Raven (Gentlemen of the Order #2) - Adele Clee Page 0,12
when surrounded by memories of the past?
His demons liked reminding him of his misfortune. And yet that didn’t stop him wishing and wanting whenever he locked gazes with Sophia Adair. Hell, when he’d found her hovering inches from his bed, it had taken every effort not to drag her closer and take what he craved.
Everything about Jessica’s disordered mind was familiar. Hannah had suffered from a similar affliction—a crippling melancholy that gripped one’s soul with hooked claws. Many times, he’d told himself it was because he hadn’t loved her enough, because someone else still held a piece of his heart. Guilt festered—even now—made worse when he spent any length of time in Sophia’s company.
Damn Lucius Daventry.
Finlay drew his hand down his face and rubbed his jaw. Sleep would elude him if he didn’t quieten his mind.
Earlier, Sophia had mounted the stairs and padded across the landing. She had stopped outside his door and called his name, had retreated when he failed to answer. And so it was safe for him to venture downstairs, to settle into the fireside chair and partake in her best brandy.
The drawing room was warm when he entered, the dying embers in the hearth giving a faint glow. Finlay lit the lamp, poured a large glass of brandy and dropped into the wingback chair. Sophia’s unique smell hung in the air, a sensuous bouquet of violets, lily of the valley and a familiar scent that had no earthly name.
Being so close to her was like sweet torture. It was why he had to focus on these mysterious happenings, why he had to solve the problem of Jessica’s sleepwalking and get the hell back to town.
The longcase clock had finished striking the half hour when he heard the upstairs boards creak. He knew to expect Sophia minutes before she pushed open the door and stepped into the room.
“Finlay, it’s you,” she said with feigned surprise. “Forgive the disturbance. I heard a noise and feared Jessica was sleepwalking.”
It was a plausible explanation, though he sensed it was a lie. Still, he did not turn to look at her, did not wish to encourage her to stay.
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“Did the wind keep you awake?”
He almost laughed. “No, it wasn’t the wind.”
“The house is so old one can hear it howling through the rafters.” She moved to the chiffonier, into his line of vision.
God’s teeth!
It wasn’t the sight of her loose blonde hair rippling like waves over her shoulders that had his heart hammering in his chest, nor the shimmer of her blue silk wrapper in the candlelight. It was her bare feet and dainty toes. It was knowing that above her trim ankles were equally bare thighs. A man might imagine untying the belt and caressing the soft curves he remembered.
“Do you mind if I sit with you for a while?” she said, her hand resting on the sherry decanter. “Sleep eludes me, too. Jessica often behaves oddly the night before Dr Goodwin arrives.”
“Behaves oddly? How so?” Focusing on the case helped divert all amorous thoughts.
Sophia removed the crystal stopper and poured a glass of sherry. The air thrummed with suppressed tension, which was no doubt the reason she drank the contents before refilling the elegant stem glass.
“Jessica becomes restless. She starts pacing and mumbling.” Sophia came to sit on the sofa. “She radiates a strange energy. Excitement mingled with apprehension.”
Finlay pondered the information. “Has Dr Goodwin suggested moving her to an institution?” Those with fragile minds were often highly perceptive. “If so, might she have overheard the conversation?” Though that did not account for her eagerness to see the physician.
“Dr Goodwin believes if she were to reside at a place where he could attend her daily, he might have more success managing her condition.”
“An asylum?”
“No. A private hospital near Oxford, some five miles from Godstow. He raised the subject recently and seems loath to accept my refusal. Persistence is his middle name I fear. During his last visit, I threatened to find another physician if he continued his pestering.”
“And how did Dr Goodwin react?”
Sophia raised her chin, offering a glimpse of the confident lady who commanded every man’s attention in the ballroom. “With arrogance and cool aplomb. He called my bluff and told me to hire someone else while reminding me another physician would have her committed.”
Dr Goodwin wasn’t exaggerating.
Most women confined to asylums were sane.
“Maybe Jessica has formed an attachment to the doctor. Maybe she fears this might be his last visit.” Finlay relaxed back in the