I sigh and sip. There’s always the possibility that my little woman of science has stumbled upon the formula to heal me. Hope makes me finish the tea, downing every drop. Invigorated, I put down the cup and slowly approach my closet.
With my cane, I move to the connecting door, but a knock at the main door alerts me. “Torrance, can I come in?”
“Carew, please.” I head back into my bedchamber.
My physician enters to check on me. “I see you’ve finally dressed for bed. You’re more confident in your recovery.”
I feel secure that I’ll awaken in the morning. If I’m wrong, thenew nightshirt of oxblood red is worthy of haunting. Under my pressed indigo robe, it looks powerful. “Between you and Madame Carew’s care, I’ve much more assurance in living.”
My friend sets down his bag. “If you are so sure, can I have my wife back?”
My face cranes to his as I sit and give him my wrist. “What do you mean? You’re not jealous?”
“No, but Scarlett is obsessed with finding you and Lady Lydia a cure. It’s admirable, but—”
Sighing so loudly, I stop his discouraging words. “She believes. I must believe.”
He nods and pulls out his stethoscope. Listening to me breathe, he says, “Mostly clear, but a little whistle.”
I slump a little forward. The mattress of my sickbed welcomes me again.
“Torrance. This is not the sickness, but it might be fatigue. Steele told me that you are exercising your limbs, pushing yourself to regain balance.” He folds his arms. “Your will to be healthy got you out of this bed sooner than maybe your body wanted. But my wife is right. Attitude is the key.”
Carew packs up his equipment. “Scarlett says you and Lady Hampton have a new bet. Something about finding new spouses.”
“I should move forward with my life. You would agree?”
“Then you won’t be upset that I told my aunts you were looking for a bride.”
“What? Carew.”
“Torrance, they are asking so many questions, I had to tell them something. They wish to meet you. They would be thrilled if your tastes go beyond Mayfair. They love liberal members of the ton.”
The smirk on the physician’s face tells me all I need to know about the immigrant population and the Blackamoors. “Invite the Cheapside delegation to Anya House for tea? I want them to be truly welcomed.”
The clasp on his brown bag makes a large snap when closed.“I can arrange that, but they will still expect you to come to Cheapside.”
Those stairs will have to be defeated to accomplish that. “I’ll make time soon.” But I must make it down the stairs first. “When is Thom’s surgery to be done?”
“Well, now that you are on the mend, Scarlett and I will schedule it.” He sighs hard. “I’ll have to contact Livingston. His expertise in eye anatomy could prove useful.”
“Good. Thom needs his sight. The cupping procedure has promise.”
“Yes, Your Grace. We will set up in your secret room. The light in there will be most beneficial.”
He picks up the copy ofPride and Prejudiceon my bedside table. “You want to talk about why you want to find the woman you love a new man that’s not you? And please let the choice not be Livingston.”
Tossing him a look that makes him step back, I try to sound less annoyed. “Carew, Lady Hampton needs permanency. That’s the one thing I can’t give her. That’s why she refuses to even ask for my help while I’m here and alive.”
“Georgina said that you want an heir. That’s something you and Katherine could still achieve.”
Anger boils in my gut, twisting it in a knot. “We had two children. One has died. The other struggles like me. Why torment Katherine’s or my soul?”
“But only one had the sickness. In the years that have passed, I’ve seen more infants. The jaundiced, ill coloring could be liver or bad humors. Pale white would suggest blood issues. Your son was jaundice-colored. Only Lydia was pale. It’s just an inference. More study must be done, but you two could have a healthy child.”
My heart drums. “An heir is the one thing Katherine can’t give me. After a stillborn, it’s the one thing I could never ask of her.”
“You’re a gambler, Torrance.”
