How to Heal the Marquess by Sally Forbes
Chapter Fourteen
Tobias avoided his mother’s gaze as the carriage moved along the road, despite feeling her watching him intently. He was familiar with the sensation, as it was the same look she always gave him when she was trying to read him.
He doubted very much she would be able on this occasion because his thoughts were so chaotic and wild. But since he did not wish to discuss anything he was presently thinking with her, he could not risk meeting her eyes, on the off chance he was wrong. Instead, he pretended to be fascinated by the beautiful flowering bushes and blossoming trees lining the road to Marwood Manor.
He was not at all interested in the scenery, however. In fact, he could not have named a single plant they passed had he been pressed to do so. The thought to which his mind kept returning was of his earlier encounter with Miss Gibson. He was aware the request he had made of her could well have come across as distrust for her abilities. And, before that morning, he would not have cared if it had.
But he had realized, as she had smiled sweetly at him and agreed to comply with his wishes, that he was very much attracted to her. He realized just as quickly how much he had come to trust her abilities. She seemed never to fail at bringing down his grandfather’s fever, and the duke even seemed to enjoy her company.
To his dismay, the coach came to a stop far too soon. Even if his grandfather were in better health, there was nothing within him which wanted to spend the afternoon listening to gossip at some garden tea party. Truthfully, he wished he could spend the afternoon keeping Miss Gibson company as she tended to the duke. However, not out of mistrust this time but out of a desire to get to know her better.
Even though she was just a doctor’s daughter, he could not deny how lovely she was. Her skill and intelligence were also quite refreshing to him if he was to be completely honest with himself. But for the sake of politeness, he put on his best false smile as the butler of Marwood Manor greeted him and his mother, following the man to a terrace overlooking a lavish garden.
As the hostess of the tea party greeted his mother, Tobias glanced out over the gardens. Many flowers were flourishing throughout the different sections of the garden, interspersed amidst the hedges and shrubs, as well as larger trees. Many of them Tobias could not identify, but a large clump of exceptionally pretty flowers jumped out at him, causing his heart to leap into his throat. Daisies, he thought, his mouth twitching into an involuntary smile.
“Lord Penwell,” the Viscountess Marwood said, at last moving her attention from his mother to Tobias. “I am so glad both of you could come today.”
Tobias quickly found his polite smile.
“It was very kind of you to invite us,” he said. “I trust you have been faring well.”
The viscountess nodded gently.
“Very well, thank you,” she said. Then, her expression changed to one of concern. She glanced between Tobias and his mother, biting her lip. “How is Lord Berbrook?”
Tobias stiffened. He looked at his mother, relieved when she turned to face the viscountess herself.
“He is very ill, indeed,” she said sadly. “But he is in the best of care. Dr. Gibson and his young daughter are tending to him, and they are absolutely wonderful.”
The viscountess’s eyes lit up.
“Oh, you mean Daisy?” she asked, a tinge of excitement in her voice.
The dowager marchioness nodded, bemused.
“Yes, indeed,” she said. “Do you know her?”
The viscountess nodded eagerly this time.
“Oh, yes, I certainly do,” she said. “I owe a great deal to the doctor and his daughter. In fact, it is because of their great care that my dear daughter is alive and well today.”
Tobias exchanged glances with his mother.
“Forgive me if I am intruding, but what happened to your daughter?” he asked.
The viscountess shook her head.
“You are not intruding at all, Lord Penwell,” she said. She took a deep breath and sighed before continuing. “Three years ago, my Lucy contracted influenza. It was terrible, and it was very touching and go. In fact, I was so sure I would lose her that I began steeling myself for her death.” There were tears in her eyes, but her face lit up with a smile once more. “But Daisy was very dedicated to doing everything she could for my dear Lucy.
Her father was, as well, and he did everything possible to save her. However, I am convinced that Lucy managed to pull through the worst of it because of Daisy’s compassion, devotion, and expert care. And after that, Lucy’s recovery was very fast. She was back to herself in no time, as though nothing had ever happened. Indeed, I know in my heart that, were it not for Daisy, Lucy would not be alive today.”
Tobias listened, enraptured. He recalled his mother saying how highly regarded Dr. Gibson and his daughter were among the ton. But despite it, he had never stopped to think about how successful they must be about saving lives.
He knew influenza killed nearly everyone who contracted it, and he was astounded that the viscountess’s daughter had made such a miraculous recovery from such a terrible illness. More than that, however, he was shocked to learn Miss Gibson had played such a big part in helping the sick woman get well.
Before he could think more on that, however, a quiet commotion from the doorway to the terrace pulled the attention of everyone to some new guests.
“Lord Alwater and Lady Selina,” the butler announced loudly.
The viscountess rose from her seat to greet the new arrivals, as she had Tobias and his mother. Tobias, however, groaned inwardly. He had been so engrossed in the viscountess’s story that he had all but forgotten about Lady Selina.
It was then that Tobias understood why the seat on the other side of him had remained empty, despite the arrival of several more guests since their own. He glanced at his mother, who was seated on the other side of him, beaming up at him with anticipation.
Aware the eyes of many of the guests were on him as Lady Selina made her way to the chair beside him, Tobias stiffly but dutifully rose, pulling out the chair for Lady Selina and mumbling a barely audible greeting as she took her seat.
When his mother patted his arm as he sat back down, he did not acknowledge it. Not because he was angry with her, as this was the very reason why he had been asked to attend the tea party. But he knew she would see something was upsetting him, and he did not want to spend the time between the party and promenade hour discussing it with the dowager marchioness.
Lunch was served shortly after Lady Selina, and her father arrived, which offered Tobias a few extra moments to brace himself for pretending to be polite to the young woman. And very few moments it was, indeed. The moment the meal had been served, Lady Selina pointedly turned herself to face him and smiled at him brightly.
“It is wonderful to see you again, Lord Penwell,” she said. “It is such a pleasant surprise to see you here.”
Tobias mustered his best smile and nodded.
“My family and I thought it best that I come in my grandfather’s stead,” he said.
Lady Selina nodded, but her gaze was already starting to drift away, as though she was bored.
“Yes, I do hope he is improving,” she said idly.
Tobias looked at her, opening his mouth to tell her that the duke was still terribly ill, as he knew she must know. But she cut him off, changing the topic of the conversation abruptly to the upcoming events of the Season.
Tobias could not help gawking in bewilderment at the young woman’s dismissal of the duke’s illness. He knew she did not know Lord Berbrook very well, but it was at least considered good form to ask after the health of the loved ones of those one knew among the ton. He listened half-heartedly as she talked, trying to give her the benefit of the doubt. Possibly she was simply so thrilled to see him that she had momentarily forgotten herself, and she would ask about the duke when she had collected herself.
No such thing happened, however. In fact, she went immediately from talking about the Season’s balls and dinners to the new wardrobe she had selected for each of the events. To her credit, the dowager marchioness was utterly enraptured with such conversation. But Tobias thought it was a terrible way to make an impression on a gentleman with whom you were allegedly interested in making a marriage match.
However, Tobias found Lady Selina quite conceited. And worst of all, she had not even bothered to ask about the duke’s health when all the other guests had made an effort to do so or had listened with considerate attentiveness when he and his mother had spoken to the viscountess about him. To Tobias, that was bad form and not something he would ever want in a wife.
Suddenly, and without warning, an image of Miss Gibson’s smiling face came to mind. She was a lovely woman, but as she stood in the hallway beaming up at him, with her cheeks flushed a light crimson, he had been overwhelmed by her beauty.
The way her light brown hair framed her olive-skinned face, the way her emerald-green eyes sparkled as she gave her solemn word to do the favor he had asked of her, had seemingly instantly stolen his heart. It was as if he suddenly saw her in a completely different light than he had before.
Stunned at his thinking, Tobias shook his head. He silently scolded himself for thinking about the young woman in such a way. He had, after all, said he would give Lady Selina a chance. Perhaps he was not doing so fairly thus far.
Maybe she would be different when the two of them talked together and got to know one another, rather than at a social event, where such socializing was expected. Forcing away all thoughts of Miss Gibson, Tobias did his best to focus on what Lady Selina was talking about, however dull and shallow it was to him.
He could not help feeling relieved when the party ended. However, Tobias knew his day was far from over. Lady Selina was aware, as was he, that promenade hour was approaching rapidly. She batted her eyes at him and dropped less than subtle hints to Tobias that she would like to be escorted around Hyde Park.
Tobias reluctantly asked her to join him and his mother there after the tea party, smiling mechanically when she agreed with apparent delight. He reminded himself that he was doing it to fulfill his promise to his grandfather.
But that hardly offered him any solace when he linked his arm through Lady Selina’s on their arrival at Hyde Park, and she commenced the same kind of conversation as at the tea party.
The winding and weaving paths throughout the park each led to some sort of attraction or entertainment. And those Tobias could not see, he could hear from some distance away.
Music drifted from various corners of the park, and he could see glimpses of places around the park explicitly designated for walks for the young lovers of London’s high society. And yet, as Lady Selina continued talking about the kind of wedding she hoped to have and how lavish and expensive it would be, Tobias could enjoy none of it. By the end of the day, he felt as though he had just survived an entire week, and he knew in his gut he could never be interested in Lady Selina.
It was late in the evening when Tobias and his mother arrived home. Fortunately, the dowager marchioness had fallen asleep during the carriage ride home after the trip to Hyde Park. She was still sleepy when they arrived home, so he avoided conversation with her about the day. He went straight up the stairs to check on his grandfather, and, to his relief, the duke was sleeping comfortably and soundly. He would not have to discuss the atrocious day with his grandfather just then either.
Exhausted, Tobias slumped down in the chair beside the duke’s bed. He thought, though it had been a long day, that he would be awake for a few more hours yet so that he could watch over his grandfather. But as he sat there, relaxing, at last, his fatigue quickly began to catch up to him. Before long, he found he could hardly keep his eyes open.
His last thought before he drifted off to sleep was that he should get up and go to his bedchambers, so his grandfather would not catch him watching over him again and grow angry with him.
