* * *
It was almost dawn before Jake Warriner brought a cart to transfer Charlie to the foundling home. The rest were in good health and able to walk the short distance across the square.
‘Once this is done, Jake will take you home, Bella. You need to bathe and have those clothes you are wearing burned before you can go to bed.’
‘I’m too awake to consider sleeping. I will snatch some rest tomorrow after we have settled the patients in and—’
‘No, Bella. You’re going home and you are staying there for the duration.’
‘I’m sorry?’ She quashed the urge to be affronted in case she had misunderstood his words.
‘This is too dangerous to risk exposing you to the disease. The fewer people who come into direct contact with smallpox, the better.’
Joe was protecting her, something which should have warmed her heart, but actually fired her temper instead. He needed her and, more importantly, those people needed her. ‘There is no risk to me and you know it. I was the first person you vaccinated, so I’m coming with you!’
‘You most certainly are not. I can manage well enough on my own. In fact—’
Bella didn’t bother allowing him to finish whatever nonsense he was about to say. ‘Really? Perhaps tonight you can manage, when only poor Charlie is ill, but what happens tomorrow if the rest of that carriage take a turn? Can you cope with six patients all alone? And what if the worst happens and in a few days you have a hundred patients? Will you single-handedly see to all their physical needs, administer their medicines, mix all those medicines yourself, clean them, force them to drink? You’re talking nonsense, Joe. You are going to need me.’
‘Mrs Patterson can assist me and Mrs Giles.’
Bella folded her arms and set her chin. ‘What a splendid idea. Whilst they are two lovely and dedicated women, they need constant instruction and do not have anywhere near my knowledge of medicine. You will ultimately run yourself ragged and then what?’ Good gracious, she wanted to shake him by his broad, martyring shoulders. She settled for prodding him hard in the chest with her pointed finger instead. ‘I’m coming with you.’
‘I would rather not put you through the ordeal.’
‘I’ve been through worse ordeals and lived to tell the tale.’
He opened his mouth to counter, then closed it and crossed his arms belligerently across his chest. ‘I said no, Bella.’
‘Stop being so selfish!’
‘I’m being selfish?’ His own temper was now hovering close to the surface, she could tell. It didn’t scare or deter her.
‘Yes. You are. It is very flattering that you are so concerned with my welfare, but this has nothing to do with me and everything to do with what is logical. The sick need you to be at your very best, Joe, if you are to save them. This town needs you to be at your very best as well. I will go home when this is over and not before. Until then, my place is in the infirmary. With you!’
Bella spun on her heel and marched to the cart. She hauled herself in to sit next to Charlie’s prone body and barked at the youngest Warriner, ‘Drive!’
‘Yes, my lady.’ Jake tugged at his forelock and, with a shrug at his brother, did as she asked.
Chapter Nineteen
The first week flew past with Joe in a near-constant state of exhaustion. Charlie’s condition deteriorated considerably within hours of settling him in the infirmary and the following morning the driver of the post coach also began to get ill, although less seriously. Whether or not his lesser presentation of smallpox symptoms had anything to do with the fact Joe had given him the cowpox vaccination upon admittance, as he had with the other four passengers, or whether that was merely coincidence, he had no idea. However, as only one of the carriage passengers had fallen ill since and had yet to deteriorate to any great extent, he was hopeful Dr Jenner’s miracle was working its magic.
So far only three townspeople had been brought to the foundling home. All three were in the early stages of smallpox and, as regulars at the inn, must have collided with Charlie at some point. Thankfully, and Joe had everything crossed on that score, there had been no new cases in two days, which suggested they had isolated the cause. With the town voluntarily under strict quarantine and all roads into and out of Retford closed, any further cases would be people who had already caught it rather than caused by fresh exposure to the disease. By his best guess, in ten days, all things remaining as they were, he would begin to relax and declare the crisis over. But until then, two days clear was promising.
Hence Joe was able to snatch a few hours to scrub himself in the bath, discard these clothes to be burned and grab some much-needed sleep. The last week had been intense, both physically and mentally draining. As the smallpox rash appeared, the sufferers were in intense pain and violently sick. For their sakes, he and Bella had distributed laudanum generously to allow them some relief while their bodies suffered the worst. Even drugged to oblivion, it was a dreadful thing to witness. Having seen it in all its terrible cruelty once before, Joe had wanted to spare Bella the heart-wrenching sight, but she dealt with it with the same calm sympathy she had displayed with Molly’s broken leg, hiding the toll it must have taken on her sensibilities from everyone—including him.
Her brave stoicism humbled him and served as a reminder that this remarkable young woman was far stronger than most people he knew and definitely made of stronger stuff than she believed herself to be. In a strange sort of way, the Retford epidemic allowed her to shine and, although undoubtedly as tired as he was, he had seen her confidence grow as she faced all the adversity life could throw at them using her customary practical nature and calm logic. Bella would have made an excellent doctor. Her ability to separate her mind and emotions when the situation called for it, and to seek solutions to problems rather than become bogged in the quagmire they presented, was a godsend.
Her suggestion to place the town in quarantine had saved a great many lives. On the odd occasion Joe had a moment to look out of the infirmary windows, the usually bustling market square beyond was eerily deserted and so silent it was unnerving. But it also gave him solace. Whilst those streets were empty, the people were safe. Bella was responsible for that. The whole town had come together to fight the deadly pestilence with their absence. A brave, select few fought it face-to-face.
Whilst Jake had offered his services with Joe at the infirmary, Jamie, Jack and Mellor were organising everything else outside its walls. Twice a day came the sounds of their small army of farmers, market traders and shopkeepers distributing bread, milk and other essential provisions to the locals. A constant supply of bed linens and fresh clothes arrived outside the foundling home, with hearty cooked food and a seemingly constant procession of cakes and pies baked by the women of the town. There seemed to be a tremendous amount of goodwill towards the family now that Joe’s dire warning had come true and selfishly he hoped it would continue once the crisis was over. If ever the Warriners had proved their worth to Retford, it was now. This last week they had been its saviours. Certainly, the doors to the church had remained firmly locked and no offers of Christian charity had come from the Reverend Reeves. At least the Reverend had had the good grace to stay put. Dr Bentley had tried to flee the town on the first day of the quarantine and Jamie had chased after him on his fearsome black stallion Satan, then with the help of the constable cheerfully confiscated the man’s horses and his barouche box to help with the supply chain. Joe wished he had seen that, but, alas, his place was behind the thick stone walls of their makeshift hospital.
To keep his brothers’ unborn children safe, Joe insisted they and their helpers were kept completely separate from the disease. If a person presented any of the symptoms, a message was left on their door and the two eldest Warriners passed the details on to Jake, who went to fetch them in the evenings in a separate cart and brought them to Joe. Since the night at the inn, their only conversations had been from a distance and that would remain the case until he declared the a
ll-clear. Something he couldn’t do until his patients began to shed the itching scabs which signalled the end of the illness. So far, only Charlie’s spots had begun to burst, so there was still a long road ahead for them all. A long and arduous road to be sure, but Joe was hopeful the end was in sight. Tonight he needed to rest.
After lugging pot after pot of steaming hot water to the giant tub they all shared in the municipal kitchen of the foundling home, the prospect of soaking in it at the end of yet another eighteen-hour day was so appealing it felt almost decadent and made all the sweeter knowing that his was the last bath of the day, so he could lounge in it for as long as he liked without fear of interruption. Jake was on duty in the ward and would fetch him only in an emergency, while the rest of the skeleton staff of infirmary volunteers, Bella included, had been sent to bed two hours before. Like all the five volunteers here at the foundling home, she, too, had moved in to avoid inadvertently passing the disease on to the outside. On that first night, with Joe, her father had tried to reason with her, but she wouldn’t be budged. After declaring that she was a Beaumont and that Beaumonts did not surrender in a crisis, the Earl of Braxton relented and declared himself proud of her bravery. With hindsight, Joe would be for ever grateful she had ignored his pleas for her to stay away. She slept in the girls’ dormitory, chaperoned by Mrs Giles and Mrs Patterson, and was temptingly out of reach.
It was disconcerting knowing she was sleeping somewhere close by. A week of working cheek by jowl with her, after they had both confessed to having feelings for each other, had been taxing. Not in a bad way, as Joe recognised she had been right about him needing her help. More than right. Without her he would have been lost. Buried alive under the huge weight now placed on his shoulders. A weight she carried with him. Bella had been an enormous asset to him since the outbreak started, sharing his workload, organising the small group of volunteers like Wellington at Waterloo and keeping the medicine chest stocked to the brim. Thanks to Bella, Joe could sleep. In theory, at least.
In practice, being so close to her and not being able to act on his feelings or explore hers was painful. It had absolutely nothing to do with lust, although that unpredictable emotion had surprised him once or twice, although usually when he was lying alone in his cot in the furthest end of the boys’ dormitory. Usually, he was plagued with an overwhelming surge of tenderness for the resourceful and resilient woman he had given his whole heart to. On more than one occasion he had simply wanted to hold her, nothing more, yet couldn’t because they were never alone and a building full of sick people hardly seemed the appropriate place to try.
Once this was over, he had some serious catching up to do and fully intended to shower her in romance and begin the process of chipping away at her fear of the physical. Bit by bit, brick by brick, Joe was going to woo her into the wonderful world of passion she feared so much. Granted, it would undoubtedly take a great deal of time and energy on his part, but that was fine. Bella was worth waiting for, as long as the wanting didn’t kill him in the process.
Joe tossed his towel over the back of the chair and climbed into the bathtub, sighing loudly as he lowered his aching bones into the hot water. He slipped forward, dunking his head momentarily before attacking his hair, limbs and upper body with the cake of soap, then plunged himself back in again to rinse off the bubbles. Only when he was satisfied he had washed off all traces of his day did he arrange his long legs to dangle over the end of the bathtub to enable him to rest his weary head on the folded towel he placed beneath his neck. Utter, utter bliss.
* * *
He awoke with a start when he heard the door open in the passage beyond and realised his wonderfully warm bath was now stone cold at almost the same moment he realised he was probably about to be caught sat in it. To spare his blushes, and his unsuspecting visitor’s, Joe draped the damp towel he had been using as a pillow over his privates as the footsteps turned the corner and his visitor almost blinded him with a lamp.
‘Excuse me!’
Bella hadn’t been expecting to see the cause of her insomnia when she’d come down to brew some tea. She certainly hadn’t expected seeing him hair damp, blue eyes wide and naked from the waist up. He did look rather splendid if, indeed, a little startled. Those broad shoulders she had often admired looked much nicer uncovered, his skin appeared golden in the soft lamplight and the fine chest, more suited to a burly labourer than a doctor, had an intriguing dusting of dark hair which narrowed and disappeared under the water. Her eyes were positively drinking in the sight and were in no great hurry to stop.
‘Hello, Bella. I didn’t mean to frighten you.’
‘What are you doing? It’s well past midnight.’ And he still looked tired. Something which had become an increasing cause for concern in the last few days. ‘You promised me faithfully you would be in bed by ten.’
‘I did, or I meant to be in it thereabouts, but I must have nodded off.’
He smiled weakly, making him look boyish and mischievous at the same time. Thank goodness he was not wearing his spectacles. A wet Joe was magnificent, making Bella quite dizzy and off-kilter. A wet Joe in his eyeglasses would be devastating. ‘I don’t suppose you could fetch me another towel, this one is no longer fit for purpose.’ Her eyes followed his downwards to his lap. The linen towel across it clung translucent in places, further flustering her. He was naked from the waist down, too! Of course he was. He was in the bath.
‘Yes. Certainly.’ She almost tripped over her own feet as she scrabbled towards the cupboard. Grabbing a huge pile of towels, she scurried back and tried and then failed not to ogle him some more.
‘What are you doing up?’
‘I couldn’t sleep. I came to make a cup of tea.’
‘That sounds lovely. A nice cup of tea would warm me up. I’m freezing.’ Words which made her notice the droplets of water on his erect nipples and the raised goosebumps on his beautifully sculpted arms. Goosebumps which made the fine dark hairs on his forearms stand up. All at once, she had the urge to run her hands all over them to see if he truly was as gloriously solid as she suspected.
‘R-right. Tea for two.’ Good gracious, Bella felt peculiar. All hot and jerky and scandalously grateful for the splendid sight of him sat in the altogether. ‘Would you like something to eat as well? I think we have some fruitcake left. Would you like some fruitcake? Or I could make some toast. That might be better. The toast will warm you up.’ Good lord! She was still staring at him and now he was grinning, as though he knew exactly what had sent her in a tizzy. ‘I’ll turn around!’ Bella spun so fast she knocked her elbow hard on the table, howled in pain and then cringed as he laughed.
‘I do like it when you blush.’
Blush seemed such an inadequate word for what had happened to her skin. It was burning so red, if she plunged it into the cold water in his bath, it would hiss and bubble like a kettle. ‘You caught me unawares.’
‘At least you are decent.’ She heard the sucking sounds of the water as he stood up and tried not to imagine what a completely naked, wet Joe looked like. Thoroughly indecent, she hoped, and then shocked herself with the uncharacteristic carnality of her wayward thoughts. She heard him rub himself briskly with a towel and, after what seemed like an eternity, heard the whisper of cloth being pulled over his skin. ‘There. You’re safe to turn around now.’
Relieved, Bella did and wished she hadn’t. All he was wearing was a pair of soft breeches and a billowing shirt he hadn’t bothered doing up. Where his skin was damp, it clung to the exact muscles she had wanted to touch moments before and the shadow of the dark hair on his chest and the tiny bit visible at his throat left her mouth dry and her tongue sluggish. ‘Oil make... I mean, I’ll make the tea them. I mean then—not them!’ Not only was she talking nonsense, but her voice had gone high-pitched. Her face felt so hot she needn’t bother with the toasting fork. If she held two slices of bread against her cheeks, they would be crisp and brown in seconds. If ever there was a time for a tact
ical retreat, now was probably it. ‘Better still, I’ll just go. I think I’ve made enough of a fool of myself for one night.’
‘Sorry—but I can’t let you do that.’ She felt Joe’s hand clasp hers and he gently tugged her to face him. ‘Not when the sight of me in my birthday suit has...vexed you so.’
As there was no denying it, Bella covered her flaming face with her hands. ‘I’m embarrassed.’
‘I know.’ She didn’t need to see his expression to hear his amusement.
He knew she had ogled him. Of course he did. Not much got past the brilliant physician. ‘I didn’t mean to look.’
‘And I didn’t mind you looking.’ The tone of his voice had dropped. Quieter. Deeper. Like melted butter. ‘In fact, I am vastly relieved the sight of me didn’t horrify you.’
How could it? The man was gorgeous. Six feet and more of golden muscle. Muscle arranged more perfectly than muscle had ever sat on a human skeleton. Not one of her anatomy books had prepared her for the sight.
‘Would you be horrified if I kissed you?’ Would she? Probably not. ‘Only, it’s been a week since the last time and you look so beautiful when you blush.’ Bella felt his hands slide around her waist and felt no urge to pull away. She waited for him to make the next move, and when he didn’t she risked peeking through her fingers, only to find him staring down at her affectionately. ‘You have to be willing, Bella.’ He caught her hands and placed them flat against his chest. ‘You need to grant me permission to kiss you, else I won’t.’ That he was giving her control showed what a wonderful, intuitive man he was. Being out of control, powerless and at another’s mercy still frightened her, even though she knew Joe and that monster were nothing alike.
A Warriner to Tempt Her Page 20
