Page 68 of A Sight to Behold
They set Truffles into a wicker breadbasket, softly cushioned with white muslin folded into a makeshift bunny pillow so he could sleep off the laudanum’s effects. Then, they moved into the hall and spoke in hushed voices, Chromius following them.
Alfie cleared his throat and put a hand on Nick’s upper arm. It was a signal to rise to action. But he addressed Pippa. “So, am I understanding this correctly? Your father has been using the money you cannot access, but that’s part of your inheritance to pay for the quack, and your stepmother plans a slander campaign against the Harley Street doctors. Againstallof us?”
“I think she sent Wife Four and Wife Five to him, but then sent them away. I’m not sure why. All I do know is that she has been planning this all along,” Pippa said softly.
“So, through Wife Six’s connections at the Ton, she could spread fabricated stories or allegations about us, damaging our reputation and causing patients to question our credibility.” Alfie dropped into one of the chairs placed in the hall for patients, but he put his head between his legs and then rubbed his eyes with the bases of his palms. “It could be the end of us.”
Nick’s heart hurt as if infected with the ugly truth. He’d brought this lady to 87 Harley Street, and she could wipe their practice out. If the Duke of Sussex weren’t her father, Nick could expose him and seek the truth. But having compromised and fallen in love with the duke’s daughter, Nick had lost even the little credibility a commoner had who pleaded to the aristocrats.No, if he wanted to save the practice and marry Pippa, he needed more fire power.
“Alfie,” Nick croaked. He couldn’t look at her anymore. It had been such an exhausting day he didn’t have the power to withstand heartbreak tonight. He didn’t even know if he had the power to survive losing Pippa.
Yet, she wasn’t who he’d hoped. She wasn’t the sweet wallflower princess with the pretty greenhouse. She was a minx who’d stolen his heart, who had a weak father who was made to be addicted to hallucinogenic mushroom caps with regular and involuntary doses. If Nick didn’t succeed, the life of the woman he loved could be in danger.
His throat constricted at the word. It had started as a flirtation, but it wasn’t that anymore.
Not by far.
His hands grew cold, but the fire raged within him.
This was love, and he knew it. Yet Pippa’s family, even the stepmother she loathed, stood between them and Nick knew no way out.
Heartbreak seemed so sure as if it had been noted in his appointment book.
Except that he wasn’t willing to let go of her either.
There was no way he could sacrifice the practice for a life with her, and yet, he wouldn’t let go of the future they’d whispered about in hours of passion. He’d made love to her. Perhaps she was already carrying his child? Their hearts and souls had been inseparable; if anything or anyone ever tried to tear them apart now, he’d perish.
No, he wouldn’t allow it.
The quack was an obstacle, and her association with him, even indirectly, was an unexpected complication. But Nick specialized in complications, didn’t he? He had a perfect trackrecord of tackling the most unusual cases. He just had to apply what he did in the operating room to his life.
Step 1: Diagnosis.
Done. The quack planned on slandering the practice to destroy everything Nick and his friends had worked for. Plus, Wendy. Oh, Wendy. She was his family, his responsibility.
His chest tightened again. He had to fix it. There was no way he could stand between loving Pippa and his sister’s happiness. He wouldn’t sacrifice Wendy’s happiness and security to pursue a life with Pippa, unless…
Step 2: Prep for surgery.
“How can we get ahead of their scheme?” Nick paced the room and waved grandly like his professor in Vienna when he spoke about the branches of the optic nerve. It was easy to get to the brain and determine if it was operating well. “Who’s in charge of the money?”
“The trustees at the bank manage it. My father only manages the portion related to our house.” Pippa narrowed her eyes and spoke as if she were thinking something other than what she said. Her eyes were glued to Nick. He understood. She was hanging on to his every word. One wrong movement, one wrong word, and he’d break her heart.
He was an expert at controlling even the tiniest of motions, though. The portion of the body he operated on was delicate and small, regardless of how big the patient was. He had a steady hand.
All he needed was a steady head.
“How can you stop the money from reaching your father?” Nick asked.
Alfie shot him a poisonous look, but Nick brushed the unspoken reproach off. It wasn’t about taking her money, even if this were what everyone would think. It was about setting herfree and ensuring that her father’s slander would land on deaf ears.
“The only way is if I marry, and my husband is immediately in charge of the funds.”
“The funds are your entire inheritance?” Alfie asked.
Pippa nodded. “It’s a fortune, actually.”
“How big of a fortune?”
