Lord Nick's Folly by Emily Hendrickson Page A

Coxmoor had handed him, then set the glass on a small table close by.
    She drank the remainder of her brandy, took her glass along with Nick's to set on the tray. "I am sorry I invited the man to stay here. I had no idea he was intent upon doing away with my grandniece."
    "Surely you do not think his action was deliberate?" Nick rose again to face her. "I don't much like the chap, but would he resort to murder? Why? What could be his motive?"
    What she might have said in reply was not to be known as Milburn reentered the house, coming directly to the library in great haste.
    "I saw the doctor's carriage go down the avenue. What did he have to say about Miss Herbert?"
    For a moment Milburn's face was illumined by the setting sun. Nick thought he saw genuine concern there. Mrs. Coxmoor had to be wrong. Why would Milburn want to kill Nympha? Rather, he ought to be wooing her for the fortune she most likely would acquire.
    "She will do well enough. Rest and quiet was what he prescribed." Nick watched Milburn carefully to assess his mood, his reaction to Nick's words.
    "That and willow-bark powder for her aching head," Mrs. Coxmoor added. "I intend to give her some of Dr. Boerhaave's Infallible Red Pills. They always work for me when I have aches or pains. I suppose you favor Dr. James's Powders? I know many do," she said to Nick.
    "I am never ill, ma'am. But I believe my mother does favor Dr. James's Powders," Nick said with a half smile.
    Milburn smiled as well. Granted it was a strained smile, but he seemed genuinely relieved. "Perhaps I could just look in on her before dinner?"
    Nick met Mrs. Coxmoor's intent gaze, wondering if she would permit Milburn this privilege.
    "I think you might, providing you do not disturb her. Annie is with her. I will arrange for my own abigail to stay with her during the night. She will not be left alone. Not as long as she remains in this house."
    "I'll go as well," Nick vowed, determined to see Nympha again to make certain she was continuing to improve. He wasn't jealous, not in the least. He simply cared.
    When they peeked in to check the patient, Nick was pleased to note she had more color in her cheeks when she turned her head to see them.
    Dinner was a light meal, and partaken of even more lightly. Only Milburn seemed to have any appetite. Once the meal ended, Nick pushed back his chair, turning to Mrs. Coxmoor with an unspoken question in his eyes.
    "Go on up," the elderly lady said with a shooing motion. "I trust you will find her better."
    Nick ran up the stairs, striding to Nympha's door while wondering if there was a cautioning in the words from Mrs. Coxmoor. He hoped to see that Nympha had regained more of her color.
    Pausing outside her door he rapped lightly and eased it open. He nodded to Annie, then crossed over to the bed. Nympha looked very small and fragile in the vast bed. Her eyes were shut.
    "Has she spoken again?" Nick studied the oval face with the blond curls spread over her pillow. How he wished he could see those saucy blue eyes now.
    Annie still held a bit of ice to Nympha's forehead.
    "No, milord. She answered the doctor's questions, but has said not a word since."
    "I do not think I wish to take up tennis."
    Nick's gaze darted to the still figure in the bed. "Well, I shall teach you anyway. Your great-aunt wishes it."
    "Impossible. I cannot run fast enough."
    The words were whispered, a mere thread of sound again, but still heard clearly in the silence of the room.
    "Bathe her forehead in lavender water. My mother swears it is good for a headache. Perhaps it will help Miss Herbert."
    "Yes, milord. Mrs. Coxmoor brought in a bottle of it for our use. If nothing else, she will like the scent."
    Nick vowed to buy a large bottle of the stuff for Nympha if only she would recover.
    They took turns watching her that evening. Nick stubborn in his insistence that he remain close to her. He told himself that he did so because he knew her parents.
    When Nick finally returned