Page 6 of The Pureblood Daughter
The thought goes straight to her heart, and its galloping fervor can be maintained no longer. Adelina gasps, her fingers grasping at her chest.
“Miss Gray?”
“I-I’m fine,” she says, standing so quickly that her chair tumbles over.
Across the garden, Lady Gray is already on her feet, calling out to Rose as she moves down the stairs on the veranda.
Lord Rosetti is at Adelina’s side in a moment, his hand hovering near her waist but never touching it. His eyes are narrowed and rimmed in lashes black as a starless night, and for the briefest moment, Adelina finds solace in them. Perhaps here, in his gaze, she could dance without stumbling, paint without trembling, love without wanting for anything more.
And then that peace is stolen away. Her chest squeezes like a vise. It becomes difficult to draw breath, and though her corset strings are loose, she feels as though someone is straining at the laces.
“Dearest,” Lady Gray says as she takes Adelina by the arm. “We must get you out of this heat. Please excuse us, Lord Rosetti.” She begins to lead Adelina toward the house just as Rose appears in the open doorway. The lady’s maid takes Adelina’s hand, supporting her as they move up the stairs to the veranda. But before they pass through the open doors, Adelina glances back.
Lord Rosetti stands in the garden, still as a Nollekens sculpture, his eyes dark and troubled.
And then Adelina is whisked away, and she can do little more than follow and gasp for breath.
“Her heart rate is elevated, but nothing else seems to be amiss,” Dr. Parsons says as he steps back from Adelina’s bed. She sits propped against her pillows, her blankets tucked around her despite the summer heat. This is the second time in two days he’s been called to her bedside.
“But somethingmustbe the matter,” Lady Gray says, hovering over the doctor as he closes his large leather bag. “The shakes, the fainting.” She glances at Adelina apologetically, a smile barely gracing her pink lips.
“I understand your concern, Lady Gray, but there’s nothing I can do.” The doctor glances back at Adelina, his small eyes sharp as a scalpel.
She’s never liked the man; his presence has always felt intrusive. Why her father insists upon using his services, she doesn’t know.
“Is Lord Gray present?” he asks, dismissive as ever.
“No. He’s out,” Lady Gray says as she puts a hand to her perspiring forehead.
“Very well. Until next time, then. Lady Gray. Miss Gray.” He nods his balding head before leaving the room, and Adelina finally sinks back into the pillows.
“It was just the heat,” she says as her mother moves toward the bed. “I’m sure some rest will fix me right up.”
Lady Gray sits beside her and reaches out to touch her cheek. “I’m so sorry, my dear. No one deserves this, least of all you.” Her brown eyes glisten with tears, and Adelina holds her mother’s hand close to her cheek.
“Don’t cry, Mama. What I lack in vitality I most surely make up for in love. You need not shed tears for me.”
Lady Gray pulls away and dabs gracefully at her tears. “Oh, stop that now. You’ll only make me weep.” A smile sweeps across her face, her eyes crinkling in the corners. “What do you need? Rose can bring up some tea.”
“No, no. I’ll just rest a bit. I’d like to have dinner with you and Papa. Have Rose wake me?”
“Of course.” Lady Gray leans in and presses her lips to Adelina’s forehead. “And later you can tell me all about the viscount. He seems taken with you.” She pats Adelina’s leg lightly, her lips curling playfully.
Smiling, Adelina sinks deeper into the pillows and closes her eyes. Lady Gray’s weight leaves the bed, skirts swishing as she moves. Only when the door has clicked closed and her mother’s footsteps have retreated down the hall does Adelina open her eyes.
She stares at the window as the drapery billows in the breeze. The smile she put on for her mother is gone, replaced with a frown and a deep longing—for health, for the ability to dance, forlove. Lord Rosetti’s face, with his troubled lips and tumultuous green eyes, comes to mind and is the last thing Adelina sees before she slips into a restful sleep.
“Welcome home, Papa!” Adelina sweepsacross the dining room, much rejuvenated after her nap, and greets her father with a kiss.
“One might think I’d been off fighting for fair England,” he says cheerfully as she wraps her arms around him. “You do flatter me, dear.”
“Only so much as you deserve.” Adelina smiles at him before moving to take a seat between her parents. If she displays vigor, perhaps they can avoid speaking of what happened in the garden—or on the dance floor. “Do tell us about your day,” she says as the staff begin to bring dinner into the room.
The table becomes decorated with glistening dishes: artichoke soup, savory pies, pickled vegetables. Adelina eats and smiles and asks her father questions, all the while trying to hide the trembling of her fingers.
Only when dessert has been consumed does Lord Gray sit back and level his eyes on Adelina. “And what of your day? I hear you had a caller.” He arches a brow, and Adelina looks to her mother.
“She did.” Lady Gray dabs at her lips and smiles. “Lord Rosetti came to call, and they were enjoying a lovely conversation in the garden until—”
