Page 21 of A Touch of Charm
“Were your parents wealthy?” Stan asked.
Andre pursed his lips. He’d said too much, indeed.
“There were three of us. I had a brother and a sister, and hiring someone to provide our education was worth it.” There, that should explain away the expense of a governess for a doctor. Did Stan know that Andre’s father was a famous doctor indeed?
Stan arched a brow. “Was that in Florence? During Napoleon’s rule?”
Thea inclined her head. “Is that when your family fled to Vienna? It is where you said you studied.”
He had undoubtedly overstepped; his royal guests were adept at discerning double entendres and reading between the lines.
“I should let you get some rest.” Andre made for the door. “Stan, call me if you need anything. I’ll be in my chambers upstairs, the second door on the right.”
Andre shut the door and hurried up the stairs, a storm brewing inside him. As he locked his chamber door, he leaned against it, wishing he could lock away his thoughts just as quickly.
The night had been chaotic, but it wasn’t the chaos that troubled him the most. It was the sight of Thea and Stan coming together after so long apart. It made him long for his family, who felt like shadows from another life. Would they even recognize him now? He hadn’t tried since before he’d gone to India, but what if he’d given up the hope of finding his family too soon? The thought that they might still be alive somewhere tugged at his heart.
But finding them meant giving up the life he had built as Dr. Andre Fernando. It was a life he had carefully crafted, one where his past remained hidden. Yet, with Thea, his heart refused to stay silent. Her presence stirred feelings he shouldn’t have. Protecting her was his duty, but it was her heart he wanted to shield, not just her safety.
Andre was no warrior like Stan, skilled in handling danger and diplomacy. He was a healer, grounded in the quiet of his practice. Yet, for Thea, he would brave the unknown. The chill of the night seeped into his bones, but all he could think about was the warmth of her gaze. In the quiet of his chambers, he made a silent promise. For now, he’d keep their secrets safe, all while staying as far away from her as possible.
*
The next day,Thea blinked at the clock on the desk and realized it was a little after eight in the morning. She needed a moment to realize where she was, that her brother was in the room next door, and she was curled up under a thin white sheet, her back stiff from sleeping without moving. Books about refraction, lenses, and a careful sketch of what seemed like angles of light coming into an eye with various numbers scribbled on the sides lay on the desk. She was quickly reminded that she was in the oculist’s room at the practice.
Andre’s practice—the handsome and exceptionally kind man who had inexplicably but wholeheartedly earned her and her brother’s trust.
What an odd and rare thought. Thea shook her head. Andre must be quite exceptional for the royal family of Transylvania to find someone who earned their trust so quickly.
Thea wanted to know more about him. He had an air of elegance as if he were bred to be a prince himself, and yet he was strong like a sawyer or woodsman back home, working with large logs of heavy wood.
Warmth spread through her when she considered how hard his chest had been when Stan shoved her against him in the dark of night, when the men had attacked. The unease in her chest built relentlessly.
Before she could think about her brother’s imposed rule, that the dashing Italian doctor would accompany her wherever she went, the commotion outside the door caught her attention. She glanced through the open connecting door and saw that Mary had made her bed just as Thea had taught her.
“Thea?” Stan groaned as he turned on the doorknob and grimaced when he tried to move his arm to wave to her in lieu of a “good morning.”
“Someone’s busy,” she said, stepping to the standing looking glass in the corner next to the bed. “I have to find Mary and send a note to her parents. They must be sick with worry by now.” Thea tried to iron out the folds of her dress and pulled out the pins from her hair.
A few strokes through her hair tamed her blonde curls just enough so that she could twist them into a knot atop her head and secure them with the pins she’d pulled out.
“In here?” Mary’s muffled voice came from outside the door an instant before the knob turned, and she stepped in. “Miss Thea?”
“Yes, dear,” Thea rushed to the door and opened it, surprised to find Mary with a bonnet on her head and a little disheveled but cheerful and carrying two cups of coffee.
“Where did you find a new bonnet?” Thea asked bewildered.
“Andre gave me the one from the doll in the children’s corner. You know where the watercolors are?” Thea wrinkled her forehead.
“Where?”
“In the waiting area!” Mary slapped her hand on her forehead. “He gave me this toy cat, too.” She held up a wooden cat. “Her name is Lady Felicity Whiskers, she’s a figurine.” Then she pointed to the cups. “This is for you and your brother.”
Yes, brother. Good, Mary didn’t know who they were.
They were lukewarm, and Thea’s heart melted at the thought that Andre must have ensured Mary wouldn’t carry hot liquid.
Andre appeared with a small parcel tied with string. “Good morning.” He bowed to Thea and cast a look at Stan. “How do you feel?”
