeting in secret, in such a scandalous fashion," she paused long enough to cast a resoundingly belittling glare in the doctor's direction. "Yet I fear I also know the secret behind your illness, Kathryn."

Oh God, how can she know? Does she know my heart is broken?

Kathryn hung her head and fidgeted with the earring, fearing what her aunt and mother would think of her now if they were in this room. Would they despair of her too? Would they rant and rage at her? Kathryn let the earring sit in the palm of her hand, feeling strangely small compared to the beauty of the pearl and the small gold dangly chain.

"I can scarcely think of uttering these words." Georgiana raised her hand and covered her face. "Yet if my cousin is with child, Doctor. I need to know so at once so I can make necessary arrangements for her care."

"With child!?" Doctor Beille spluttered and stepped forward, kicking the door to the room shut behind him, clearly in fear of them being overhead.

"What?" Kathryn scrambled to get to her feet. "Georgiana, I am not with child."

Georgiana looked at her, a single eyebrow lifted, as if in disbelief.

"You deny it?"

"Vehemently!" Kathryn insisted. "Yes, I saw Doctor Beille in secret, but nothing so ungentlemanly or scandalous ever took place between us. I pray you, do not believe that of me now, nor of him."

"If you wish me to believe that," Georgiana paused and sat in her usual seat, her weight forward with both hands on the end of her cane, "then I suggest you start talking now and explain exactly what has taken place between the two of you."