Chapter 9

Chapter

Nine

Nigel

" D o not think about her, do not think about her." Nigel repeated this mantra to himself as he stepped down off the horse and moved toward the Manor Cottage. His eyes darted across the frontage that seemed alive with bees today that danced between the flower heads. "Do not think about her."

Yet he did regardless. It had been three days since he had last been to this house in Lady Georgiana's library, and in that time, it seemed an impossibility to shift Miss Fitzroy from his mind. She crept into his thoughts when he least expected it. What was most inconvenient was how she had crept into his thoughts the night before when he had attempted to sleep. When such thoughts of her turned heated, he'd flung himself from the bed and sat in a chair for most of the night, intermittently reading and napping.

He fought a yawn now as he approached the house. If he had to see Miss Fitzroy again, then he would have to get his urges under control.

So what if she is different to other ladies of the ton? She shouldn't be so under my skin because of that!

He was welcomed inside by the butler who told him that Lady Georgiana was in her usual garden room. Nigel approached with his medicine bag in his hand, prepared for her checkup. He prayed that Miss Fitzroy would be elsewhere today, but as he reached the door, he found his prayers had not been answered.

He stood in the doorway, leaning on the frame as he watched Miss Fitzroy in the center of the room. She was being taught how to curtsy properly by Lady Georgiana who sat in her usual wicker chair with her walking stick in her hand.

"That's it, Kathryn. Deeper and bow your eyes too. A lady should not hold a man's gaze when she curtsied to him. That would be audacious indeed." Lady Georgiana's voice was tight, if a little humored by the idea.

Kathryn curtsied once more. As she stood straight, apparently unaware of Nigel's presence, his eyes darted over her, taken in by her appearance.

Her dark hair had been swept back beautifully today into curls at the back of her head. As beautiful as it was, he rather missed the simple chignon she'd been wearing in the library a few days before. He'd liked the fantasy of undoing that chignon and watching her hair fall loose.

Her eyes glittered with a pair of drop earrings, bearing simple pearls. It complimented perfectly the dress she wore, a chiffon cream with gold hemming across the sleeves and under the bust. Along the neckline were a few pearls, mirroring exactly the detailing of her earrings.

Quite striking indeed.

He smiled as he watched her, so struck that he didn't yet announce his presence.

"Now, try again," Lady Georgiana urged. "Clear voice, child, remember that."

Miss Fitzroy raised herself from the curtsy and lifted her chin high, adopting a more formal and stiff tone than he'd ever heard her use before.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, my Lord." She spoke to some imaginary character in the room. At the stiff and awkward way that she spoke, Nigel held back his smile of humor.

He preferred her when she was herself, talking freely. At this moment, one of her hands balled into a fist at her side, betraying her awkwardness with being so on show and performing to such standards.

I remember similar lessons.

When he was young, his father's tutors had tried to instill similar formality in him. One day, all those lessons had stopped when he'd told his father what he wished to do for a living.

"Better, much better," Lady Georgiana said and gestured toward her with the walking stick. "You are improving every day. Soon enough, we'll have you climbing out of carriages without falling over."

"I don't do it every time." Miss Fitzroy blushed a deep shade of red.

Nigel hung his head, realizing now what must have been the source of the dirt on her dress the first day he had seen her.

"Now, we just need a gentleman for you to practice with." Lady Georgiana's eyes flitted to Nigel in the doorway. His chest tightened as he realized she was aware of his presence, even if Miss Fitzroy was not. "Ah, Doctor Beille, perhaps you could be our test subject?"

Miss Fitzroy spun sharply around, so quick that she tripped on the hem of her gown. Nigel hurried forward, worried she would slip, but before he could offer a hand to her, she grabbed the back of a nearby chair and righted herself, forcing a rather uncomfortable smile. Nigel's hand now hung loosely at his side, as she no longer needed his help.

"Good day." Miss Fitzroy spoke eventually, disturbing what felt like a rather awkward silence to Nigel as they looked at one another.

"Good day."

"No, Kathryn." Lady Georgiana sighed dramatically and thrust the foot of her cane into the boards beneath her feet. "What have we just been practicing? Greet Doctor Beille in a formal manner."

"Very well." She turned to face him once more with a forced smile then dipped the curtsy. When she refused to look him in the eye during the movement, Nigel rather longed for that look again. He bowed to her, copying the formal instructions he'd had in his youth.

"Good morning to you, Doctor Beille. I hope your journey was a good one." She stood tall.

"Perfectly so. My horse enjoyed the fine weather."

"You ride here every day on your horse?" She seemed excited by the idea. At once, she lost her formal posture and hurried to the window, looking out in search of his horse.

Nigel couldn't help smiling at her eagerness as Lady Georgiana tutted loudly. Slowly, Miss Fitzroy turned to look at her cousin.

"I was doing so well, was I not?" she asked in a small voice.

"Child-like excitement is not ladylike, dear." Lady Georgiana chuckled despite her words. "Doctor, you have come to see me, I take it?"

"Yes, my Lady. Just for a checkup." He walked toward her and placed his medicine bag down on the table beside Lady Georgiana. He took his usual stool and sat down before her, reaching for her wrist to take her pulse. Out of the corner of his eye, Nigel was very aware of Miss Fitzroy approaching the pair of them.

From her eagerness to see the horse, he longed to ask if she too was a keen rider, but feared this was not the right moment.

"How have you been?" he asked Lady Georgiana a series of questions instead, writing down all her answers in his notebook. He was relieved to see that she'd had no further episodes with the irregular beating of her heart, and she seemed much more comforted to now have an emergency vial of watered-down digitalis in a cupboard, in case she needed it.

"What more can you say of my health then, Doctor?" Lady Georgiana asked as he took her wrist and checked the movement of her old injury. It was a little stiff, but he imagined she'd been holding herself very rigidly since the incident with her heart a few days before.

"You are well. I hope you are taking walks as I urged," he reminded her. "And keep moving this wrist. We do not wish it to end up too stiff."

"Very well." Lady Georgiana nodded. "Kathryn fortunately keeps me distracted and active. She seems to have an eagerness to wander in the gardens and look at the flowers."

Nigel looked knowingly to Miss Fitzroy who stood nearby, knowing that she must have been searching out what plants there were and thinking of their medicinal applications.

Curious.

Nigel watched her for a beat longer than he should have done, wishing now he had asked her when they were alone in the library what her interest was for. His own interest in healing had started at a young age when he saw some servants on his father's estate falling ill. Ever since then, the need to help others had grown like a wildfire, something impossible to staunch.

"You are doing well," he said, turning his focus back to Lady Georgiana. He caught a smile on her face as she watched him and wondered how long she had been paying attention to him.

Did she notice me staring at Miss Fitzroy so keenly?

"What I will say is that there are ways we can keep you calm and also a few ways to improve your wrist." He gestured to the old injury. "I shall make you a tea, I think. For the next few evenings, I would urge you to press ice to your wrist too."

"I thought it was healed," Lady Georgiana muttered with clear distaste as she stared down at her wrist.

"Well, let me show you something." Nigel took her wrist and bent it a little. When she grimaced in pain, he nodded at her. "It just needs a little more care, that is all."

Before Nigel could do it, Miss Fitzroy requested a maid to prepare some hot water. The water was swiftly brought in a teapot, and Nigel lifted the lid, adding some leaves into the mixture. A presence at his side caught his attention and he turned to find Miss Fitzroy very close indeed.

He was startled by her proximity, thinking of the nearness of those dark eyes and the scent that lingered around her.

Rose and honeysuckle.

It was unmistakable and rather hypnotic now he was so close. He held his breath, hoping she would move away again.

"What is it you are adding here?" she said with puppy-like enthusiasm. He couldn't hold back his smile as he watched her picking up some of the discarded leaves he'd left on the tray and pressed it to her nose.

"What did I say, dear?" Lady Georgiana reminded her, clearing her throat.

Yet Nigel wished she'd wouldn't dampen her enthusiasm. It was refreshing to see Miss Fitzroy when she was more herself. It was certainly captivating to see her so excited by something that thrilled him.

"Ginger," Nigel explained when Miss Fitzroy lifted the yellow herb to her nose.

"Gosh. That is pungent. What is it used for?"

"Many things. High blood pressure mostly, but it is also good for inflammation, and that shall help Lady Georgiana's wrist. There are also chamomile leaves and ginseng too."

"Here I thought you weren't so fond of herbs, Doctor." Miss Fitzroy offered a knowing smile. He couldn't take his eyes off her as she sifted between the different leaves, pressing each one to her nose in turn.

"I never disparaged them completely. I merely said there were other parts of medicine that cannot be ignored." He deepened his voice as he looked at her. When she reached for a vial that he had taken out of his medicine bag and lifted it high, he hurriedly took it from her. "Do not sniff that one."

"Why not?" She leapt back as their fingers had brushed.

Did she feel that jolt too?

"Chloroform," he said hurriedly. "One sniff can knock a man out. Too many sniffs and I shudder to think how long it would take you to come around."

"How dangerous," she whispered, her eyes seeming alight with interest.

"You have to be careful with chemicals like these." He replaced the vial into the bag, for he had taken it out by mistake and had no need of it now.

"Ahem." Lady Georgiana suddenly cleared her throat and Nigel snapped his eyes toward her. "Just checking you two remembered I was here."

"Of course. Why else would I be here?" Nigel said as he returned his focus to preparing the tea.

"Just being certain, Doctor." Lady Georgiana held onto her smile as Nigel looked at the tea. Deciding there weren't enough leaves, he reached to add more, but found Miss Fitzroy had them in her hands.

"If I may?" he said with a thickly wry tone, trying to take his own leaves from her grasp. "I'd like to be permitted to hold my own things."

She eyed him cautiously and hurried to put the leaves back in his palm. Her fingers brushed his skin, though he tried not to think about that warmth too strongly as he added the leaves to the cup.

"Here, drink this." Nigel offered the tea to her. "I shall leave the mix of leaves behind so you can have one cup a day."

"I can help prepare the tea," Miss Fitzroy offered.

Nigel looked at her, uncertain whether to be angered at her eagerness to interfere or startlingly pleased. Most people didn't take notice of what he gave them to drink, so long as he told them it would do them some good if they took it.

"Thank you, dear," Lady Georgiana said, wrinkling her nose after she had taken a sip. "On second thoughts, Doctor, I am not sure I particularly wish to thank you for this concoction."

"Trust me. I only give the truly pointless and bad tasting medicines to patients I don't like." He jested, enjoying the warmth of Lady Georgiana's laughter.

He looked out of the corner of his eye at Miss Kathryn, wishing to see her laugh too. She smiled softly but seemed more preoccupied with looking into his medicine bag. She now peered into it, without restraint.

"Ahem." He closed the bag up and she sat back, folding her arms with her disappointment palpable in the air.

"What is so wrong with me being intrigued by your work, Doctor Beille?"

"Nothing at all," he said, his tone deepening.

Everything.

He realized abruptly that was part of the problem. Miss Fitzroy's eager excitement was rather too attractive, and he had long ago sworn off ever succumbing to such feelings of attraction again.

I should stay clear of you, Miss Fitzroy. It is for the best.

As he checked Lady Georgiana's wrist over one more time, he caught sight of Miss Fitzroy trying to peer in his bag again. He kicked the bag subtly over, stopping her from looking inside.

"You're no fun," she murmured. Yet they shared a smile between them, one he had to end fast.

What is wrong with me!?