Page 36 of The Baron Takes a Wife

They ended up dining and talking so late with Sophie that Elena was exhausted by the night's end. Her husband guided her to her chambers and kissed the top of her head, promising they would talk more the next day. She was both relieved and disappointed as she fell asleep, only realizing in that second, right before sleep took over, that she hadn’t mourned for her family once in the past week.

Chapter Eleven

“Husband.”

“Yes, Wife.” She could hear the smile in his voice, as if he already knew her tone when she had a request. Even though she was married and apparently married English ladies could take breakfast in bed, Elena often came down for breakfast. It was one of her favorite times she spent with Irene while David had been gone.

“Would you mind if we brought Goliath to the hospital with us? I want to have Maggie’s husband, Dr. Green, look at his leg. Or Maggie if he is unavailable. She is skilled at setting bones.”

Her husband was still smiling at her but narrowed his eyes as he buttered his toast.

"I’m sensing another reason to bring him.”

“Well, I have noticed he has an influence on you.”

David glanced down at Goliath, who was looking up at him beseechingly.

“Elena, he just wants my toast.”

“Yes, that is his dearest wish at the moment, but at other times.” She stopped abruptly, unsure of how to describe what she had seen. She had noticed something unusual the past few days—whenever David seemed to tense up, Goliath appeared to notice and came to David’s side or lay his head in his lap. She wasn’t sure if David was even aware of this, and she didn’t want to point it out if it was a sore subject. But she figured this afternoon, she could kill two birds with one stone, though she loathed that expression: first, she could have Goliath looked at by someone more experienced and knowledgeable than herself. And second, she could test her theory about the dog.

“Is it even hygienic? Bringing a dog to a hospital? Will Mrs. Raeburn have me shot?”

As he bit into his toast, a piece of the crust fell to the ground, which Goliath quickly snapped up. David, fortunately, did not seem to notice.

“Cleanliness is next to dogliness, Brother.” Irene innocently took a sip of tea, but before the cup hid her expression, Elena could see that Irene was delighted with herself.

“Irene, if you weren’t my sister, I would cast you out for such horrible abuse of the English language,” David groaned. “Aunt Sophie, you are the most practical of all of us. What say you?”

At that moment, as they all looked over at her, Sophie was slipping the dog some bacon off her plate. She paused, then looked up at David as if he was interrupting an important conversation between herself and Goliath.

“Did you say something, Nephew?”

“What say you to this idea? Bringing the dog to the hospital?”

Aunt Sophie looked Goliath over. Goliath, seeming to notice that he was being judged, sat very straight and lifted his head high.

“Well, he seems to be a handsome, well-behaved creature. If Elena wants a doctor to look him over, it makes sense to bring him.”

“You are overruled, Brother.”

“Irene, you are just ganging up on me because I didn’t take time to appreciate your dogliness line.”

“It was brilliant wordplay. I’d like to see you do better.” Irene set her cup in its saucer, crossed her arms, and looked up at her brother.

“Right now?” he asked.

Irene nodded.

David looked around the room for help, then seemed to give up. “Canine humor is not at the top of my immediate vocabulary at the moment,” he muttered. Elena and Irene smiled conspiratorially at each other.

“And you!” He came back to Elena, gesturing with his bacon. “I see through you, Wife. You have some ulterior motive for bringing him. I see it in your eyes. I just haven’t worked it out yet. But just you wait. I’m on to you.” As he pointed to her with his bacon, the end broke off and fell to the floor again, to be quickly snatched up by Goliath. Elena slowly raised her head to meet her husband’s comically agitated gaze and willed herself with all her might not to laugh.

****

He did not mind the dog accompanying them. Yes, the carriage was more crowded than usual, and despite his cane, he usually ended up carrying the beast if someone needed to. It was more that he often found himself playing the role of curmudgeon whenever Aunt Sophie showed her secret soft underside and abdicated the role, however briefly. He realized they had been like this, the three of them, since his father had died. Aunt Sophie had always been a part of his life, having been very close with his mother, her sister. He was grateful that she never blamed Irene for causing her death, as he sometimes feared that his father did. Sophie became a constant presence in his life once his father died. She understood without asking that David felt too young to take on all the business responsibilities alone and that he needed help managing everything. Looking around the carriage, he tried to figure out what role Elena now played in their family. Mostly, she was a peacemaker, a glue that didn’t just hold them together, for they had already been rather close, but someone who helped them see and hear each other more clearly. He felt a rush of affection and something more for the woman sitting to his left with the dog’s head in her lap. He wove his fingers with hers and drew her hand to his lips. He could smell the faint traces of amber he always associated with her on her short kid glove. At first, she looked up at him with a slight uncertainty, but after a moment, her face broke into a radiant smile that knocked him right in the chest. He wanted to lean over and kiss her dimples, her nose, her lips, but it would have been terribly inappropriate with his sister and aunt there. As if sensing his lascivious intent, Goliath raised his head and gave him a look.

As they arrived and he had helped everyone, including Goliath, out of the carriage, he was briefly overwhelmed by the number of people around them. The hospital was not in the busiest part of London, but it was still a well-traveled street full of people, carriages, and horses. Going through the list of things around him in his mind, he suddenly felt terribly crowded, as if he would never be able to take a deep breath again. Would this feeling never abate?