Chapter Nine
GABRIEL ARRIVED JUST AS Dr. Bates was leaving. Bates paused to give him the same instructions he’d given everyone else in the room. Dominic caught Gabe’s expression and might have laughed if it wouldn’t hurt, but it would. They’d all been right. He had ripped open his stitches and had been forced to cut short his ride. But the doctor’s embarrassing lecture had done what the ride was supposed to do—temporarily distract him from his anger.
Carl, the servant assigned to stay with him to fetch whatever he needed today, sat in a chair by the door. Carl had winced in sympathy when the doctor had given his instructions. Dominic’s valet, Andrew, was also in the suite, but he was busy in the dressing room.
Gabriel closed the door after the doctor left and approached the bed. “Leeches? Really?”
“Whatever you wrote in the message that summoned Bates here again apparently led him to bring bloodsuckers,” Dominic replied. “He warned he won’t be available for the next few days because he’s committed to visit patients up north, but he’s confident the leeches will soon bring down this fever. That is his opinion, not mine.”
With his wounded leg left bare on top of the bedsheet, the leeches by the restitched wound were quite visible. Gabriel refused to look at them and stared instead at Dominic’s dog sleeping on the foot of the bed.
After a moment Gabriel shook his head and picked up a tan hair off the sheet. “You shouldn’t allow that mutt in here, at least not while you are being leeched. He’s shedding. You don’t want dog hair in the wound, d’you?”
“Wolf is fine. He’s worried about me. He refused to leave when Carl tried to get him out. You can take a horse brush to him later if you’re worried about him shedding.” Then, turning to the matter uppermost on his mind, Dominic asked, “Was it the Whitworth’s daughter in that coach?”
“Indeed.”
“How did she like the tower?”
Gabriel glanced back to nod at Carl to leave the room before he met Dominic’s eyes. “We didn’t find out.”
“She’s already left?”
“No, actually, Lady Whitworth is probably quite happy with her room.”
Dominic immediately frowned. “Where did you put her, Gabriel?”
The reply was mumbled so low Dominic didn’t hear it. He was too drained to repeat himself, so he waited, staring pointedly at his friend.
Gabriel finally sighed and said in a louder tone, “Next door.”
“Gabe,” Dominic said warningly.
“Well, Ella’s room is locked and will always be locked. And your old room can’t be used because you left most of your childhood mementos in it.”
“There are numerous bedrooms on this floor! How dare you presume to put my enemy’s sister—”
“Wait! Don’t bite my head off until you’re stronger, and—I really didn’t have a choice. None of the guest rooms are kept readied because anyone who wants to visit you and stay for a time gives you prior warning so that rooms can be prepared for them. Those were your mother’s instructions, which you never bothered to change. So only these family rooms at the back of the house are kept spotless at all times. As for that particular room next to yours, your grandmother had that door installed and moved into that room when she could no longer sleep because of your grandfather’s snoring. If she hadn’t done that, it wouldn’t even be part of your suite of rooms.”
“You know very well I consider that room my mother’s and always will. She moved into it after father died and lived in it until . . .”
“Until she left after Eloise’s funeral. And swore she would never return. You’ve never found a use for it other than to keep it available for her just in case she changes her mind and comes back.”
“She won’t,” Dominic said tonelessly. “She was raised in London and prefers London. Here she grieves too much, there she is distracted from it.”
“But if Lady Anna did return, she wouldn’t want that particular room again anyway and would insist on another. She would want you to have the entire lord’s suite. Besides, this arrangement is nothing more’n temporary, but if you must know, I thought it rather appropriate, putting Lady Whitworth there, since now she won’t have to be moved after the marriage.”
Dominic could not care less how logical all of that sounded—except the marriage part. There wasn’t going to be a wedding if he could help it. But there was no point in being angry at Gabriel when it wouldn’t last. It never did, and at the moment he simply didn’t have the strength to maintain it for even a little while.
But he still growled, “Lock that bloody door.”
“Of course!”
Gabriel rushed to the now-offensive door and turned the latch, even tested the knob to make sure it wouldn’t open. He came back saying jauntily, “Besides, it’s not as if you’ll be roaming the halls for a while, where you might run into her more often than not. Are the leeches working?” he added, trying to change the subject.
It didn’t work. Dominic said succinctly, “You disobeyed my wishes. Aside from your convoluted logic, why did you really do that?”
Gabriel winced, but stood his ground. “You can move her to the tower when you’re well. I simply didn’t have the heart to do it.”
Dominic sighed and closed his eyes.
Gabriel guessed, “I’ve worn you out. I’ll leave—”
“No, you won’t. Which member of her family came with her?”
Gabriel sat down in the chair that had been moved next to the bed. “None, which seemed rather odd. However, she was well escorted by servants, though only her maid is staying with her. Charming woman, that one. Full of fire and dire threats. You’d think she was the lady, but obviously, she’s very protective of hers.”
“And the lady?”
“She didn’t treat me like a gnat under her boot, like you-know-who did. That last mistress of yours, well, I won’t repeat myself. But some ladies are just—just—”
“Yes, I know your sentiments in regard to snobby bitches. You still haven’t answered my question.”
“The lady seemed a bit cowed if you ask me, like she’s not used to strangers—or she wasn’t expecting to be invited in. Or she’s just very demure. Yes, that’s probably all it was, considering her young age.”
“She’s not too young is she?” Dominic demanded sharply, his eyes open again and narrowed. “If they sent me a child—”
Gabriel interrupted with a laugh. “D’you really think the Prince Regent would have made his demands without first finding out if there was a Whitworth daughter of marriageable age? No, she’s at least old enough for that. Would you like me to read more of—”
“No.” Dominic waited. But Gabriel merely put the book he’d just picked up back on the nightstand and got comfortable in the stuffed chair to take a nap as soon as Dominic nodded off for one. As if there weren’t more to tell of his meeting with the Whitworth chit. As if Dominic weren’t the least bit curious about the girl who was being forced on him. He wasn’t. She wouldn’t be staying. He’d even supply a coach for her return trip when she refused to marry him.
But when Gabriel still said nothing else, Dominic finally snapped, “Bloody hell, what’s she look like?”
“I was hoping you wouldn’t ask, but since you did . . .” Gabriel paused for a long sigh. “She’s got a wart on the left side of her jaw and another one by her nose. I didn’t stare at them too long, I promise. Red, florid cheeks more suited to a farm wench, big owlish eyes. But if you can overlook all that and her weight—”
“She’s fat, too?”
“A little—” Gabriel shook his head. “Very well, a lot. But a good diet and exercise could surely fix that. I can start a regimen for her if you—”
“No. And do not befriend her. I want her to hate this place and leave on her own.”
“So her chubbiness is a problem?”
“Don’t be obtuse, Gabe. I could not care less what she looks like.”
“Then why did you ask?”
“Because I would prefer not to be surprised one way or the other, and truth be told, I feared she might be a beauty sent here to tempt me, since her brother is a handsome fellow despite his black soul. I’m glad at least that she’s not comely, because my course was determined the moment that royal toady threatened me with the consequences of not following his master’s wishes. Justice will be served if Robert Whitworth loses everything that he cares about because of his sister. So she has to refuse to marry me, and we are going to assure that she does. Are we clear on that?”
“Crystal.”
“Then fetch her to me.”
“You don’t care if she’s repulsed by what the doctor left on you?”
“I don’t care if she faints. Bring her—and some smelling salts with you.”