Page 47 of A Baron's Disguised Lady
“I know you’re not, but that’s how it seems to Wilhelmina, I’m sure. Now, why don’t you go and change out of your muddy dress. You’ll feel better for that,” she said, and Lavinia nodded.
It was a curious feeling—to think of herself as competing with another for Archie’s affections. In Lavinia’s mind, therewasno competition. She did not want to compete with Wilhelmina, and she had no intention of doing so. If Archie had feelings for her, so be it, but her own feelings towards him were confused and uncertain. She liked him, but she did not know how he felt about her, and as for pursuing a courtship… well, that would have to wait.
He needs to know the truth about his sister first,she thought. For that was what mattered most, even as she admitted to herself that the thought of romance was certainly a pleasant one.
Chapter 16
My dear Mr. Trent, thank you for your kind words in your most recent letter, and for the enclosure of the rent owing on your farm. I am sending it back to you, with interest on my part, asking that you use the money, not to pay me, but to seek out a physician who will help your wife.
You write to tell me paying the rent is a matter of honor on your part, but I write to tell you there is no honor in loss, and beg you to consult one of the physicians whose details I include here. You will use my name as guarantor and have the bill for the difference sent directly to me. Any further costs you may incur will be covered by the estate. I will visit you in due course, and I hope to find your wife’s health greatly improved.
Yours, most sincerely,
The Baron Sarum.
Archie signed the letter, slipping several shilling notes into the accompanying envelope and sealing it with a wax seal bearing the Sarum coat of arms.
The situation concerning his tenants at Longmeadow Farm had concerned him. Arthur Trent was a proud and stubborn man, and Archie’s insistence on his not paying the rent until his wife was better had been met with resistance. But she wasdying, and Archie had no intention of burdening the family with unnecessary debt, and Mr. Trent was insistent on paying his rent. Archie was just as insistent on giving it back to him.
He had watched from his study window as Wilhelmina had ridden away in her carriage. He hoped it would be the last he would see of her—at last in such an intimate setting. But society was limited in the district of Salisbury, and Archie had no doubt his snub of Wilhelmina would not go uncommented over.
She’ll be seething,he thought to himself, smiling at the thought of having remained stubborn in his refusal to agree to whatever she had come to the house for, in the hope of his agreeing to it.
But there had been another reason why Archie had held back from having anything more to do with Wilhelmina. His walk that morning with Lavinia had made him realize his growing feelings for her. They had taken him by surprise, and he still felt confused as to what they meant, or how they might be pursued. He liked her—more than that, he found her intriguing.
She was not like other women, and she was certainly not like Wilhelmina. She had a natural curiosity about her, and seeing her evident delight in the garden that morning had been a joy. She did not hold back her opinions, nor did she hide behind her words. What she said was what she meant, and it was both refreshing and somewhat terrifying at the same time. Archie wondered what her true opinion of him would be—if he was to ask.
She probably thinks I’m a terrible bore—obsessed with discovering the truth about Gwendolene to the expense of everything else,he thought to himself, even as he reminded himself of the importance of doing just that.
Whatever his feelings for Lavinia, Archie knew they would always be tempered by the questions he still had about Gwendolene, and only when those questions were answered, would he have peace.
Now, who else needs my attention?
Returning to his pile of correspondence, he heard the sound of horse’s hooves outside, and looked out of the window. Archie was stunned to see a horse and trap carrying Doctor Airdale and his assistant.
As the trap pulled up at the house, the assistant jumped down, helping the doctor, who now walked with a stick. Archie hurried out of his study, meeting Hargreaves in the hallway, the butler having seen the arrival, too.
“My Lord…” the butler said, but Archie now opened the door before Hargreaves had a chance to do so, anxious to hear whatever news the doctor was bringing.
“Doctor Airdale?” he called out, as the doctor, supported by his assistant, Connor Doyle, struggled up the steps to the front door.
“My Lord, forgive me—I had to come at once. Is there somewhere we could talk in private?” he asked, and Archie ushered him into the hallway.
“My study, yes, please, come this way, Doctor Airdale. Have you found something?” Archie asked, his heart beating fast, his mind filled with possibilities as to why the doctor should have come to Sarum Lacy House with such haste.
“Shall I inform her Ladyship, My Lord?” Hargreaves asked, but Archie shook his head.
He wanted to hear the account for himself, and he would be the one to decide what to do with the information he learned. For a moment, he thought about asking the butler to summon Lavinia, but Archie could not wait. He had to know, and shaking his head, he hurried the doctor and his assistant into the study.
“No, thank you, Hargreaves. I’ll speak to Doctor Airdale alone,” he said, closing the door behind them before the butler had a chance to reply.
The assistant helped the doctor into a chair by the hearth, and Archie looked at them both expectantly. He wanted to know thetruth—that something was wrong with the powder, or nothing was wrong with it. If the latter was true, everything had been in vain, but if the former were true?
“My Lord, I’m afraid I have some… troubling news to share,” Doctor Airdale said.
Archie’s heart skipped a beat, and he nodded, glancing at Connor, who took a piece of paper out of his pocket, unfolding it and clearing his throat.
“The dental powder contained traces of cherry laurel—laurel water,” he said.
