One moment of foolishness would possibly mean the end of his treasure hunting days. At least there was a silver lining in the form of a light-haired beauty named Rebecca.
Chapter Three
It was quiet at their family dinner table that evening as Rebecca still floated on air after her day with Thomas. The kiss he’d placed on her knuckles had remained scorched into her skin and continued to send a ripple of giddiness through her. Although she tried her hardest not to show it in her father’s presence, of course.
She was aware that her father felt that young men who acted foolishly while attempting to woo a young woman were, in short... fools. In fact, he had made it abundantly clear on more than one occasion, and he believed she was much too young to be married to a man of such an immature mind.
“Does that type of behaviour appeal to you, Rebecca?” her father suddenly asked, and she glanced at him blankly.
She had not been paying much notice to her father while eating dinner, and now he glared at her expectantly, awaiting an answer for which she did not know the question.
“I beg your pardon, Father. What type of behaviour do you speak of?” she asked.
Dr. Melton lowered his utensils onto the plate before him and his jaw clenched. “You didn’t hear a single word I said.”
“My sincerest apologies, Father.”
“Where is your mind, Rebecca?” he asked, then picked up his fork and waved it in the air before she was able to answer. “And please do not say it is with the young man you met this morning.”
“Of course not, Father,” Rebecca said and shook her head fervently, though she was outright lying. “Why would you say such a thing?”
“I saw the manner in which he gazed upon you and how he spoke to you. He may seem very charismatic and charming, but he cannot be trusted.”
“Why is that? What did he do to justify this kind of reaction from you?” she asked, feeling flustered to be caught out so obviously.
“Not him specifically, my dear. Young, charismatic men such as himself. Their intentions are not at all noble. Worst of all, you seemed enthralled with his words, as though he had bewitched you.”
She stared at her father, surprised he was so observant, but also not impressed that he judged all men of nobility so harshly. Surely, it wasn’t their fault they didn’t need to work for a living as the doctor did.
“Father, I would hope you’re not questioning my professionalism. I was merely ensuring that he was comfortable until the duke arrived to collect him. I have provided similar services for many of your patients previously.”
But even as she said the words, she felt the heat in her cheeks. Surely, her father would know she was lying?
Dr. Morton cocked his head and drew in a deep breath, but he said nothing further.
“There is no need to worry, Father. He has not bewitched me. I was merely making conversation with him,” Rebecca said, trying to reassure him that she was not as affected by Thomas as he believed.
In truth, it was far worse than her father realised. Her infatuation for Thomas grew with every passing moment. She was totally unable to clear him from her mind.
“He does seem like a nice man, with an interest in fossil hunting,” Rebecca said, trying to interest her father in the lord she had met. “It is not something commonly known.”
“Fossil hunting? How ludicrous. That cannot be all he does. What of a career?” Dr. Melton asked with a scoff. “Or does being the brother of the duke mean he does not need to earn his money how the rest of us humble people do?”
Rebecca frowned. “Father, that is not a very nice thing to say. To each their own.”
She had always thought of her father as being a tolerant sort of person. This was a new side to him she hadn’t seen previously.
“What does he do all day? Does he scour the limestone caves and cliffs looking for seashells?”
“Indeed. It sounds rather interesting,” Rebecca said with a nod.
“And dangerous it seems.”
“It was only one instance—”
“That we are aware of,” Dr. Morton said with a huff.
“Father, I do not understand your concern, since the likelihood of me seeing him again is very low. I am certain the duke has a nurse in his employment and does not require you or me to change his bandages.”
“I don’t wish for you to engage in dangerous behaviour, Rebecca. Young men such as Thomas Melton cloud the mind of a young woman, and I don’t want that to happen to you.”
She almost rolled her eyes but stopped herself from showing a sign of disrespect to her parent. “While I can overlook that generalisation of the males of the world, I do not appreciate you considering me a foolish woman.”
“I will not apologise,” her father said, slamming his hand on the table. “If your mother were here, she would have told you precisely the same thing.”
Rebecca stared at him for a long while. It had been five years since her mother had passed away, and while she saw the sorrow in her father’s eyes, he rarely spoke of her. Neither of them did. It was still a raw wound that required healing, but the process was long and gruelling.
Rebecca remembered her mother in her happier times, when she was awaiting the birth of Rebecca’s little brother or sister. The news had come as a big surprise to the entire family when she had fallen pregnant so late after Rebecca’s own birth, but they were all ecstatic.
Her mother’s time with child was difficult. As though she were slowly drained of life, with every day that passed. The birth was even more terrible. Rebecca hadn’t been in the room, but she remembered the screams, the small, blue infant they had brought out to show her, and
