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Lottie poured tea and handed the cup to Rayne. “I suggest you eat one of the sandwiches. Mrs. Foster said you haven’t been eating much, either. That’s not good for you.”
“Who’s the doctor here?” she joked.
“We are.” They all said in unison and then they all laughed. It felt good to laugh, to think of something else besides her upcoming nuptials with Mr. Faulkner-Jones and her father lying in the infirmary due to her obstinacy.
“What brings you all here today? Out shopping?” She blew on her tea and took a sip, realizing how much she needed it.
They looked at each other and Lizbeth cleared her throat. “Our husbands.”
Rayne choked on her tea. “What?”
Pamela took over. “We understand that you plan to marry this Mr. Faulkner-Jones. However, it is plain to everyone in our little group that you are in love with Lord Sterling and he is in love with you. Our husbands learned about this from his lordship and passed the information along to us.” She looked around the group. “So, we decided to take matters into our own hands.”
“What does that mean?” Rayne asked, a little nervous about what the answer would be.
Addie put her cup down and leaned forward. “What the hell are you thinking, Rayne?”
* * *
The direction on the paper in Edwin’s hand led him to a rather seedy looking building at the edge of Bath. It was not exactly a dangerous area, but certainly not somewhere one would expect to find the pompous Mr. Faulkner-Jones.
Except if one was evading the police it would be the perfect spot for a well-known archeologist to hide in plain sight. Edwin climbed the stairs and knocked on an old wooden door with the number three on it.
After only a minute the door opened. Mr. Faulkner-Jones looked ready to bolt. Most likely assuming the police were at his door. “What do you want?”
“It’s nice to see you too, Faulkner-Jones. May I come in, or shall we have this conversation right here where everyone can hear it?”
The man stepped back, and Edwin entered the flat. No need to pretend it was a social call, so he got right to the point. “I’m giving you twenty-four hours to leave England.”
“And if I don’t?” It was obvious from his stance and demeanor that he knew Edwin was aware of the arrest warrant but had decided to bluff.
“I notify the police that you are in England and exactly where to find you.” Edwin waved a paper in front of the man’s face. The fool assumed it was the warrant because he blanched and backed up.
Edwin shook his head. There was no way he would have the warrant, it was a police matter, but the idiot didn’t understand that.
“Just to make everything perfectly clear, you will leave, and you will not have any contact with Dr. Stevens before you go. You will quietly slip out of this building and use whatever transport you wish to use to take yourself back to wherever it is you need to be.”
Faulkner-Jones curled his lip. “I never wanted to marry the bitch, anyway. She’s cold, and it would have been a chore to bed her to consummate the marriage.”
Edwin smiled brightly right before his fist slammed into Faulkner-Jones’s nose. The sound of a bone breaking left him feeling quite satisfied as he turned on his heel and walked down the stairs, rubbing his hand.
Damn that hurt.
* * *
Rayne paced the drawing room, mumbling to herself. The
ladies had left over an hour before with a promise extracted from her that she would follow her heart.
That was exactly what she would do. No more would she live under her father’s commands. She deserved a life of love and happiness and having only medicine in her life would not do it.
Yes, she felt guilty about her father’s heart attack, but as a doctor she knew his own doctor was correct and it was only a matter of time before it happened because of all the stress he’d subjected his body to over the years.
Now as she wrung her hands, she formulated in her mind the words she would say. It was time she acted like a woman and stopped pretending she was a child who needed her father’s approval about everything.
Taking a deep breath, she left the drawing room and entered the infirmary. Her father was awake and watched her as she crossed the room. “How are you feeling Father?”
“As well as can be expected with my life hanging by a thread.”
