“Well, yes,” Elmwood said, somewhat gruffly. “Especially if we can get our hands on a used East Indiaman. Production on those is relatively cheap. Shouldn’t cost us more than five thousand pounds.”
“Which is still within our budget,” Clearwater said. He gave Lady Juliette a look that spoke of great admiration. “Quarantining the sick on a ship is an excellent idea. How did you come up with it?”
A lovely pink shade colored Lady Juliette’s cheeks. “I found a reference to such a method being employed in one of the books in the Huntley House Library. It was written by a maritime surgeon, and although I initially dismissed it, thinking it wouldn’t be helpful, I’m glad I took a closer look. Because in doing so, I learned something useful.” She glanced around. “During the black death, for instance, ships arriving in Venice from infected ports were kept at anchor for forty days before landing. Surrounded by water without access to land, the people on the ships were not able to spread the disease.” She paused before saying, “I believe it ought to be possible for us to contain the spread of typhus in a similar way.”
Florian watched her as she spoke. The idea was not simply good, it was brilliant. And so simple he wondered why he hadn’t considered this solution himself. Seeing that everyone waited to hear his opinion, he nodded and said, “Well done, my lady. You may have found the perfect solution.”
She smiled then with pleasure and gratitude so dazzling he felt his heart thump quite wildly against his chest. Christ, she was lovely, and it suddenly occurred to him that he hadn’t enjoyed anything as much in recent years as the act of making her happy. With that thought in mind, he added, “We will set about finding an appropriate vessel immediately. It will be thoroughly cleaned and prepared before a single patient is brought onboard. Since the Thames is narrow enough to allow a desperate man to swim across, we will have to sail it out to the Channel to ensure proper quarantine can be maintained.”
“If the majority agrees, I will start working on the specifics immediately,” Viola said.
Florian nodded. “Let us put it to a vote.” They did so with everyone agreeing to this new proposal.
The meeting was adjourned with renewed hope, and several members stayed behind to discuss further details over tea and coffee in the parlor. Avoiding the torture of touching Lady Juliette, Florian denied himself the pleasure of escorting her by turning to Viola for a brief exchange. “This can work,” he told her with certainty bubbling through his veins. “We actually stand a chance of minimizing the loss of life.”
“And all because of Lady Juliette,” Viola said with a smirk. “I bet you’re happy you agreed to let her join the committee after all.”
“She has a good head on her shoulders.”
Viola grinned. “A true departure from your previous opinion of her as naïve.”
Florian cringed at the reminder. “Opinions can change, Viola.”
“Yes, Florian. They certainly can.”
Juliette was trying extremely hard to focus on what Yates was saying. And failing miserably. She knew it had something to do with a painting he’d recently acquired, but with her mind occupied by Florian and his distant attitude toward her, she had no idea who the artist was or why Yates was so excited about it.
“My lady?”
Juliette blinked. “Hmm?”
Yates regarded her with a contemplative frown for a moment before offering a smile and saying, “The Vermeer painting I mentioned. It would be an honor to show it to you one day.”
“Oh. Thank you.” Juliette glanced across at Lady Warwick who was deep in conversation with Lord Elmwood, so she would find no help there.
“Enjoying your company has become my favorite thing,” Yates was saying. “You cannot imagine how pleased I was when I learned you had joined this committee. It allows us to spend more time together while pursuing a common interest. This idea of yours to quarantine the sick on a ship is particularly intriguing. I am rather impressed if you must know.”
“You flatter me, my lord.”
“I only speak the truth,” he told her while allowing his eyes to meet hers with alarming confidence. Apparently, her refusal to walk with him after their dance at Hawthorne House had not deterred him.
Juliette averted her gaze just in time to see Viola entering the parlor with Florian close behind her. The tightening of her chest dulled the beat of her heart until Viola went to join Lady Warwick and Elmwood while Florian continued toward the row of mullioned windows spanning the length of the room. He stood there looking out with his hands clasped loosely behind his back.
“Please excuse me,” Juliette told Yates. “There is something I need to discuss with Florian.”
She wasn’t sure what, but she did not wish to encourage Yates further and she also knew keeping her distance from Florian would be impossible. He drew her so powerfully she might as well go to him rather than make an attempt to fight it.
“Do you wish to be alone?” she asked once she’d crossed the room to stand beside him. Outside, the sunshine played upon the dense foliage of rhododendron leaves, creating an endless array of luminescent greens.
Florian dropped a glance in her direction before resuming his perusal of the garden. “Not if you are offering to keep me company.”
The pressure around Juliette’s heart eased. She drew a breath and savored the lightness now filling her body. Behind her, the conversations taking place faded until she felt she’d been spirited away to a private location where only she and Florian existed.
“I was starting to worry I might have done something to upset you,” she said. “You’ve hardly spoken to me since I arrived.”
A rumble rose from deep within his chest. “My dark mood has nothing to do with you. I simply have a lot of concerns.”
“I know you do, which is part of the reason why I’ve been trying so hard to help.”
