His eyes followed his eldest daughter to the dance floor. ‘I doubt you would be so foolish, Bella, but if he asks you to dance tonight, make sure you decline.’
‘I do not wish to dance with him, or anyone, Papa.’ The real her inside was longing to dance with the doctor. To be twirled around and to gaze up into those spectacled eyes. Where did that thought come from?
‘But he is very handsome.’ This came from her mother and it earned her a sharp look from her husband which she ignored. ‘And he seemed very taken with you.’
‘Are you blind, woman? The scoundrel has clearly set his cap at Clarissa. Or perhaps, like his eldest brother, it is her dowry which appeals to him.’
‘Dr Warriner is a man of science, not a fortune-hunter.’ Bella was compelled to defend him.
‘Then already he has lured you into his web of deceit if you believe such nonsense! Are you telling me you are also tempted by Dr Warriner?’
‘The only part of Dr Warriner which interests me is his brain.’ Liar. ‘Clarissa is welcome to the rest of him.’ Lord, spare me the sight of the pair of them together. ‘When can we go home?’
* * *
Miraculously, Joe enjoyed an entire night of uninterrupted sleep at his brother’s house. Jack and Letty had insisted he come home and spend a Sunday with the family because he looked tired and needed a break. Knowing they were right, he hadn’t argued. Mrs Patterson knew exactly where to find him and would not hesitate to rouse him for the smallest emergency, yet thankfully no midnight messengers had come to spoil his slumber. Joe woke naturally to soft daylight and the delicious smell of a hot breakfast for the first time in months.
He was also feeling pretty pleased with himself. He had danced with the delectable Clarissa twice and one of those had been the only waltz of the evening. As he had spun her around the floor, several pairs of male eyes had watched them jealously, all coveting the rare prize in his arms. Not only had the woman of his dreams danced with him, she had favoured him with her attention throughout. They had chatted over refreshments and she had practically dragged him towards her gaggle of admirers and kept hauling him back every time he wandered off. Clarissa might not be head over heels in love with him, or, if he was being brutally honest with himself, anywhere close, but she certainly now knew he existed. His poor heart swelled at the knowledge and he ignored the nagging voice which kept questioning why there had been no intriguing tingles when he had touched her hand or held her close.
Instead, Joe took his time shaving and dressing, intent on savouring the luxury of time passing, and sauntered into the breakfast room feeling more refreshed than he had in ages. His younger brother, Jake, was the only occupant and was sat with his feet crossed on another chair, reading a newspaper.
‘Good morning.’
His brother’s head popped over the newspaper and he grinned. ‘I should imagine it certainly is! I never thought I’d see the day when my scholarly big brother was wooing two ladies simultaneously.’
‘Two?’ Joe was genuinely baffled. ‘How much did you drink last night?’
‘Nowhere near enough to miss the delicious frisson in the air. But be warned, Dr Sensible, whilst I heartily approve of wooing two ladies at the same time, the fact they are sisters will cause all manner of complications. Juggling both Beaumonts is not going to be easy. Especially with their father watching you like a hawk.’
‘Very funny.’ Joe began to load his plate with the bounty on the sideboard. ‘But as usual you have got the wrong end of the stick.’ He balanced two crisp rashers of bacon on the mountain of scrambled eggs and carried a slice of toast to the table in his teeth.
‘I most certainly haven’t. I have eyes.’
‘Which clearly do not work if you believe I am juggling both Beaumonts.’ Jake had a way with the ladies and out of the four brothers they were closest in age. Joe couldn’t resist asking his opinion. ‘What do you think of Lady Clarissa?’
His brother shrugged. ‘Very pretty. Very highly thought of in London and considered quite the catch—and knows it, if you want my honest opinion. But I know the type too well to fall for her man-traps. Man-traps, I noted, she was using to great effect with you.’
‘Man-traps?’ The words came out mumbled as Joe enjoyed the first delicious mouthful of eggs. Mrs Patterson could cook, but the chef his sister-in-law Letty had brought with her from Mayfair was a culinary genius. Who knew the humble egg could taste so sublime?
‘Yes, indeed. The subtle, oh-so-casual way she kept touching your arm. The tinkling laugh. The flirtatious way she kept batting her eyelashes at you.’
‘She was?’ Joe had enjoyed the flirting immensely but had no intention of letting on. ‘I thought she had a touch of conjunctivitis.’
‘That would be why you were falling all over yourself to be so attentive. It was purely medical. My mistake.’ Jake snapped the paper back up in front of his face. ‘Yet it still doesn’t explain your fascination with the bookish Beaumont, who, by the way, I think is a much more exciting prospect.’
‘Bella!’ The very idea was preposterous. ‘I am not fascinated by Bella.’
‘Bella... Ah. My mistake.’ Joe could tell his brother was smiling behind his newspaper wall. Jake’s smugness always grated. ‘I shall assume all the lingering glances I witnessed were not lingering at all.’
‘Bella was not glancing at me in a lingering manner. The girl’s nose was constantly in her book.’
Jake threw his head back and laughed. ‘Not her, you idiot. The lingering glances were yours, else how would you know her nose was in her book? You were looking. You kept looking. Even whilst waltzing with the calculated Clarissa, your eyes kept wandering to her beautiful sister.’
A valid point, although his brother was quite mistaken as to why. His eyes had sought Bella out, but only out of concern. Seeing her sat amongst the wallflowers, doing her best to blend into the walls, bothered him. Nothing more. ‘She hurt her ankle a few days ago and I treated her. I was merely checking she was not in pain.’
‘Of course you were. I’ve often thought your concerned physician face mirrors your soppily pining face. And, I suppose, giving the lady a gift was also part of your medical service? I saw you give her that trumpet thing.’
‘It was a stethoscope. Lady Isabella has an interest in science and is volunteering at the foundling home.’
Jake gave up his pretence of reading his paper and dropped it on his lap. ‘The plot thickens. Have the pair of you been making gooey eyes over the patients?’ He sighed wistfully and clutched his heart. ‘How romantic...’
Joe had had quite enough. ‘My relationship with Bella is...well, for want of a better word, professional. A boy has been suffering from quinsy and we have been treating him. Bella has a brilliant mind...’ At his brother’s grin he scowled. ‘But if you must know, I prefer her sister.’ Not strictly true. Joe was coming to like Bella, too. She was clever and resourceful, and he was now convinced she was more shy than dour. And, of course, she had magnificent legs and then there were those tingles.
‘I see. So you find Clarissa attractive and Bella interesting.’
‘Clarissa is also interesting.’ If he was honest, her conversation last night had been a bit dull. But mundane topics like favourite colours or flowers were to be expected when an acquaintance was so new—and Lady Clarissa was not exactly the type to find discourse about stethoscopes or bone saws riveting. The fact Joe had struggled to care about the scintillating parties she attended in London was proof he was working too hard and had simply forgotten how to have fun. As they became more familiar with one another, he was convinced they would find a great deal in common. A great deal. It did not mean anything that he might have tried to escape her company once or twice, or had found his eyes wandering to her sister in the corner. He merely felt uncomfortable in the crowd of admirers he had no desire to be part of.
His