Page 53 of The Secret Suitor

All the same, he was glad she had submitted to seeing a doctor, and he had not minded leaving the skating party to help her back to the house.

Now, Wesley stood in the corridor outside Millie’s room and waited for the doctor to leave. He pressed his head against the wall, closing his eyes and considering the events of the afternoon. Miss Stroud was relentless in her pursuit of him, and he had not done anything to give her leave to think he might return her feelings.

The door opened, allowing more light into the corridor. A tall, lanky man with willowy limbs stepped out.

“Wait!” Millie called from inside her room, her voice clear despite the distance.

The doctor turned back.

Wesley stepped forward, disliking the note of concern in Millie’s tone.

She laid upon her bed, her maid standing at the foot. “Will you please see to my sister while you are here, doctor? She is pregnant and unnaturally unwell.”

“I can show you the way, sir,” the maid offered.

The doctor nodded. “Of course. Remember what I said, Miss Hollis. If you need more headache powders, the apothecary in town will have them.”

Millie nodded softly. “I will keep that in mind.”

The maid slipped into the corridor and started toward Helena and Charles’s room, the doctor behind her. It was not far; merely around the corner. Once they had left the area and Wesley heard knocking, he stepped into Millie’s open doorway.

She covered her face with her hands. “Do not look at me, Wesley. I cannot bear to see your pompous smile right now.”

“Pompous!” He laughed, the sound coming from his belly. “I never predicted you would injure yourself, Millie. I take no joy in it having occurred.”

He did enjoy the way she had leaned against him the entire way back to the house. When they had reached the stairs, he had even offered to lift her, but she had refused. Watching Betty remove her half-boots as she sat on her bed had been a trial of another degree, and waiting for the doctor’s arrival had nearly sent him into a nervous fit. He could breathe now that she was settled and did not seem concerned about the doctor’s prognosis.

Wesley was nothing if not level-headed. This was all quite unnatural for him. “You are going to be well, I assume?”

“Yes, but I will have a headache, and I am not to return to the ice for at least a few days.”

“No trouble there, I hope.”

Millie shook her head, then winced. “I need your help.”

“Anything.” He stepped into the room, keeping his hands clasped behind his back so they would not be tempted to reach for her.

“Will you discover what the doctor says to Helena?”

“I am certain Charles will convey that information to you as soon as he is able.”

Her nose wrinkled. “Yes, but not until he thinks of it, which could be hours. Please, Wesley?”

He found he could not refuse anything when she asked him like that. “Of course.”

Millie thanked him as he left the room. He passed her maid in the corridor and put up a hand. “Is the doctor finished?”

“Not yet, sir.” Betty bobbed a curtsy and continued on her way.

Wesley found Helena and Charles’s door and planted himself across from it, leaning against the wall. He waited for nearly a quarter of an hour before it opened. How many people would he be willing to do this for?

The list was quite short.

The doctor stepped out, pausing when he saw Wesley. “You appear to enjoy waiting for me outside of bedchambers.”

“I have been tasked with discovering what you learn about Helena so I might convey it to her sister.”

He nodded, closing the door so he might step into the corridor. “Nothing she faces is outside the bounds of a typical pregnancy. You can tell Miss Hollis her sister will likely feel this way for another few weeks before it abates, and so long as she can continue to eat something each day, she will be well.”