Page 29 of Elixir of a Duchess' Passion
She quickly blinked and turned her gaze away from it so as not to let on that she had seen. It was just one more thing to add to her list of reasons for being so sure that she knew what was afflicting him.
“Perhaps you ought to change it and see if it affects your ailment, My Lord?” Melissa suggested. “I would like to prescribe a diet of fresh fruit, vegetables, and grains. Eat meat and drink alcohol sparingly. Try to stick with milder teas and blander foods and see how your stomach feels.”
With that, she placed her used cloths in a separate compartment in her bag and clicked it shut. She had remained long enough. Every moment she spent in the nobleman’s presence, she felt she was losing herself. Something about him made her less and less the solitary healer she had been for so long.
“In the meantime,” she said, taking one final thought to open up the bag once more and pull out another vial of the same medicine she had given him before, “here is another vial of the medicine to tide you over until you have got a handle on it.”
She held it out to him, not letting go immediately when he took hold of it. The way she continued to grip caused him to look past her hand to her face, and she looked him dead in the eye as she said, “My Lord, this is not a be-all and end-all solution. It is only to be used sparingly until you can handle the things causing your pain.”
A charming and almost innocent smile swept across Lord Spurnrose’s handsomely tanned face then, and not for the first time, she longed to feel the roughness of his stubbly facial hair upon her own face. She had felt it the night before, and the once had not nearly been enough. She even had to fight the urge to reach up and stroke her fingertips over it, to use his graze upon his forehead as an excuse just to touch him further.
“I will take your words into careful consideration, My Lady,” he assured her, never blinking as though he, too, felt the connection between them and did not wish to break it.
Only when his thumb upon the vial moved, brushing against her own, did she snatch her hand away.
Luckily, he had been holding onto the vial well enough, and it did not fall from his grip as she hurried to her feet. Straightening her gown, she ran her hands over the front of her ruffled skirts and told him, “I shall remain for a few hours if that is acceptable to you. It would not be good for you to be alone after falling from your horse.”
Lord Spurnrose looked as though he was about to speak, perhaps even to protest. But Melissa did not allow him the chance. Instead, she continued, “I shall see that the servants are well and ensure everyone has instructions on how to best help you manage your ailment. Then I shall leave.”
“My Lady, you do not need to do all that.”
Melissa had already half-turned away, and she only looked back to add, “My Lord, might I make a request?”
Looking over her shoulder at him, she saw how his eyebrow rose with curiosity. A part of her wished she had something more entertaining or risqué to request, but she knew he would likely be disappointed.
“You may request anything of me, My Lady,” Lord Spurnrose assured her. “I think you have more than earned it.”
“Am I right to believe that the library here is still intact from the last occupant?” Melissa asked. She was certain she had heard talk of it the night before at the ball.
Lord Spurnrose continued to look intrigued, if a little disappointed, as she had expected. When he nodded, she asked, “Might I be so bold as to ask that I could look through the books? One never knows where one might find a treasure trove of knowledge.”
Lord Spurnrose’s gaze filled with admiration and he nodded again. “Be my guest, Lady Belmont.”
The tone of his voice caused Melissa to quiver, her skin heating until she could barely stand to be beneath his gaze for a moment longer. Something about how he had spoken reached deep inside her and went far past his willingness to let her look at his library.
Melissa spent most of the afternoon at the Spurnrose estate and got on swimmingly with most of the staff members. Though there were a couple who seemed willing to keep their distance, no doubt after hearing all the same stories about her that the rest of thetonhad, they seemed, for the most part, willing to let her take the helm of things while their master was sick.
She had just about finished all her work, ensuring that her cloths were properly cleaned and that everything was set in place to help Lord Spurnrose get well again – mainly with the cook – when she realised that it was long past time she headed for the library.
Her fingers had been itching to get her hands on several books ever since she had suggested that she might look at his library, and though she was not certain she would find exactly what she was hoping for, she was sure there would be something within that she hadn’t read before. What harm could possibly be done by taking a look?
Having got to know her way around the place due to knowing the previous owners of the estate, Melissa had no trouble making her way to the library. As she approached the doors of the huge room, she was stopped dead in her tracks.
“Lady Belmont.”
The tone of the voice that hit her ears immediately made her cringe. She halted, her free hand tightening into a fist at her side while the other tightened upon the handle of her doctor’s bag.
Knowing what she would find, she slowly turned to look at Mr Spurnrose, bracing herself for his scathing remarks and disgusted expression. And, as suspected, that was exactly what she found.
Though he stood a few paces down the hallway, the disgruntled expression on his face was clear enough. His shoulders were tense and high, pulled up as though they were attached to his ears by an invisible string that had been pulled too tight.
“Your presence is no longer required here.”
“Has Lord Spurnrose suggested so?” Melissa responded casually, determined not to allow him to get under her skin as he had the night before.
The man’s dark brown eyes were filled with maliciousness as he closed the distance between them to tower over her. Though tall, he was not nearly as tall as his cousin, and Melissa continued to meet his gaze easily, more determined than ever to remain unfazed by him.
“He does not have to,” Mr Spurnrose responded. “I have been sent to take care of my cousin by his mother and father. They would not have him swept so easily onto your dark path.”
