A Warriner To Tempt Her

‘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 foolish brother did not need to know Joe had toyed with the idea of asking Isabella to dance as well. Then remembered she couldn’t dance. She had firmly stated her ankle was still not strong enough. Although she walked with no difficulty, he noticed. Each time he saw her move, she glided effortlessly without any discernible sign of a limp and her hips undulated in a very pleasing fashion with each graceful step. Towards the end of the evening, his feet had been compelled to head in her direction again. The studious Bella might appreciate his scholarly conversation and he was tired of making small talk with those who would deign to tolerate a Warriner. He was curious to know her thoughts on Laennec’s paper, or maybe to discuss ancient Egyptian medicine some more. Even the state of Tom’s tonsils was more appealing than listening to more gossip and nonsense about ribbons. He had been a few feet away when the ethereal Clarissa had appeared out of nowhere and claimed him again for a second dance and then the opportunity was gone. The Beaumont carriage had left shortly afterwards after both girls were ushered out by their father, who had obviously had quite enough provincial society for one evening. ‘I thoroughly enjoyed Clarissa’s company.’

‘And the lovely Bella?’

‘Frankly confuses me. One minute she is as prickly as a hawthorn and the next she is...’ How to explain it? Joe frowned and pondered for a moment. ‘Bella is obviously clever and her commitment to the infirmary is surprising for a woman of her upbringing. Yet she is eminently capable, very well read...yet insular. Sometimes she is downright snippy, although I suspect she is shy. And then—bang—she is animated and engrossed in a topic.’ Like his stethoscope and Laennec’s research. ‘Half the time I don’t know what to make of her.’

Jake had leaned forward and was listening intently. ‘She’s a conundrum.’

‘Yes. I suppose she is.’

‘You’ve always liked a conundrum. They excite that enormous brain of yours.’ He grinned, looking every inch the rake he was. ‘Admit it! You find the enigmatic Bella intriguing.’

‘I find her sister intriguing—and Bella interesting.’

Jake pierced him with a glare, one which reminded Joe his flippant brother was more astute than he liked to let on. ‘You’re lying. I saw you trying to sneak off when she was surrounded by her other suitors. I saw you look at your pocket watch, the wall, her sister...you were bored stiff by Clarissa!’

‘I adore Clarissa. She is an angel. A diamond...’

‘Good grief, you’re at it again! Listen to yourself—diamonds. Angels! Why is it whenever you set your cap at a girl, she becomes this ethereal object to be revered from a distance? A woman of such dazzling perfection she is untouchable and unflawed.’