He squinted at her.
“Perhaps then you would like to examine her?”
Grace smiled but shook her head.
“Oh no. Aunt Belle is your patient and I do not envy you for it.”
That seemed to have an effect on him. He blinked.
“You don’t?”
“Goodness no. Aunt Belle requires a more enduring bedside manner than I’m readily available to give. Dr. Barkley, in particular, is good at talking to her endlessly about, well, whatever it is they talk about.”
Dr. Hall took a step toward her, hands behind his back.
“Lady Belle can be difficult on occasion.”
Grace laughed, ignoring the sudden upturn of Dr. Hall’s mouth.
“You are being gracious,” she said as Arabella suddenly came bounding down the stairs.
When she saw Dr. Hall, however, she slowed her steps, reaching the landing with a delicate refinement.
“Dr. Hall. It’s so nice to see you,” she said with a curtsy as the doctor bowed. “Are you here for Grace?”
Although everyone knew that Dr. Hall was to take over Grace’s training, the words seemed to bounce off the walls on the hallway, echoing in the strangest way.
“Er, no, well… No, that is, I’m here for Lady Belle. At her request, I should say.”
“Oh,” Arabella said happily. “Then let us wait for her in the parlor.”
For some reason, Dr. Hall glanced back at Grace, as if waiting for her to say something. Unsure, Grace nodded and led the way.
The parlor was another room that seemed disjointed from the rest of the house, just like the bedchambers. The walls were covered in a slate gray wallpaper that was almost violet, with bird motifs speckled every few inches. It was strange that the ceiling was also covered in this wallpaper, giving the room a cave-like feel, dark and curious.
Grace was staring up, taking in the room, as Arabella spoke.
“It’s so nice to see a familiar face in the city,” she stated as she sat in a high-back wooden chair across the table from the sofa where Dr. Hall sat.
“I thought you were excited to meet new people? Not from our little valley, or at least, that’s what your brother said.”
Grace glimpsed at her friend, whose cheeks were colored from embarrassment.
“I did not say that.”
“No? Well, you must forgive me. I never took Logan for a liar.”
Logan Scott was good friends with Dr. Hall, had been for years, and it was obvious that he was teasing Arabella. Unfortunately, she seemed more affected than she should.
“Well, perhaps I said something similar to that.”
“Oh, was it something similar?”
“Yes, but you must know I didn’t mean you. You’re practically a Glaswegian at this point and I’m very grateful to have such a close friend to oversee our stay here. Particularly since you’re already acquainted with society here.”
Grace, who was always more eager to observe than to speak, particularly since Dr. Hall tried to cut her hopes in half several months earlier, noticed a small pulsating muscle at the back of his jaw. Something Arabella had said annoyed him.
“Yes, well, I’m not very good company when it comes to society.” He paused; his cool gaze lifted to Grace who stood just behind Arabella before refocusing his attention on her. “I find it distracting from my busy schedule.”
