She had to admit that it felt good to know that Ewan trusted her enough to tell her such an important secret. The intrusive young woman he’d met the night she’d broken her leg in his stables would never have wrestled a secret from him. She knew that much to be true.
Meanwhile, she had yet to hear from her brother. She must have written Anthony half a score of letters and hadn’t received a single reply. It was unlike Anthony to ignore her. She was beginning to wonder if he’d taken ill, or perhaps he’d gone to London and the letters hadn’t caught up to him yet. But it had been days. Surely, he would have receivedoneof them by now.
A knock on her door startled her from her thoughts. “Come in,” she called, smoothing a hand down her middle.
Ewan opened the door and stepped inside. “Good morning, my lady.” He bowed.
“Good morning, my lord.” She inclined her head to him in return.
He was dressed in buff-colored breeches and a dark blue coat with a white shirtfront. His cravat was tied negligently about his neck. Black boots completed his ensemble. Why did the man have to besohandsome?
“Are you ready to meet Phillip?” Ewan asked next.
“Yes, indeed.” She shook her head in an attempt to clear it of thoughts of Ewan’s hooded blue eyes.
Ewan stepped behind her and began pushing her chair toward the door. Giles, who had been waiting in the hall, held the door open and allowed Ewan and Thea to enter the corridor.
Ewan turned to the left and pushed the chair all the way down the long corridor, past a turn, and down another long corridor to the other wing of the house. Apparently, Rosalie had been correct. Phillip was hidden away in his own wing.
“Phillip has a set of rooms,” Ewan explained as they went. “A bedchamber, a dressing room, and a sitting room. I’m taking you to the sitting room, of course.”
Thea nodded. But she was looking forward to meeting Phillip. Was he confined to bed? Was he comatose? Ewan hadn’t mentioned details of his illness.
When they came to the end of the second long corridor, Ewan stopped in front of the first of three remaining doors. He cleared his throat before knocking. There was no answer. They waited for several seconds before Ewan said, “I always give him a bit of time before entering.”
Thea nodded.
Giles, who had accompanied them, opened the door and Ewan pushed Thea’s chair inside.
If Thea was expecting a dark, dank room filled with the smells of ether and laudanum, what she found instead was a brightly lit room with the curtains pulled back from huge windows and everything in place, orderly and freshly cleaned. While her own rooms were decorated in a decidedly feminine fashion, Phillip’s rooms were masculine with dark blue finishes and paintings of foxes and hounds. It was all as finely appointed as her own room, and the scent of lemon wax and starch hung in the air.
After her eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight streaming through the lovely sitting room. she finally saw Phillip. Far from being confined to a bed, he was dressed impeccably in buff-colored breeches, a blue coat and white waistcoat and white shirtfront and cravat. His clothing looked much like Ewan’s. Phillip wore black boots and was sitting at a table, staring out the window. He looked perfectly healthy, but Thea knew better.
At Ewan and Thea’s entrance, Phillip turned his head. From across the room, Thea couldn’t exactly tell, but she thought she saw a flicker of something—what?—flash through his eyes. Was he surprised to see another a guest, a female at that? Had Ewan told him she was coming?
While Ewan rolled her chair to the other side of the table, Giles rushed ahead and moved the existing chair out of the way so Ewan could push Thea’s seat up to take the space.
“Phillip,” intoned Ewan in a subdued, even tone. “May I introduce you to Lady Theodora Ballard. She is a neighbor.”
Phillip stared silently at Thea and she inclined her head to him.
Ewan barely paused. “Lady Thea, this is my friend, Phillip. He’s a captain in his Majesty’s army.”
Thea acted as if receiving no surname during an introduction was perfectly normal. But she and Ewan had agreed that Thea would not mention Phillip’s family or his future title. “A pleasure to meet you, Sir,” she said.
“I thought you might enjoy a lady’s company for a change, Phillip,” Ewan said next. He turned to grab the chair and sit with them when Thea lifted a finger to stop him.
“I hate to be rude, my lord,” she said to Ewan, “but will you please leave us alone?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
After the door shut behind Ewan, Thea rolled herself even closer to the small table that separated her from Phillip. She leaned across the table as best she could, placing her arms atop it and contemplated Ewan’s other house guest.
Phillip had dark blond hair and green eyes. He was certainly young and handsome, but pain was obvious in the lines on his face. The man had been hurt, and not just physically. The slightest start of wrinkles touched the corners of his eyes and anguish was etched on either side of his mouth. He was too thin, and he looked quite … unhappy. Her heart immediately went out to him. Here was a man who was lost. The thought came out of nowhere. She immediately resolved to befriend him.
She leaned forward and in a conspiratorial whisper, she said, “It’s nice to meet you, Phillip. I just discovered last night that Lord Clayton has more than one patient hidden in his house. Why, the man is practically running a secret hospital.”
Phillip blinked at her and remained silent, but she could have sworn she saw the flicker of humor on his face.
