A Warriner to Tempt Her

by Virginia Heath

  Just now, there had been another one. Her family had arrived at the church to attend the Sunday sermon and she had seen him stood outside in the churchyard with his family. As much as she hated doing it, they ignored each other as they queued to go inside, but as she passed him her gaze flicked briefly to his and he winked at her. It was so quick and so subtle nobody else noticed, but it reminded Bella there was something between them, although perhaps not entirely what the real her was coming to want.

  The Warriner family pews were right at the front of the church as the Earl of Markham, despite the family’s ill-deserved reputation, was the highest-ranking noble in the district. In deference to his title, her father had been given a private row just over to the side. Those seats allowed her to watch Dr Joseph Warriner for most of the sermon whilst pretending to be focused on the malicious droning from Reverend Reeves.

  It gave her a unique insight into the man when he was not being the capable physician. The devoted brother always ready to share a joke with a sibling or the doting uncle entertaining his five young and boisterous nieces and nephews. The two boys belonged to the Earl and Countess, the three gorgeous little girls to Captain James Warriner and his wife and the vicar’s estranged daughter, Cassie. Like all the Warriner brothers, the children had thick ebony hair and striking bright blue eyes. Today Joe was sat next to his younger brother, Jacob, and, to the Reverend’s complete consternation, the pair were openly playing cards.

  Bella recognised it as an act of quiet rebellion and one that certainly appeared to entertain a great many of the congregation. The Reverend Reeves was maligning the family in his sermon and had alluded to them all being the spawn of Satan. Yet aside from the surly Captain who glared at his father-in-law menacingly, the rest of the family were unperturbed by the insults. The Earl—Jack—and his wife, Letty, sat arm in arm and smiling at each other as if the dreadful sermon was a big joke. The Captain’s wife, Cassie, was rocking her youngest daughter to sleep in her lap, seemingly oblivious to the Reverend’s fire and brimstone predications while lost in her own thoughts, and Joe and his brother were playing what Bella thought was speculation but couldn’t be sure. She had witnessed similar versions of this rebellion every Sunday since arriving in Retford and remembered how he had made a joke of their reputation. He participated in this ritual, but the accusations bothered him. She felt privileged to be one of the few people who realised that.

  The youngest Warriner groaned and tossed down his cards and the handsome doctor grinned smugly. The grin earned him personal censure from the ranking priest.

  ‘“You are of your father, the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father!”’ The Reverend Reeves pointed at him with a quaking finger. ‘John, Chapter Eight, Verse Forty-Four.’

  Jacob Warriner patted his brother on the back as if he had just done something brilliant. Jack smiled at his wife as if it was still a big joke and the Captain glared. As if he could sense her watching him, Joe’s blue eyes slowly moved to meet hers. Held. Then winked again. Bella felt that wink all the way down to her toes and back up again. Whatever nervous reaction he had triggered, it was warm and welcoming and oddly exciting. She suppressed the urge to smile shyly in response, resorting to chewing her bottom lip instead and staring at her hymn book for the rest of the interminable sermon.

  * * *

  Her father ushered the family out of the church swiftly at the end. Usually they would mingle with the parishioners, but this afternoon he was headed back to London on business. Even better, her sister, after days of pleading, was going with him. That meant Bella had at least a whole blissful fortnight ahead of her where she didn’t have to lie, look over her shoulder or keep a close eye on the time whilst at the infirmary. If she was lucky, much longer. She intended to celebrate by heading directly to the infirmary the moment the dust from their retreating carriage wheels settled on the drive.

  ‘Did you see those boys playing cards?’ Her father sounded incredulous. ‘Have you ever seen the like?’

  ‘The Reverend Reeves had maligned the poor family throughout the sermon, Papa.’ This came from Clarissa. ‘Under the circumstances, I was amused at the way they dealt with it. Very original.’ There were moments when her sister forgot to be selfish, although the older she got, the fewer and further apart they became. The words warmed Bella.

  ‘Outrageous, you mean.’

  ‘Not at all. Outrageous was when he winked brazenly at Bella.’ The fuzzy feeling of sisterhood evaporated.

  ‘He did what!’ Her father was instantly livid. ‘I’ve a good mind to turn this carriage around and give the scoundrel a piece of my mind!’

  ‘I saw him wink, too...’ her mother appeared bored ‘...and fear you are quite mistaken, Clarissa. The wink was aimed at his brother after he had won.’

  Her lie went some way to calming her husband. ‘Well...even so, gambling in the house of God and grinning and winking like a rogue are not fitting behaviours for a man who calls himself a physician. The comparisons between that young man and Dr Bentley this morning in church were quite astounding. Now, there is a physician who knows how to comport himself at all times, especially in church. You don’t see Dr Bentley grinning and winking.’

  ‘That is because Dr Bentley is a crusty old fool who wouldn’t know one end of a stethoscope from the other.’ One look at the stunned face of her father and Bella realised the real her inside had spoken the words aloud. She hadn’t been so outspoken and opinionated towards her father since the incident and she found herself grinning at the achievement.

  ‘Dr Bentley is a well-respected physician and member of this community, young lady, and one who has repeatedly offered you his help, only to have it turned down flatly!’

  More words of rebellion tumbled blithely from her mouth. ‘Dr Bentley is a money-grabbing fool and little better than a quack. Of course I have turned down his offers to treat me. Archaic and draconian remedies have no place in modern medicine. Do you know he refuses to treat a person, no matter how ill, unless they pay him up front?’

  ‘The man is entitled to earn a living from his business.’

  ‘Would you be saying that if he refused to treat you? Say you were a stranger wandering through here and had a carriage accident or were accosted by footpads who had relieved you of your purse. One would hope the local physician was a good Samaritan as well as a businessman. Dr Warriner now single-handedly treats all the poor people of this parish because Dr Bentley refuses to. His sister-in-law established and pays for the foundling home which rescues orphaned children from poverty. Those are hardly the behaviours of bad people. Yet Dr Bentley refused to help little Tom because he had the audacity to have been taken in by the generosity of the maligned Warriner family. Yet he has the cheek to sit piously in church as if he has the right to pass judgement over good people more generous of spirit and deed than him. A church, I should point out, which is presided over by a man who has never acknowledged the existence of his three granddaughters when they are sat directly in front of him! Those are innocent children we are talking about.’ Her papa’s mouth moved as if to speak, but Bella could tell he was struggling to find strong enough counter-arguments. She was too riled with her old righteous indignation to wait for him to do so. ‘You never used to be so pompous, Papa. Before I fell foul of that monster at Vauxhall, you used to pride yourself on judging all men on their mettle, not hearsay and gossip.’

  Now the whole carriage was silent. Nobody ever referred to the incident, least of all Bella, yet she had just brought it up without feeling the crippling fear which usually accompanied the memory. She was as stunned as her family and searched her mind for signs of the usual fear. None were forthcoming.

  Clarissa spoke first. ‘I see Bella’s acid tongue has returned with a vengeance. I, for one, have missed it. You have been very dull these last few months, sister dear.’ The smile she shot Bella was genuine and the bonds of sisterly love returned unabashed. She might be self-centred and a tad vain at times, but her older sist
er had always enjoyed a sparring match with good humour and appreciated Bella’s former spirit.

  ‘I’m pleased to see it, too, my darling.’ Her mother leaned across the carriage to pat her hand. ‘You always did have fire in your belly and I am encouraged to see it burning again. Does Dr Bentley really turn the sick away when they cannot pay? That is truly awful and very unchristian of the man...’ And just like that they were back to being a harmonious family again, all talk of Dr Warriner and his tantalising wayward winking forgotten.

  * * *

  Two hours later and Bella was positively skipping up the steps to the infirmary secure in the knowledge her overprotective papa and meddling sister were well on their way on the road towards London. Buoyed by the sudden return of her pithy retorts and forthright opinions, she had almost managed to walk across the deserted market square without the customary trickle of unease, and when it came she simply took a deep breath and logically ploughed on. Satisfying progress and hugely reassuring.

  After shedding her straw bonnet and shawl and hanging them on the hall hatstand, she headed directly towards the girls’ ward to check on Molly. Thankfully, no doubt due to regular gin baths, the open wound on her leg had healed relatively quickly without any signs of infection, so poor Molly was bored senseless sat in splints away from her friends. ‘I brought you some paints.’ The expensive set of watercolours her father had bought her to take her mind off things were gathering dust in Bella’s bedchamber. She had no patience for the finer arts and always preferred to read rather than be creative. ‘I thought perhaps you could brighten up the place with some of your lovely artwork.’

  Molly grabbed the package gratefully and tore open the oilcloth Bella had wrapped it in. Not only had she brought the paints, but brushes and paper, too. ‘Can I paint something now?’

  ‘I don’t see why not. Why don’t I set up a table by the window where the light is better?’

  Bella dragged a small desk across the ward and was in the process of hauling a heavy but supportive chair when she sensed, rather than saw, Dr Warriner arrive. ‘Let me do that.’ He came alongside and lifted it with no effort at all. Once it was set in place, he turned and dazzled her with the full force of his smile. ‘I wasn’t expecting to see you again today.’

  ‘I’ve had a reprieve. Papa has gone back to London on business. He’s taken Clarissa with him.’ She watched him carefully as she passed on this news, looking for signs he was bothered by her sister’s absence, and she was pleased when she saw none.

  ‘Then I suppose you will be getting under my feet a great deal more?’

  ‘Indeed I shall.’

  ‘And how are our patients today?’

  ‘As you can see, Molly is in fine fettle. I’ve only just arrived, so have not yet been to see the boys.’ An outbreak of chickenpox was spreading like wildfire in the younger boys’ dormitory, which meant the boys’ ward had seen a succession of little, itching cherubs come in and go out over the past week. Dr Warriner had spent a great deal of time examining the blisters on each child and was satisfied that as they were quite rounded, rather than depressed in the centre, then this was the harmless version of pox common in children. It was highly infectious and often accompanied with a slight temperature and general feeling of malaise, so Bella and Mrs Giles had spent the last week making soothing poultices out of oatmeal and smothering them on the children from head to toe.

  ‘Then let us get Molly settled and visit the boys’ ward together.’ He helped the girl stand and passed her the crutches he’d had made specifically to fit under her arms. Dr Warriner felt that it was essential she took some exercise despite the broken leg, believing the recovery would be much quicker once the splints were removed if her healthy muscles hadn’t wasted as well. It made sense to Bella and gave Molly the freedom to take her meals with her friends and get some air every day in the garden, and it was yet another pearl of medical wisdom Bella had never read about in books.

  There were just two boys left in the other ward and both were in the latter stages of chickenpox. After supervising Bella listening to their chests with her stethoscope, he pronounced them fit enough to leave the ward in the morning, which left precious little she could do with her time aside from sitting with Molly. He must have realised the lack of new cases left her twiddling her thumbs. ‘In my experience, it is best to relish the quiet times as they rarely last long. The lulls give me the opportunity to read up on new things and restock my medicine cupboard. Which is exactly what I am off to do now. I’m running low on almost all my essentials and Sundays are the perfect day to brew potions. For some mysterious and thus far unfathomable reason, I am rarely called to an emergency on a Sunday in Retford. I like to think it is the Almighty’s attempt to make up for the Reverend Reeves’s damning sermons.’

  ‘I could help you, if you wanted.’ As soon as Bella said this she was torn. One half of her was terrified he would say yes and then she would be completely alone with him surrounded by unfamiliar walls, the other half desperately wanted to learn more. ‘Seeing that things are quiet here and I am in no hurry to return home,’ the real her said, ‘it would give me the perfect opportunity to learn some more.’ Clearly the eager scholar half of her was winning despite her irrational fears.

  ‘Even though my father is the devil himself?’ Now he was smiling and that smile made her feel all fluttery and daft.

  ‘That really was a disgraceful sermon.’

  ‘Not one of his best. The better ones usually liken Markham Manor and the spawn thereof to Sodom and Gomorrah. Those can get quite exciting when the Reverend reaches his crescendo. He goes quite purple. Occasionally, he even foams at the mouth.’

  ‘Do you think he might do one before the end of the summer? I should hate to miss it.’

  ‘It’s been a while. We must be due one soon.’

  As they were both walking in the direction of the hatstand in the hallway, Bella assumed he was happy for her to accompany him. When he handed over her straw bonnet, she experienced a brief moment of panic and then decided she was being ridiculous. His housekeeper was bound to be there and they had spent hours alone together, save the patients, at the infirmary. Mixing medicines would give her another practical lesson which her books glossed over and the prospect of it was rather exciting.

  Outside in the empty square, he offered her his arm and with trepidation she took it. He was merely being solicitous because that was what gentlemen did. Beneath the fabric of his coat his forearm was solid, as they walked her hip occasionally grazed his, but he didn’t seem to notice or care. The distance between the foundling home and his surgery was short and in no time he was ushering her inside and helping her with her shawl before leading her past his consulting room to another small room in the back. The house appeared very quiet and the stillness brought Bella up short.

  ‘Where is Mrs Patterson?’

  ‘I always give her Sunday afternoons off.’ She swallowed and breathed deeply.

  He has no intention of hurting you.

  ‘Now that I think on it, it was remiss of me not to mention it sooner. I forget sometimes that you are a young lady and, as such, should be chaperoned. Should I take you back to the infirmary?’

  Chapter Nine

  ‘No. No, of course not.’

  She didn’t look particularly sure and Joe could have kicked himself at his thoughtlessness. The trouble was, the longer he spent with Bella, the more they discussed medicines and treatments and ailments, the more he thought of her as a fellow physician because she had such an astute scientific mind. Not completely, of course. He had lied when he’d said he forgot she was a young lady. As each day passed, he was becoming increasingly aware of the fact. Her scientific mind aside, he found himself watching her more. The way she moved, the way her long lashes framed her dark eyes, the tiny, iridescent flecks of copper in her irises, the way she pouted when deep in thought, the magnificent way she filled out her gowns. Just now, as they had strolled across the square, Joe had struggled to ke
ep his voice from moaning every time her undulating hips had brushed against his thigh.

  Inviting her here had been foolhardy and a trifle selfish, but he had been delighted by her offer to help him and perhaps even relished the opportunity to spend more time with her. It seemed Jake might indeed be right and he did prefer Bella to her sister. He certainly hadn’t given Clarissa a great deal of thought in over a fortnight. Today, when he had seen her in church, his eyes had resolutely sought out the bookish Beaumont. In fact, if he were honest, he hadn’t really noticed Clarissa at all. Which seemed to rather prove Jake’s point. The more Joe got to know Bella, the more she occupied his thoughts. The woman he had believed himself in love with now apparently no longer intrigued or interested him, when Bella did both and had, God help him, since the moment he had brushed that single tear from her cheek. The rapid about-face of his feelings was unsettling. Was this the woman his heart now desired? A real flesh-and-blood woman rather than an ethereal fantasy within his own head? Joe had never fallen for a real woman before. He’d done a great deal of thinking about the subject of late and was a little ashamed of himself, truth be told. But there was no arguing with facts. He was falling for the real Bella and in grave danger of falling hard.

  ‘I am eager to learn, Dr Warriner.’

  By saying that, Bella reminded him her interest in him was purely academic and once again he was barking up the wrong tree. She didn’t want him any more than her sister did. She simply wanted to learn. Like a sponge, she was the most receptive and canny student he had ever met. Her mind was sharp and her memory sharper. Not once had he ever seen Bella write anything down, yet she never needed to be taught something twice. And he, for his sins, was now her sole tutor. Lucky him.

  Self-conscious and suddenly awkward, Joe began to reach for some ingredients from his shelves to make more tincture of laudanum. ‘We should start with the basics. No medical kit is complete without a ready supply of laudanum. It is the most powerful painkiller yet discovered and can induce sleep in higher amounts. However, it should be used sparingly and withdrawn as a treatment as soon as the patient shows signs of recovery. The opium base makes it dangerously addictive and regular users become nonsensical.’ Joe retrieved the brown leather journal he kept in a drawer and handed it to her. ‘This is my medical bible. In here I have logged every single one of my recipes. This book is very poorly organised, I’m afraid. I keep meaning to start a new one...but, alas, I never seem to have the time. Over the years, with experimentation, I have tweaked quite a few. If you see one with a large cross drawn through it, then that means I have written a better version of the recipe later on. Towards the back is my current recipe for laudanum.’