The Fire's Center Read online

  "I’m not at all sleepy after that nap in the coach. You don’t have anything to read, do you?"

  "On some boring old medical books, but I am sure we can find some newspapers here."

  "All the same I would like to have a look at one of your books, if you don’t mind," Riona said sincerely.

  "Not at all." Inwardly, he wondered what she would make of them, but decided to humor her.

  When the tea arrived, she poured, and added the milk and sugar as he specified.

  "Just a drop, and one lump, thank you," he requested.

  Riona handed him the steaming cup, and their fingers met at the rim.

  Lucien looked to see if she were embarrassed by the contact, but she merely met his own gaze inquiringly, and he felt he had to say something to explain why he was staring at her.

  "That cream coloured blouse, and hunter green skirt certainly suit you. Do all the things fit?"

  She shrugged one shoulder. "I must admit I haven’t tried them all on, since I didn’t have time this morning if we were to be on the road by eleven, but they all seem to be fine. Once again, it was very generous of you."

  Lucien tried to make light of her thanks by teasing, "What? You haven’t tried them all on? I would have thought that would be the first thing any woman would do as soon as she got something new to wear. My married friends complain their wives do nothing but primp and preen and visit their milliners and sempstresses all day."

  "I prefer a good book myself, when I have any free time, which isn’t often," Riona said a trifle coldly, and then concentrated on chewing her food slowly, trying to eat as much as he could to please him.

  He blinked, and then realized once more that he was treating her like an addle-pated woman of his own class, not the resourceful young governess she actually was. "I am sorry, you’re right of course. I suppose you and your sisters make all of your own clothes as well?"

  Riona nodded. "We did, when we could afford the cloth. Mr. Woodham did give me a clothing allowance, so I managed to buy some bolts of cloth, enough to clothe everyone in the family."

  "It must have been a great sacrifice," Lucien commented. "I know how women like pretty clothes."

  "Have you much experience of women then, Dr. Woulfe?" Riona asked a trifle sharply, suddenly feeling an inexplicable pang.

  Lucien’s golden eyes mingled with her own for a moment, before he answered honestly, "No, no I suppose I haven’t. I’m not a shy, blushing virgin, make no mistake, but nor am I a man about town either, if you take my meaning."

  Riona coloured to the roots of her hair.

  Lucien apologized, "I’m sorry if I offended you with my candour."

  "Not at all, Dr. Woulfe, it is I who should apologize for asking such a personal question when it's clearly none of my business," Riona said hurriedly as she stood up to leave the table.

  "I’m sure our rooms should be ready now, so if you will excuse me..."

  Lucien rose himself and attempted to forestall her, but she was already at the door leading to the foyer. "But Riona, you haven’t finished your tea!"

  "I've had more than enough, thank you," Riona replied as she headed up the stairs rapidly.

  Rather than make a scene chasing after her, Lucien decided to let Riona go, and returned to the table, where he moodily sat gazing out of the window at the flurry of large white fluffy flakes that had begun to tumble down out of the steel-grey sky.

  He was angry with himself for having given her such an unguarded reply, and wondered, not for the first time, at the wisdom of bringing her into his house. She was after all very young, only just turned twenty-two, while he was thirty-two, nearly old enough to be her father, he thought with a bitter smile.

  But if not his own house, then where? His brother Quentin would no doubt take her in if he asked him to, but he didn’t like owing his brother favours. Nor did he like to have anything more to do with Antoinette than he could possibly help.

  Not that she had ever said or done anything improper towards him in the all the years she had been married to his brother, but all the same, every so often, there was a flicker, something in her glance....

  But perhaps he was just being fanciful, he decided with an inward shrug. Just as he might be imagining dangers now where there were none.

  Riona would be ideal for his clinic once she got started. If he could eventually find her a suitable set of rooms somewhere later on, especially if they located her father in the capital, then all the proprieties would be observed.

  But somehow Riona had a rather unsettling habit of growing on a person, Lucien admitted to himself with a sigh, as he gathered up a pile of newspapers from the sideboard, left there for the customers’ use, and took them upstairs to her.

  Then he went into his own room to fetch out a book on fevers he had been struggling to read himself, and tapped on her door.

  "Come in!" she called as she proceeded to take her purple and gold wrap out of her valise.

  "I just thought I would bring you those things to read as I promised."

  "Oh, thank you, that’s very kind," she murmured shyly as she took the things he offered and placed them on the table by the hearth.

  "Is the fire drawing well?" Lucien asked, before going up to it and giving it a bit of a poke. "It doesn't look like it's doing much except smoking at the minute."

  "It will take a little while to get going, but it’s warm enough in here," she reassured him.

  "Don’t be shy about asking for anything you wish downstairs. I imagine they will be bringing up the bath water soon."

  "Another bath? But really, Dr. Woulfe, it’s so much trouble for them."

  "Nonsense. After trailing around in the workhouses all day, I want you to have a good scrub and put on a fresh set of clothes, and I am going to treat your hair again, as well as my own, just in case we did pick up any unwanted visitors in our travels today."

  "Really, there's no need. I can...."

  "No, I’ll do your hair, and you can do mine before we go to bed. So take off those things and make sure you get them to wash, dry and iron them for you, is that clear?"

  "Yes, Dr. Woulfe. Will we be going to see more workhouses tomorrow as well?" Riona asked, genuinely interested.

  "Having seen so many today, I wonder that we should bother," Lucien said grimly.

  "I think we should," Riona advised. "After all, the more we see, the better educated we will be, the more we might be able to help."

  Lucien admitted the wisdom of her sentiments, but insisted, "But I don’t like exposing you to such unpleasant things."

  "I’m sorry to say this, but it was part of daily life in Dunfanaghy. You don’t need to try to protect me, Lucien."

  Lucien sighed. "All the same, Riona, you seem so young."

  "You were sincere about having me work in the clinic weren’t you?" Riona suddenly demanded.

  "Yes, of course," Lucien replied, taken aback.

  "Then there will be no chance to protect me there, eh?" Riona said with small smile.

  Lucien shook his head, but could see what she meant. At the clinic she would be exposed to all sorts of unpleasant things.

  "But you could also help me as my apothecary, make notes on my cases and so on."

  She rolled her eyes in exasperation, and sat down in the fireside chair with a flounce. "You’re doing it again, trying to protect me."

  "And you're doing it again, causing us to argue. So for the moment we will say nothing, just that we will wait and see once we get to Dublin, all right, Riona?"

  Riona nodded, pleased that he had begun calling her by her first name.

  "Thank you again for the reading material."

  "I’ll see you downstairs for dinner at nine, then? Unless of course you’d like to have your meal in your room again?"

  "No, downstairs at nine will be fine."

  "I'll see you later, then."

  He vanished out the door, leaving her feeling as though she could finally breathe at last. Just what was it abo
ut him that was so, so larger than life?

  After her bath, Riona dressed carefully in the grey dress Lucien had purchased for her, and after checking her still slightly damp hair in the mirror, she threw a dark floral-patterned shawl over her shoulders and descended the stairs to where Lucien was waiting to escort her into the dinging room.

  She moved towards the room where they had had their tea that afternoon, but Lucien shook his head and led her across the foyer to a small private dining room.

  "There’s a crowd of hunters in there celebrating a kill, so I think we will be much better off in here," Lucien explained as he led her into the intimate parlor and held her chair for her.

  Throughout the sumptuous meal Riona talked excitedly to Lucien about all she had read of the fevers mentioned in the book.

  Even Lucien himself had thought the tome to be as dry as dust, but when he saw Riona’s enthusiasm, he found himself enjoying using her as a sounding board for his ideas.

  And as they spoke, not for the first time he began to think what an excellent doctor she would make. She had all the powers of observation, in fact far more than the average young doctor just coming out of his training.

  Absorbed in their stimulating conversation, the evening flew by rapidly, until the clock in the parlour struck midnight, and Lucien looked up at the serving maid, who was sheepishly stifling a yawn.

  "My goodness, I had no idea it was so late! I’m sorry to have kept you from your bed," Lucien apologized to the girl.

  Lucien wrapped the shawl around Riona’s shoulders, and with one arm around her waist escorted her up the stairs.

  "Well, I’ve had a wonderful evening. Thank you." She smiled up at him at the entrance to her chamber door.

  "One more thing before we go to bed. The lice solution, I’m afraid."

  Lucien went to his room to fetch his small phial, and as he did so Riona gathered up a couple of towels, and threw one around her shoulders.

  "I’m afraid it puts a bit of a damper on the evening," he apologized with a lopsided grin.

  "No, no, Lucien, you’re quite right. It's better to be safe than sorry. Here, I’ll do you first. I think my hair will take a bit longer."

  Lucien banked up the fire in the hearth, and then sat down beside it. She did as he had done that morning, and massaged the lotion all over his scalp, marvelling at the thick lushness of his hair, before coming through it gently with the fine-toothed comb.

  As she worked, Riona enjoyed being able to gaze her fill at his handsome face without him noticing.

  Lucien sat back with a sigh, enjoying her ministrations, though in truth he couldn’t imagine anything less romantic. But still, the contact of her fingers sent shivers down his spine.

  "Your turn," he said at length, when he was sure his mane was well and truly combed.

  Riona relaxed in the chair as Lucien’s warm strong hands rubbed her head all over, and then he combed her hair. She began to drift off to sleep, in fact, until suddenly she heard him say, as though from miles away, "There, you’re all finished."

  "I must have dozed off," she apologize with a blush.

  "It’s late. Go to bed as soon as you bolt this door, and I’ll have breakfast sent up to us here, if I may," Lucien offered as he stroked her hair gently while she walked him out.

  "That will be fine," she said easily, accepting his arm around her as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

  Good night, then, Riona."

  Lucien smiled, and unthinkingly stooped to peck her on the cheek before closing the door behind him.

  Riona, though surprised, was not completely stunned. She had felt them growing closer in the short time they had known each other. She could tell he was a man not easily given to affectionate gestures, but that was not to say that he didn’t have that aspect in his personality, just no one he could express it with.

  Since she herself had come from a very demonstrative family, Riona didn’t think it was a sign of any danger to come. He had been a complete gentleman in the time they had spent with one another. Nay, he had even tried to shield her from any unpleasantness. And the last thing she wished was to cause a scene or be stiff and unnatural with him.

  Riona wanted to be Lucien’s friend. More would be unthinkable, of course, with her being poor and of a lower class than he. But she knew he could teach her a great deal, and give her the chance to learn the skills she would need if she were to act upon the hopes and dreams which she had begun formulating that day to help relieve suffering in Ireland. She was not about to allow ridiculous proprieties invented by the idle rich get in her way.

  In addition, Riona did have to admit it secretly to herself that she had rather enjoyed being kissed. She grinned to herself as she blew out the candle, pulled the covers up over herself, and drifted off to sleep dreaming of the remarkable man that fate had set in her path.

  Chapter Seven

  The following morning was again something of a rush, for once more Riona found that she had overslept. This time Lucien merely turned his back as she shrugged into her robe and scurried to the table to pour the coffee.

  "I’m sorry, I don’t know why I’m so tired all the time," she apologized, stifling a huge yawn.

  "Obviously making up for all the lost sleep you’ve had recently, watching, worrying, and no doubt working too hard," Lucien commented, taking her hand to squeeze it gently for a brief moment as it hovered over the table, while she served him bacon, eggs, and mushrooms.

  Once again she had porridge, and scrambled eggs with toast, and this time he allowed her a small piece of bacon.

  She pushed her unruly locks away from her face, and Lucien could swear that she was the loveliest woman he had ever set eyes on. No Dublin society beauty could even compare, he thought with a smile as he stared at her.

  "What’s the matter? Have I got food on my face or something?" Riona asked, rubbing her cheeks with her napkin.

  "No, my dear, you're perfect in every way. I was just thinking of that awful lotion all over you hair. Doesn’t it smell dreadful," Lucien improvised quickly, looking away.

  "The odour dissipates quickly enough, and besides, I would rather have slightly oily smelling hair than lice," Riona laughed as she poured more coffee.

  "No worries on that score now. But listen, the weather looks like snow again, so please dispense with the fancy clothes and corsets, and get dressed quickly, won’t you. I think we should get on the road as quickly as possible, and we won’t be stopping after all."

  "I don’t wear fancy corsets, as you put it," Riona said with a playful scowl. "Can’t you tell?"

  Riona rose from the table then, and Lucien saw her slender form as she hugged the voluminous robe around herself tightly.

  Lucien’s mouth went dry both from desire, and slight horror at how thin she had become.

  "You must have been starving for a long time," was his only comment as he went over and spanned his hands around her tiny waist.

  "Not really, we still ate, though I will admit I have been plumper. Now, run along and pay the bill and get your things. I promise I’ll be down in two shakes of a lamb’s tail."

  Riona grinned up at him. Once again, Lucien stooped to kiss her, and did as she had instructed.

  Alone again, Riona tugged her hair into a long plait which she left hanging down her back, and with her grey dress donned once more, she closed her valise, checked the room carefully to make sure she hadn’t left anything behind, and whisked down the stairs. Lucien handed the porter her bag, and then wrapped her cloak around her.

  She observed as they were about to get into the coach that the sky was again iron grey, and though the inn had made every effort to warm the coach with foot warmers and hot bricks, it was still bitterly cold.

  "There must be some travelling rugs around here somewhere." Lucien scowled as he opened up the seat and began to tug out two red and green tartan throws. "But that dress isn’t nearly warm enough for you," he observed as the wind whipped around Riona’s skirts
unmercifully.

  "Really, I’ll be fine once we get into the coach," she said with an uncontrollable shiver.

  Lucien helped her up inside, and then offered her one of his spare jackets, which she put on under her cloak.

  "We’ll buy you some warmer clothes in Monaghan if we get there before the shops close," he said.

  "In the meantime, we’ll just have to shut the windows and shades, and keep warm the best we can," he remarked, smiling as he observed it was so cold inside that he could see his own breath.