Valancourt’s eyes lingered on me for a moment, as if trying to decide something, but he shook his head in the end and gestured toward the servants’ entrance. “Why don’t you wash up and meet me at my carriage? I’ll be done seeing to Mrs. Blake in short order.”
“Thank you,” I repeated, catching his eye.
“Don’t mention it, Emile.”
And with that, Valancourt swept back along the house to the front entrance, leaving me to watch him go.
It was a nice view.
I’d always been a romantic at heart. I supposed it stemmed from growing up with two parents who doted on one another, love in every glance. I wanted that for myself, that easy devotion, wherein every step was taken in consideration of the other, a dance meant to only make each other happy. I didn’t think that was too much to ask, but society had other ideas. My life would certainly have been much easier if I’d given in, taken a wife, even if the marriage was devoid of love. I could have probably even been happy with that sort of life. After all, many matches were made due to title, feelings of the heart a passing consideration. But I didn’t want that for myself. I wanted to feel every day, to burst at the seams with happiness over spending my life with that one person who was the center of my gravity. Like my parents had. And so, I refused to compromise. That was also how I found myself in such perilous circumstances. For my ideals. Because my heart demanded that I have what I deserved.
I tilted my head, listening to the beats of the horse’s hooves upon the packed dirt road on our way into town. The sound made for a pleasant backdrop to the sunny wooded scene that passed by leisurely. I hated to intrude on the peace, but the silence was growing too much for me in my agitated state. I didn’t want to think about the gendarmerie. If they deemed me a person of interest, they could check into who I was, and that would not do. This would all have been for naught. “Why don’t you see to the Montoni family, if you don’t mind my asking?”
Valancourt pursed his lips beside me, a quirk that I found very distracting. “Let’s just say that some families aren’t ready to face advancements in technologies. They would rather stick to traditional practices of medicine.”
“And you are averse to these traditions?”
“When it comes to health, yes. Which is why the servants of that house receive better care than their masters. Rather backward from the usual way of things, wouldn’t you agree?”
I chuckled. “I’m sure they have their reasons, Valancourt.”
“Bram.”
I blinked.
“If I am to call you Emile, you must call me Bram,” Valancourt insisted.
“Of course. Bram.”
Bram smiled lazily at me, and I felt my cheeks warm. I shifted uncomfortably and cleared my throat, searching for a distraction from my flustered state. “How long have you been studying medicine? You’re a doctor’s apprentice?”
Bram considered for a moment, and I watched the light play over his features as we progressed along the road. “My father is a doctor. It’s a family business. I’ve been helping him since I was very young. As his apprentice, he trusts me to carry out simple matters around town. He wants me to take over the practice eventually.”
“I’m sure you’ll make him proud.”
Bram raised an eyebrow. “You don’t know the first thing about me, Emile.”
“I know that you’re a man of integrity.” I shrugged. “You can keep secrets.”
“And don’t ask many questions?”
I stared into my lap. “I’m sure you’ve seen your share of severed hands as a doctor?”
Bram smiled at the pitiful deflection. “Severed hands, no. Not many. But this profession is always full of surprises. Some can be pleasant, of course. It’s not all disease and death.”
“Oh?”
“Certainly. Watching medicine I’ve administered take effect, and seeing a sick man return to his family. Knowing that by treating a common ailment, a child will grow to play, and love, and start a family of their own one day … it’s very rewarding. And I get to be a part of that.”
“That does sound rewarding,” I agreed.
Bram nodded. “It doesn’t leave much time to build a life for myself, I’m afraid. It’s very demanding. Friends are hard to come by when you have to dash off at a moment’s notice.”
“That sounds like it could get lonely.”
“It’s worth the sacrifice,” Bram assured me. He met my eyes, and I held my breath as he watched me for a moment, tilting his head as he considered something. “You’re very thoughtful, Emile. And articulate. Especially for a servant.”
I ignored the dubious note in his voice. “Thank you. I do my utmost to be diverting.”
