“By all means, show her in.” Gabriella turned to Juliette as soon as Pierson had quit the room. “I believe she must be here to see you more than me. Would you rather I take myself off to another part of the house so you can speak with her in private?”
“Only if she says she would like to address me alone. If not, I see no reason why you should not stay and enjoy the rest of your tea with us.”
Viola entered immediately after Juliette had finished whispering to Gabriella. She stood at once and welcomed the young woman into her brother’s parlor. “Are you acquainted with my sister-in-law, the Duchess of Huntley?” she asked Viola with a glance toward Gabriella.
“Regrettably not,” Viola said. “My lack of participation in social events has prevented me from making anyone’s acquaintance. It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Grace.”
Gabriella smiled. “Likewise, Your Grace.”
Try as she might, Juliette could not refrain from laughing. “Excuse me, but can we not permit ourselves to be less formal? We are friends and family if only recently introduced, and if I am to listen to you two Your Grace-ing each other for the remainder of the afternoon, I will likely succumb to a permanent bout of giggles.”
Viola grinned. “I quite agree.” She looked at Gabriella. “If you will permit?”
“Of course. Allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Gabriella Matthews.”
“And I am Viola Cartwright.”
“A pleasure,” Gabriella said. She indicated a nearby armchair. “Please join us for some refreshment.”
Thanking her, Viola sank down onto the proffered seat and watched while Gabriella poured the tea. “With Florian away at the moment, I thought I’d stop by and give you an update on how things are going at the hospital.” She reached for a biscuit, took a bite and set it aside on her plate. “In addition to purchasing the quarantine ship and stocking it with supplies, the funds you raised have enabled me to hire two new physicians and three nurses, which is especially helpful now that Blaire’s no longer with us.”
“He wasn’t very loyal,” Juliette said. “His decision to leave when he did may very well have harmed a great many people in the process.”
“Ah.” Viola sipped her tea and turned her gray eyes on her. “So you have been apprised of the situation. I was not sure Florian would manage to speak with you before leaving town.”
“I believe he did so last night,” Gabriella murmured. There was mischief in her gaze accompanied by the knowledge of what had transpired the previous evening at the opera.
Juliette blushed while Viola assessed her with an inquisitive stare. “I see.” She paused for a moment, took another sip of her tea, then said, “You need not worry, Juliette. He will be quite all right, I assure you.”
Realizing her anxiety must be painted all over her face, Juliette could only ask, “How can you be so certain?”
“Because he is the best physician there is.” She paused before asking, “Did he ever tell you how he contracted typhus?”
Thinking back, Juliette realized he hadn’t. She shook her head. “No.”
Viola paused for a second. “He witnessed the devastation wrought on Napoleon’s troops when he invaded Russia, and, in his efforts to save some of those men, Florian caught the disease himself.”
“He helped Napoleon’s army?” Juliette leaned forward, eager to learn more.
Nodding, Viola continued. “His path crossed with the soldiers when he was on his way back from St. Petersburg in 1812.” She paused before adding, “It wasn’t possible for him to turn his back on those men, no matter what the political climate was like between Britain and France at the time.”
“He did a brave thing, risking his own life like that,” Gabriella said.
Juliette couldn’t speak. She knew he’d risked a lot more than that—the possibility of being labeled a traitor if it became publicly known that he’d helped the enemy. She wondered if this was what he was keeping from her, if this was what he feared would alter her good opinion of him.
If it was, then he was wrong.
“Turning his back on those in need is not in his nature,” Viola said. “No matter the circumstance.”
Juliette knew this. It was in fact one of the reasons why she thought so highly of him. His selfless dedication to others was most impressive and worthy of everyone’s admiration. “I only wish it did not have to be him.”
“Because you care for him.” It was a blatant statement spoken with the utmost certainty.
“Does everyone know?” Juliette asked, directing her question to both Gabriella and Viola.
Gabriella grinned. “It is rather obvious.”
A moment of silence passed between them and then Viola quietly spoke once more. “You would be good for him, I think. There is no one more deserving of happiness or love than Florian.” Juliette blushed and Viola cleared her throat as if to cover the awkwardness just as Pierson returned to the room, carrying a letter on a silver salver.
