A Lady's Guide to Courtship

XXIII. A Lady's Guide to a First Dance

Dearest William,

Kindly do take care of yourself.

Has your doctor given you a mixture for your cough?

Mix two tablespoonfuls of both vinegar and treacle, and sixty drops of laudanum. Take one teaspoonful at night and one in the morning.

Your friend,

Lady Weis

*****

Ysabella knew that Wakefield and Thomas had had their talk and she was certain it did not turn out good. Wakefield seemed bothered and Thomas appeared to even be more...she could not completely say the man was happier, but he seemed rather content.

The morning after their picnic, Ysabella came down for breakfast and was surprised to see Wakefield alone.

"Where are your mother and Thomas?" she asked, taking her seat across from him.

"My mother needed to call on some of her friends nearby. She had not seen them for nearly a year, I believe. Thomas accompanied her," he uttered in reply. "Why? Do you miss him already?" he asked with a provocative smile or was that a frown? She could not truly tell. Another side of him she was not familiar with.

To answer his confusing question, she merely shrugged. What was she to say? Deny and let him the satisfaction? Agree and let him berate her once more about how it was not wise to marry his brother?

As the servants laid their breakfast before them, Ysabella studied Wakefield. Was he planning to stay here for the duration of her stay with his mother?

He had not done anything that one would consider of import here in Bertram. In fact, he had been tailing them for quite some time now. Was that why he was here?

She was about to voice the question but thought better of it. He'd simply divert the topic back to Thomas. He'd say he was here to watch over her as her brothers should.

So Ysabella thought of another question that had been bothering her for quite some time. "Why do you fear the sight of blood?"

Wakefield's brows arched at her question. He blinked. "I do not know."

"But surely you have been to fights, yes? You must have seen quite a lot of blood in your lifetime."

"Of course."

"Then you have fainted frequently then?"

He chuckled. "I never lost a bloody fight, little one."

"I fear I do not comprehend."

He shrugged. "It is merely my blood that I get such intense reaction to—the thought that it came from me. Those that came from others, I do not mind at all."

She frowned. "Odd."

"I have to agree." He motioned at the food. "Would you rather we discuss blood while we eat?"

"I do not find any reason why we should not, but since you are quite sensitive to it, I suggest we divert the topic." He glared at her quip and she scoffed in return.

They shared a moment of silence as they had their fill of the food.

As she buttered her toast, Ysabella thought of another question. "Why could you not believe me when I claim to be Lady Weis?" When his expression turned from a calm one to frustration, she hastily added, "It is but a mere curious and innocent question, my lord. No need to scowl." He shook his head. "Well?" she urged.

His eyes came to study her for a while. He swallowed his food. "I cannot see her in you."

A very simple answer, but one that caused a pang in her chest.