Thomas winced, groaning in pain but grabbed the small fossil he’d wanted. There was no way he wouldn’t take it after what he’d endured to get to it. He slipped the fossil into his satchel, which was specially reinforced with compartments to keep his treasures safe, then pushed himself into a standing position.
By the time he reached the smooth sand of the beach, his tan breeches were soaked in blood, and he was barely able to put any weight on his injured leg. He quickly removed his shirt and wrapped it around the wound to stem the bleeding. He remembered that the local physician’s home was very close, he simply needed to walk a short distance.
Hopefully the man was home.
REBECCA MORTON ATE her breakfast and glanced over at her father sitting opposite her at the dining table. His attention was captured by the thick medical journal that lay next to his tea and toast. He referred to that particular book when he had cases that were puzzling or unusually difficult.
Most people would find it inappropriate of him to bring something as graphic and detailed to the breakfast table, but Rebecca was used to it. He’d done it her entire life.
Rebecca’s father had been a physician since before she was born and continued to do so until this day. She couldn’t imagine her father being anything else. He loved it too much.
She found tales of her father’s occupation fascinating and enjoyed it when he told her stories of what he had seen and what ailments he had treated. So much so, that after her mother had passed away five years ago, she not only assumed the role of the lady of the house, but also assisted her father with patients.
“Anything interesting in your journal today, Father?” she asked.
“Always,” he said with a wink. “However, nothing I have not told you about.”
“What of Mrs. Roth’s condition? Has she improved?”
“Indeed. Swimming in the ocean certainly does wonders for both the body and the mind,” her father said. “Her daughter is with child, she tells me.”
“Is that so? That is wonderful news,” Rebecca said with a smile. “She is married to Lord James Melton, is that correct?”
“Indeed.”
Rebecca nodded and quietly sipped her tea.
Suddenly, a loud pounding sounded on the front door, and her hand jolted, causing her cup to clatter against the saucer. Such a hammering usually meant only one thing. There was an emergency – someone in need of medical assistance.
“I will go,” she said and stood from the table.
As she walked to the foyer, she noticed their manservant had already opened the door and she stopped abruptly in her tracks. In the doorway stood an incredibly handsome, bare-chested man. He leaned against the doorframe and Rebecca noticed his bloodied leg, which was wrapped in what appeared to be a shirt.
“Goodness,” she said with a gasp.
“My apologies for being a bother, Miss, but is the doctor in?” the young man asked, his face pale.
It was evident that he’d lost a lot of blood, and he required medical attention urgently.
“Indeed, he is,” she said and turned to the manservant. “Christopher, please assist the gentleman to the waiting room. I will get the doctor.”
“Thank you,” the young man said as Christopher guided him towards the waiting room.
Rebecca exhaled slowly, regaining her composure, and returned to the kitchen and her father. “Father, there is a young man who is injured, bleeding profusely from his leg. He appears very pale in his face, and I suspect he has lost a large quantity of blood.”
“Then we shall not dawdle,” her father said and stood from the table.
Rebecca hurried after her father, following him to his examination room and readied the room for the patient. His handsome face still lingered in her thoughts, and she scolded herself for being foolish. She had to remain focused and behave as professionally as her father.
Once the room was ready, Rebecca stepped outside and looked at the young man in the waiting room.
“The doctor is ready to see you,” she said quietly and approached him.
She assisted him into an upright position and led him into the examination room.
“I will lay you on the patient bed now,” she said to the young man.
“That is rather quick. You have not even told me your name yet,” the young man said with a grin on his face.
Rebecca ignored his attempt to be flirtatious and helped him onto the patient bed. He lay back onto the soft, padded pillow.
His warm, brown eyes sparkled in the sun-drenched room and despite the pain he must have felt, the corners of his lips curled up into a grin. “Or perhaps angels do not have names, merely beautiful faces.”
“Your injury has made you delirious, it seems,” Rebecca said, slightly amused by the man but she certainly didn’t wish for him to know.
“Perhaps, but it has not affected my eyesight.”
Rebecca’s cheeks heated and she lowered her gaze, with no clue how to respond.
Much to her relief, her father entered the room and approached the bed. “Good morning. I am Dr. Morton.”
“A pleasure, indeed, Doctor,” the young man said. “Thomas Melton.”
“Ah, the youngest brother of His Grace,” her father said. “And what brings you to my rooms this early in the morning?”
“I was climbing the limestone rocks at the foot of the cliffs and I injured my leg on a sharp edge of rock. To stem the bleeding, I tied my shirt around it.”
“That was most certainly the smart thing to do,” the doctor said. “Allow me to inspect it.”
Thomas nodded and glanced briefly at Rebecca. She remained beside her father, only occasionally looking at the young lord. She
