An Earl to Enchant (28 page)

“This is a first. You don’t want to hear about my conversation with the viscount?”

“Of course I do.”

“Well, he wanted to—”

“But not right now, Gib. I must get to Valleydale. Arianna is already a full day ahead of me. We’ll talk when I return.”

“When will that be?”

“I don’t know, but I promise we’ll talk when I do.”

***

Arianna sat in a chair by Post’s bed and laid a cold, wet cloth on his forehead. His jaw was badly swollen on one side, and he had bruises, welts, and cuts on his hands and arms.

“You shouldn’t be doing this, Miss Sweet,” he said, his voice weak and whispery.

“Nonsense. This is one of the reasons why I came to Valleydale. To see if I could be of help to you with some of my father’s tonics and elixirs. Not that I don’t trust the doctor that Lord Morgandale sent to care for you. I’m sure he’s quite knowledgeable and that he helped you greatly. It’s a blessing that horrible man who was beating you with the board thought you were dead and stopped when he did.”

Post nodded.

“This cold cloth will help keep the fever down. The tonic I gave you to drink will help, too.”

“Was it supposed to taste like dead leaves in dirty water?”

“Yes it was.”

At the sound of Morgan’s voice, Arianna jerked around and saw him standing in the doorway of Post’s room. Their eyes met and held for what seemed like forever. All the love she felt for him bubbled up in her throat. An expectant rush sizzled through her, and she wanted to run to him and throw her arms around him. And she would have sworn that he looked as if he was happy to see her, too.

Walking up to Post’s bed, Morgan said, “I know how bad it tastes, because I had to drink it myself a few times. I can attest to the fact that it will help you feel better.”

Arianna rose and stepped away from the bed.

Post tried to raise himself up on his elbows. “My lord, you shouldn’t have come.”

“Don’t try to get up, Post.” Morgan took hold of the man’s hand and said, “Lie back down before you hurt yourself. You look better than I thought you would. I’m glad.”

“I’m much better today, my lord. You didn’t have to come to Valleydale to check on me.”

Morgan smiled at the man. “Of course I did.” He took the cloth off Post’s forehead, dipped it in the basin, wrung the water out of it, and replaced it on his brow.

“I’ll be back to my duties before you know it.”

“I have no doubt about that. You’re a strong man, but I’ll make sure Mrs. Post knows you are not to come back to work until she says you are ready.”

“Excuse me, my lord, Post,” Arianna said, rising from the chair. “I’ll leave now and give the two of you time to talk.”

Morgan looked at her. His gaze was so intense she felt a chill on her arms. Had she just imagined earlier that he looked as if he were glad to see her, too?

“Arianna, wait in the drawing room for me.”

“I had planned to see Jessup’s family and pay my respects.”

“Do not ignore me on this, Arianna. Wait for me in the drawing room.”

As she walked past him, he grabbed her arm and stopped her. She silently gasped.

“Do not even think about leaving this house,” he whispered. “I rode like the devil all night to get here, and I’m in no mood for your impulsive behavior. I do not want to have to go looking for you again.” He let go of her as quickly as he’d grabbed her, and she hurried from the room.

Arianna walked into the drawing room, her stomach shaking. It was clear that Morgan was furious with her over something, and that caused a deep ache in her heart. Was he angry that she had come to Valleydale? Surely he knew she had to check on Post and visit Jessup’s family. It was her fault that Rajaratnum had come to Valleydale.

After she had left Mr. Warburton’s house, she went home and fell on her bed. Morgan had told her not to let Mr. Rajaratnum make her cry, and she hadn’t, but that night she cried herself to sleep for failing her father. She had let him down because she hadn’t found his formula. But in the light of day, she had realized she could help Post with her father’s satchel of medicines, so she had left immediately for Valleydale.

The first thing Arianna saw upon entering the drawing room was the life-size portrait of Lady Elder. How did a woman learn to become as commanding as that lady looked? Arianna feared she would never be as strong or as disciplined as Morgan’s grandmother.

Arianna walked over and looked out the window at the gorgeous tree-lined drive. She had missed this place. She absolutely loved it here. As deeply hurt as she was by Morgan’s anger toward her, she felt at home here in this house.

“You left me.”

She whirled. “What?”

Morgan walked further into the room with a piercing gaze directed at her. “You left London without telling me or anyone else where you were going.”

“You are right. I should have asked permission before coming to your house. I apologize, but at the time, all I could think was that I just needed to get here and check on Post. I knew I had some remedies in my father’s satchel that would help him.”

“Just three days ago, I took your innocence on the settee in your drawing room, Arianna. Just two days ago, there was a madman who had his hands around your throat. You have the bruises on your cheek and neck to remind you.” He walked closer to her. “Did you not stop to think I might be a little worried about you when I found out that you had left town without telling me or anyone of your whereabouts?”

“No, I didn’t think,” she said softly.

His eyes narrowed, and his lips formed a crease of frustration. She hadn’t meant to worry him, and it broke her heart to know that he was angry with her about it.

“Explain to me why, because I do not understand your reasoning.”

“I was no longer in danger from Mr. Rajaratnum or anyone else, and as for what happened on that settee, I told you I would not require anything from you, and have no fear, my lord, I intend to hold to my word on that.”

He looked incredulous. “You require nothing from me?”

“Correct. You are in no way responsible for me. I have now seen Post, but I would like to visit Jessup’s family for a little while, and if you would be so kind as to allow me to stay long enough to visit Master Brute, I’ll be on my way.”

Morgan folded his arms across his chest and drummed his fingers on his arms. “Will you?”

Fighting tears of sorrow that threatened to invade her eyes, and much as it hurt her to say it, she whispered, “Yes.”

Morgan turned and walked back to the double doors that led into the drawing room. He closed first one door and latched it at the floor to hold it steady. He then closed the other and turned the key under the doorknob until it clicked.

“What are you doing?” Arianna asked, feeling a little unsettled.

“Locking the door.”

“Why?”

His gaze steady on hers, he walked toward her. “Because I don’t want to be interrupted. I have something to show you and plenty to tell you.” He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the empty bottle of perfumed water her father had made for her.

She smiled and gasped. “I thought I had lost that. I couldn’t find it when I got to London. Beabe swore she’d packed it, but we couldn’t find it anywhere.”

“It was left here. Mrs. Post gave it to me.”

“I realize it’s almost empty, but thank you for not throwing it away.” She reached for it, but he drew it back and covered it with his hand.

“Not so fast.”

Perplexed, she lowered her hand. “Surely you don’t want a lady’s perfumed water bottle.”

“Oh, no, I do want this one.”

He wanted it? “All right. As much as I would love to keep it, after all you have done for me, I certainly can’t deny you. It’s yours.”

Morgan held the bottle up and looked at it. “Have you ever really looked at this bottle, Arianna?”

“Certainly.”

“What’s on it?”

“The ingredients. My father told me he wrote the ingredients on it so that it would be easy for me to have more made, if for whatever reason he wasn’t available to make it for me.”

“You didn’t question why he didn’t write them in English?”

She smiled. “Of course not. We lived in India. Why not write it in Hindi?”

Morgan shook his head and smiled.

Arianna was confused. He went from being angry at her to smiling. What did that mean?

“This is not written in Hindi. It’s another little-known Indian language, and my apothecary had a hell of a time finding anyone who could translate it.”

“Your apothecary?”

“I was going to have more made for you before I returned it, but I couldn’t. My apothecary assures me this is not a formula for perfumed water, as you call it, but it’s a eucalyptus-based formula that could quite possibly be a healing tonic for the lungs.”

A chill shook her body. “No.”

“Yes. You’ve been looking everywhere for your father’s formula to cure consumption, and it was written right here on your bottle.”

Arianna covered her face with her hands. Sweet relief washed over her. “I don’t believe it.”

He took hold of her wrists and brought her hands down from her face. He looked deeply into her eyes. “I have never lied to you, Arianna.”

It felt like her heart was bursting with love. “I know that.” She wanted to hug him so desperately but was afraid to make a move for fear he would think she was making demands on him. So she said, “I must get this to the Royal Apothecary Scientific Academy.”

She reached for the bottle a second time.

He pulled it back just short of her grasp again. “Too late.”

Her breath stalled in her throat. “Too late?”

“When you were not home for me to talk with you about this, I took matters into my own hands. I’ve already had my apothecary take it to the Academy under your father’s name. I’m sure their testing has already begun.”

“Oh, Morgan.” She threw herself into his arms so fast and hard that he stumbled backward, and they fell on the settee together.

Her lips found his, and she kissed him with all the love she was feeling. He responded eagerly to her advances and pulled her into his arms.

“Those better be tears of joy I’m kissing from your cheeks.”

She leaned away from him and dried her face with the back of her hands. She had no idea the tears had fallen, but she answered, “They are. Morgan, how can I ever repay you for what you’ve done for my father?”

He looked down into her eyes and smiled. “You could marry me.”

Her heart lurched, and she pushed away from him. “Marry you? No, no. I promised you I would not ask anything of you.”

“You aren’t asking, I am. Marry me, Arianna.”

“Morgan, this is not the time to tease me about this. My emotions are already on the brink. I am so filled with love for you, I can’t keep from telling you any longer, but I don’t want you to feel you have to marry me because of what happened between us.”

Morgan brushed a strand of hair from her face and wiped the last of the dampness from her skin, careful not to hurt her bruised cheek. “I don’t. I’ve not wanted to admit it before, but I think I fell in love with you the night you arrived at my door.”

“No, I remember that night clearly. You thought me the biggest nuisance you had ever encountered, and you just wanted to be done with me.”

He grinned. “That’s true, too, but it didn’t mean that you didn’t put your mark on my heart. I finally admitted to myself that I love you. I don’t want to live without you. I can’t live without you, Arianna.”

“Oh, Morgan,” she whispered, throwing her arms around his neck and holding him as tightly as she could. “I never thought to hear you say those words.”

“You had better say yes to my proposal, because I’ve developed one of your bad habits.”

She leaned back and looked into his eyes with wonder. “What?”

“Quite unaccustomed for me, yesterday I impulsively applied for a license to marry you!”