Alice had agreed when Jamie said they needed to get support from other wealthy noblemen. There were good people who walked among them in society, and some he knew would be willing to help fund more clinics in the areas of London that needed it most. Especially after the success of Alice’s first clinic.
So, they had worked out with whom they wished to speak, and then had done just that. Alice laid out what she hoped to achieve and explained the requirements. Not everyone they approached had agreed, but most had. They were here today to see what their money had produced.
With his friends, he made his way to the building, nodding to those he knew, and offering smiles and explaining the clinic would be open shortly.
“Jamie!”
Turning, he found his sisters approaching.
“How is it that you are here?” Jamie asked after hugging them. His friends greeted Hannah and Briar the same, as they’d grown close over the years.
“Alice has been corresponding with us, as she is far more diligent in her letter writing than you are,” Hannah said.
He had no answer for that because they were right. Jamie loathed letter writing.
“So we decided to come to London and stay with you for a few nights. The rest of the family will arrive tomorrow,” Briar said.
“And when were you to notify me of this?” Jamie asked.
“We’re telling you now,” Briar said.
“We went to your townhouse first, and your staff are getting things ready as we speak. Plus, your cook is making plum cake, as she’s the best at it,” Hannah added. “Now go inside and do what you must, and we shall await you out here. I’m sure Alice will speak like she does everything, magnificently, and we shall cheer loudly.”
“While you stand at her side basking in her magnificence,” Briar added with a cheeky smile, which had Anthony and Toby snorting.
“I’m sure you love my wife more than me,” Jamie said.
“Oh, we absolutely do,” Hannah said.
Jamie reached for her, but she danced away, eyes twinkling. “Love you, brother.”
He looked at his sisters and said, “I love you both too. You two, however,” he said, pointing to Anthony and Toby, “I’m not sure why I put up with. But you are right; I must find my wife. You four behave while I do so.”
“We shall mingle and make everyone happy until you and Alice make your entrance… or exit, as is the case in this situation,” Toby said.
Next to greet him was Aunt Gwen. She was with Anthony’s aunts. All insisted on hugging him, and then fixing his necktie, wafting their scent up his nostrils as they did so.
“We have just arrived and will stand with my nephew and your sisters, Jamie,” Lady Petunia said. “But don’t keep everyone waiting, as Captain Haleigh has that condition, you know. He can’t stand for too long.”
“Well, at least if something happens, he’s in the right place,” Jamie added.
They thought that hilarious and were still giggling as they headed in a gaggle toward the others.
The clinic’s entrance hall had been transformed when Jamie entered. High ceilings and walls were whitewashed. The scent of new paint and beeswax mingled with something faintly medicinal. Tables lined one wall, set with pamphlets and ledgers. To the right, doors opened into treatment rooms, where white-aproned attendants stood ready beside polished brass instruments and neat rows of bandages.
And in the midst of it all was his love.
Jamie’s heart gave a lurch as he studied her. She was talking to Dr. Hughes, her hands waving as she did when excited.
His fiery wife, who never took a step back when a forward one was offered. Like him, she’d changed. Love and support had helped her to be the woman she was today. Alice smiled more freely and laughed openly and saved all her love for Jamie.
Her dress was lilac, and among the white-clad medical staff stood out, but then to his mind, she always did.Besotted fool that I am.
She turned at that moment, and when her eyes met his, the bustle and chatter around them faded to nothing.
There it was again, that steadiness he always felt when she was near. One glance, and the restless, angry boy he’d once been vanished.
Alice’s lips twitched as he reached her. “Late,” she murmured when he leaned in to kiss her cheek.
