The Baron's Malady: A Smithfield Market Regency Romance

by Rose Pearson

  Sam chuckled, putting his hand on her shoulder. “No, of course not. That’s not what I meant.”

  “Then what did you mean?” Josephine asked, feeling confused. “I don’t understand.”

  Sam chuckled again and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Look sharp now, the doctor’s coming over.”

  Josephine rolled her eyes at Sam, her spirits lifting from their gloom at his good humor. “Doctor Thomas,” she began, turning her gaze back to the doctor. “What is it that you need me to do?”

  Doctor Thomas smiled, his expression looking a good deal brighter than she had ever seen before. “It looks as though the epidemic is finally lifting,” he said, his eyes filled with relief. “Miss Wells is to be taken back to her townhouse tomorrow morning and I will visit there each afternoon and evening, to ensure that her recovery continues without any problems.”

  A little surprised, Josephine felt rather than saw Sam’s sharp glance, but deliberately kept her expression blank. “I see,” she replied, calmly. “Her father’s house is nearby, isn’t it?”

  The doctor nodded. “It is. With fewer patients, I feel as though I can leave here now and again and let you take over. That is not going to overwhelm you, is it?”

  Josephine shook her head. “No, of course not. I understand completely.”

  The doctor let out a long sigh. “It will be good for me to get out of this place for a time,” he said, running one hand through his hair as he turned to look at the remaining patients. “I have had quite enough of living in a basement filled with disease and death.”

  His voice took on a haunted tone and, for the first time, Josephine realized just how much of a strain this had been to Doctor Thomas. She felt her heart go out to him, her admiration growing steadily.

  “You have been a blessing to so many people, Doctor Thomas,” she said, softly. “I know that there are many who owe their lives to you.”

  Doctor Thomas gave a half shrug, his expression wry. “I will choose not to reflect on how many we lost,” he replied, his voice a little thin. “But yet, Josephine, I will be glad to leave this place behind. I have not forgotten you, either. You will have a room of your own that is connected to my practice, so long as you are still willing to aid me in my work?”

  Relief enveloped Josephine and she nodded fervently, filled with the knowledge that she would, at least, have a home and a purpose in life. She would not end up on the streets again. Doctor Thomas had been faithful to his word.

  “I would be glad to, Doctor,” she replied, as Sam grinned at her. “Thank you.”

  Doctor Thomas nodded, before glancing over his shoulder to where Miss Wells lay, her face puckered in a frown.

  “She needs something to drink and a little more broth,” he muttered, half to himself. “I should help her. Excuse me.”

  Josephine nodded and watched him go, feeling a good deal happier than she had been.

  “I will miss you,” Sam murmured, his voice now a little hoarse as he evidently battled with his emotions. “We’ve become like family, these last few weeks.”

  Josephine turned to him, her heart stopping for a moment. “Where will you go, Sam?”

  He shrugged. “The doctor don’t need me, Josephine. I’ll find my own way somehow.”

  “I’m sure Doctor Thomas would be more than happy to help you,” Josephine insisted. “I know he –”

  Sam help up one hand. “He’s offered but I refused,” he interrupted, gently. “The doctor is a kind man and gave me some coins to help me on my way, when I wouldn’t accept his offer. I’ll find my own way in the world, just like I always have done.”

  Josephine shook her head. “Sam, no. You cannot just go back to the London streets, not after all you have done.” A sudden thought caught her mind. “Why not ask Lord Dunstable for employment?”

  Sam laughed harshly. “And what would I do? I can’t be a footman!”

  “The gardener, then. Or a stable hand!” Josephine exclaimed, refusing to let the idea drop. “Please, Sam. Let me help you in the same way that you’ve helped so many.”

  There was a long silence before Sam, finally, nodded.

  “Thank you,” Josephine breathed, one hand on his arm. “I know he’d be glad to help you, Sam. He’s a good, kind man and I know he’ll have something for you to do.”

  “If you say so,” Sam replied, a touch doubtfully.

  “I’ll write the letter today and have Doctor Thomas hand it to him when Miss Wells is taken home tomorrow,” Josephine replied, firmly. “Don’t you worry, Sam. You’ll have a place of your own too, soon enough.”

  Sam let out a slow breath and Josephine was surprised to see tears sparkling in his eyes. She’d known that Sam had always had a bit of a difficult life, what with his limp, but had never imagined that the thought of returning to it would be so difficult.

  “I’ll miss you all the more,” Sam muttered, dashing one hand over his eyes. “You’re a blessing to everyone who surrounds you, Josephine. Don’t you go forgetting that.”

  She smiled and put her hand on his. “Thank you, Sam,” she replied, quietly, her heart no longer as pained and as sore as it had once been. Perhaps she did have a family, in a way. She did have friends and now, she had a place to stay and a purpose for her life. In time, what she felt for Lord Dunstable would fade and she would find her heart free once more. For the moment, she would simply endure.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “How is she, Doctor Thomas?”

  Doctor Thomas came down the last few steps and inclined his head as he came near to Gideon. “She is improving slowly, my lord. I have given her some medicine and the maid is now feeding her broth. Miss Wells will require a good rest thereafter, so I would not disturb her for some hours.” Setting down his bag, he let out a long breath. “I fear that she may be weakened for a prolonged length of time, however. She may require a good deal of care and may never have a strong constitution again.”

  Gideon swallowed, his once happy future slowly evaporating. He had once had the intention of coming to London to speak to Georgina in order to bring their engagement to an end so that he might declare himself to Josephine, but now that moment had passed. He could not turn his back on Georgina now, not when it was obvious she needed someone desperately. She needed him to take care of her, to help restore her to her full strength – just as Josephine had done for his mother, his sister and for him.

  “She will recover, my lord,” Doctor Thomas said, gently, putting one hand on Gideon’s arm, thinking him to be distraught over Georgina’s condition. “It will just take time.”

  Gideon smiled and nodded, shaking off his dark thoughts. This was not the time to be selfish and to consider all he had lost and all that could have been. This was the time to consider Georgiana and what it was she required of him. He had made a promise and now it was time for him to fulfill it.

  He would marry her, just as he had agreed. The love he felt for Josephine would have to linger on in his heart and mind but it would never find fulfillment. It was nothing more than a dark, painful memory that caught at his mind and tore at it, hard. He would never be able to make her his wife. That was a dream he would have to forget. Georgina was his future and he was determined now to be entirely devoted to that.

  “I have sent some of my men out to see if they can find her father,” he explained, as the doctor picked up his bag. “I fear he too has fallen ill with the fever, for he is not in his estate and or is he in London.”

  The doctor nodded slowly, his expression grave. “Miss Wells has been asking for him but I thought it best to leave such questions to you,” he replied, quietly. “I will come back this evening to see how she fares, if that pleases you.”

  “Of course,” Gideon exclaimed at once. “Georgina must have the best of care, doctor.”

  The doctor smiled. “And so she shall. Oh, I almost forgot.” He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Gideon. “Josephine has written to you and asked me to deliver it. She hop
es you will be able to give her an answer by this evening.”

  Gideon’s heart picked up speed. “An answer?” he repeated, looking at the letter in confusion. “About what?”

  Chuckling, the doctor lifted one shoulder. “She would not say but I hardly think it will be anything too terrible, my lord,” he replied, as Gideon tried to wipe the astonished expression from his face. “Josephine is a remarkable young woman and I am quite sure that whatever it is contained in that letter will be for either your good or someone else’s.”

  “Where is she to go, once this epidemic lifts?” Gideon asked, unable to prevent himself from ensuring that Josephine would be quite safe. “Does she have somewhere to go?”

  A smile caught Doctor Thomas’ lips. “She is to help me, Lord Dunstable. I have a small practice with a room adjoining it that currently lies empty. She can live there and assist me with the daily workings of the practice.”

  Gideon nodded, feeling almost hollow inside as he realized just how far apart their worlds would be, once again. “I am glad to hear it.”

  “I would not let her go back onto the streets, not after the work she has done,” Doctor Thomas finished, putting on his hat. “It is good of you to think of her, my lord.”

  “How could I not, after all she did for my family?” Gideon asked, a little hoarsely. “Thank you for this letter, doctor. Please assure Josephine that I will have my answer ready and waiting for you this evening.”

  The doctor smiled, nodded and excused himself, leaving Gideon standing alone in the hallway with the letter in his hand. The letter that Josephine had written.

  Looking down at it, Gideon felt his heart fill with thoughts of her all over again. He was so desperately torn and yet he knew that he really did not have any particular choice in what he did as regarded his engagement. It would have been quite different had Georgina not become ill but as things now stood, he had no opportunity to step away from it as he had planned.

  Feeling the need to be somewhere private, Gideon walked into the empty drawing-room, sat down by the fire and opened the letter. Reading it quickly, he felt his shoulders slump, his spirits sinking low. There was no profession of love, no words of sweetness or the like – not that he should have expected there to be, of course, given that he had already made his position quite clear to her. Instead, she was simply asking that he extend a kindness towards the older man who had been working at the Devil’s basement alongside herself and Doctor Thomas. Sam, his name was, and whilst Josephine made it clear that he would never be a footman or valet, she thought he would do well as a stable hand or gardener.

  It was not in Gideon’s heart to refuse. He knew who Sam was, recalling how the older man had limped slightly as he’d made his way from bed to bed. He had always presumed that Sam had somewhere to go once the epidemic was over, but perhaps he had been wrong.

  Sighing heavily, he folded up the letter and put it back in his pocket. He would, of course, write to Josephine and ensure that Sam was taken back to his estate, once the disease had enjoyed its fill of London. To give the older man a livelihood and security was the least Gideon could do, after all Sam had done to help others.

  Rubbing his hand over his eyes, Gideon tried to let all he thought and felt for Josephine simply fade away. He longed to feel something for Georgina, even in her weakened state, but his heart simply refused to warm to her. She was not Josephine. That was the crux of it. As far as Gideon was concerned, there was no other. And yet, to do what was right meant having both his and Josephine’s heart broken.

  He had no doubt that Josephine cared for him also, even though she had not said as much. The memories of the time they’d spent together lingered on in his mind and Gideon smiled to himself as he thought of them. How she had laughed when he’d tried to help her with the cooking, mocking him gently and bringing a flush of heat to his face. He had not known what to do or how to help but had done his best to do so and she had appreciated him for that. When they had walked down by the lake, he had felt his thoughts so much in turmoil that he had struggled to get those words of affection from his lips and yet she had not turned away from him. She had stayed in his arms, looking at him as though he were both the most wonderful and the most terrifying man in the world.

  Of course, then the fever had taken him and he had lost himself within it, only to declare his love for her in a single moment of clarity before delving back into his delirium. At least she knew that he cared for her, he thought, his brows furrowing together as he remembered being lost in the heat and the pain of the fever.

  And then, something else came into his mind.

  A kiss.

  His eyes closed tightly as he struggled to bring that memory back completely. A kiss? He had not kissed Josephine, had he? Surely he had not had the strength to raise himself from his bed and press his lips to hers! Which meant that it must have been she who had kissed him.

  Trying to still himself completely, Gideon let his mind fill with nothing but thoughts of Josephine. Slowly, it began to come clear in his mind. He had felt the sensation of her lips on his and had not been able to move, had not been able to reciprocate despite the desperate longing of his heart.

  “Why do I love you?”

  His lips spoke the words aloud, the cloud of darkness clearing for a moment as he remembered what she had whispered just after she had kissed him. Her wretched words brought him a sharp pain, realizing just how tormented she had been in the knowledge that she loved him but yet would never be able to find the fulfillment of that love. His breathing was ragged as he opened his eyes, startled to find dampness on his cheeks. This memory, whilst wonderful, had made it all the more painful to him. Their love was to be unrequited, it seemed. He had gone from a man who did not think that love was of any importance to a marriage, to being a man so deeply in love that he could hardly bear the thought of being without it. He sat back and let the tears come. They flowed down his cheeks, unabated, bringing with them the fresh sting of a broken heart.

  “I am to retire, I think.”

  Gideon saw the butler bow and noted how pale the gentleman was. “I think you should ensure that both you and the rest of your staff rest well this evening,” Gideon continued, with a little more firmness than perhaps the butler intended, for he started visibly and looked aghast at Gideon.

  “If I have been failing in my duties, my lord, then I can only apologize,” the man stammered, still horrified by what Gideon had suggested. “I –”

  “No, no, you quite misunderstand me,” Gideon replied, with a broad smile. “I do not mean that you and the staff are doing poorly, but rather that I know full well what it is like to recover from scarlet fever.” He saw the butler visibly relax and got to his feet, wanting to calm the gentleman further. “You are short of staff, I know, but I only intend to reside here with Miss Georgina and her companion for a short time. Then, when her companion is well enough to take care of Miss Georgina, I shall return to my estate to make the necessary preparations for her there, once we are wed. You must not overburden yourself or the rest of the staff during this time. I am quite content, truly.”

  The butler inclined his head, his features a good deal more relaxed. “I quite understand, my lord,” he replied, quietly. “I thank you for your consideration. I will make sure the staff take a rest tomorrow morning, as you have suggested.”

  “And I will not require anything until noon, I should think,” Gideon replied, glancing at the clock and realizing just how late it was. “And even then, it will just be coffee and something simple to eat.”

  The butler nodded. “Of course, my lord. Is there anything else?”

  “No. I thank you.” Dismissing the butler, Gideon looked about the drawing room for his book and, picking it up, made his way to the door. Walking quickly up the staircase to where his bedchamber was – as far away from Miss Georgina’s bedchamber as possible, Gideon reflected on the fact that were things as they normally were in London, this would all be seen as quite improper. Georgina�
��s reputation would be ruined and they would have been wed almost immediately. However, as things stood, this was perfectly acceptable, especially since Georgina’s father could not be found.

  Making sure to walk quietly along the hallway so as not to disturb Georgina, whom he expected to be sleeping, Gideon was suddenly caught by the sound of voices coming from her bedchamber. Thinking that it was a chattering maid, he made to turn around and give the young girl a piece of his mind, instructing her that the lady of the house needed to rest, only to come to a dead stop as he realized there was a low voice coming from the room. This was no maid, and it certainly was not Georgina’s companion who, from the sound of the snores coming from the next bedchamber, was not sitting with Georgina, deep in conversation.

  “Really, Doctor Thomas, you are jesting!”

  Gideon blinked rapidly, a little surprised to hear Georgina’s voice so filled with life when she had barely said a word to him that afternoon when he had visited her. Indeed, she had been sitting up against the pillows but had not looked as though she wished to talk with him. He had tried for some minutes to ask her how she was and what he might do for her, but she had simply stated that she was quite all right but a little tired and needed to rest. Of course, understanding the weakness that came after the fever, he had left her be but now to hear her talking and laughing with Doctor Thomas, it made Gideon wonder whether or not she had been entirely truthful with him.

  “Are you to stay in London, Miss Wells?”

  Gideon closed his eyes, trying to force himself to step away, to leave the conversation to be between Doctor Thomas and Georgina alone, and yet he could not.

  “Please, Doctor Thomas, do call me Georgina,” he heard Georgina say. “You have done so much for me already and I do find the propriety of it all a little ridiculous when I am here, practically swaddled in sheets!”