“And you’ll give me your word as a gentleman on that?”
“Of course.”
“Then it’s done. You can take Rose as well as Mrs. Mills.” Dr. Franklin’s gaze lingered on Rose as he smiled. “I have little doubt that I’ll be seeing that woman again since she is, indeed, insane.”
With that, Dr. Franklin turned on his heel and strode from the room, not bothering to assist the nurses as they cleared the room of patients, all save Eunice, Mrs. Mills, and Rose Santana, who was looking somewhat incredulous, as if she couldn’t believe her good fortune.
“May I suggest we remove ourselves from this asylum before the doctor changes his mind, or before that nurse takes it upon herself to deliver that dose of morphine to you simply out of spite?” Ivan asked, taking hold of Eunice’s arm.
“An excellent suggestion, Ivan,” Eunice said, giving his arm a pat. “All things considered, though, I think this turned out far better than I was expecting it to when I got ambushed by those nurses. I’m now convinced I’m perfectly suited to fieldwork and intend to do more of it in the near future.”
“And I’m convinced this debacle, for lack of a better word,” Ivan argued, “proves the last place you belong is out in the field. You’re fortunate you’re not currently drugged and on your way to the Lodge. It was sheer luck that this has turned out so well, although I believe you might owe Arthur a word of appreciation because he did get Dr. Franklin to allow all of your releases with that clever threat.”
“You’re probably right.” She turned to Arthur. “Before I do that, though, know that I’m less than pleased that you somehow uncovered my identity. However, since there’s nothing to be done about that now since the genie’s out of the bottle, allow me to thank you for helping me in what certainly turned into a concerning situation. Your arrival was timely, although I’m not inagreement about you giving that horrid doctor your word that you wouldn’t get society involved in this institution. Society wields substantial influence with politicians who could be persuaded to intervene here, which would go far in improving the life of the patients.”
He inclined his head. “I’m sure I should probably apologize for the way I handled the revealing of your identity, but I’m afraid because time is of the essence that you left me no choice in the matter. And while I was happy to be of assistance to you, I’m relatively certain you would have handled yourself well with those other nurses. However, I believe you may still be a little harried from the brawl you just enjoyed because I would think you’d understand exactly why I gave my word to the doctor.”
“Since you seem keen to honor your word anytime you give it, all I understand is that you’ve allowed the doctor to continue running this institution in a way that’s hardly acceptable.”
“I’ve done no such thing. Yes,Igave my word, but my grandfather and brother didn’t give theirs.” He smiled. “I assure you, the New York Four Hundred will soon be apprised of the horrors transpiring here.”
“Hmmm...” was all Eunice said to that, although she did send him just a hint of a smile, which he took as a somewhat encouraging sign. She then tugged Ivan into motion while Judith and Elsy hurried to Mrs. Mills and Rose Santana, taking hold of their hands and leading them toward the door.
Arthur fell into step behind Eunice, Lloyd and Chase joining him.
“This has certainly been more of an adventure than I was anticipating,” Lloyd said.
“I have a feeling more adventures may await you in Montana,” Chase said.
Eunice stopped in her tracks. “Why would Lloyd be going to Montana?”
“Grandfather wants to accompany us back to Montana because, well, that’s a story in and of itself,” Arthur began. “I didn’tthink you’d object to his company because Grandfather has a few private Pullman cars at his disposal, which means we’ll be traveling to Butte in style.”
“I’m not going back to Butte.”
He swallowed a sigh. “Of course you are. Your relatives are going to have you declared dead and then sell Mason Mines to D. H. Loring. After they do that, and after they get their hands on your inheritance, you’ll have a difficult time retrieving your fortune.”
“And while it galls me that my relatives are so greedy, I have no intention of returning to Montana. Yes, it’s a lot of money, but the trust Grandfather set up for me when I turned eighteen has grown through sound financial investments through the years and is large enough to where if my relatives abscond with my inheritance, I’ll be able to live a more-than-comfortable life without it.”
Storm clouds began gathering in Eunice’s eyes. “That means there’s no reason for me to hie off to Montana or, heaven forbid, marry you. And while I appreciate your diligence in trying to see after my best interests as well as your assistance with this horrid asylum situation, I’m going to absolve you of your promise to my grandfather, and as soon as we breach the walls of this institution and get off this island, bid you good-bye once and for all.”
CHAPTER
Fifteen
“You can’t simply absolve me of my word to your grandfather because it suits you,” Arthur said, causing Eunice to falter the slightest bit before she climbed into the carriage she’d left waiting for her while she’d deposited Mrs. Mills at her sister’s house, settling herself on the seat beside Judith.
“Of course I can,” she returned. “It was simple, and I’ll say it again—I, Eunice Holbrooke, absolve you of any promises you made to my grandfather, especially the ones concerning seeing after my best interests and marrying me for my own good.”
“And that way of thinking works both ways because I, Arthur Livingston, reject your attempt to absolve me of my promise. A gentleman’s word is directly tied to his honor, and honor cannot be dealt with in such a willy-nilly fashion.”
Eunice tucked a strand of rather dirty hair behind her ear as the carriage jolted into motion. “There’s nothing willy-nilly about it. I’m giving you a way out of what has to be an unenviable position. You never once lent me the impression you longed to marry me. Case in point, you told me and Daphne you weren’t keen to court me in the first place. If you’re unaware, marriage is an entire step beyond the whole courting business.”
“I had my reasons for not wanting to court you back then.”
“Reasons I’m sure that centered around my inability to adopt a demure and expected demeanor and around my preference for wearing men’s trousers.”
“You don’t seem to have that trouser preference these days.”
