Free Cherished Enemy by Patricia Veryan Page B

with a broad grin, “And the unfortunate innocent who was accused of pinching the ‘hussy’!”
    They laughed until their sides ached.
    â€œWell,” sighed Victor at length, “I must get down to my ladies. I fancy I’m properly in disgrace.” He stood and they shook hands. He said, “If ever I can repay you…”
    â€œPooh,” said Fairleigh, smiling at him. “The least I could do. After all, any man who speaks Latin as you do needs all the help he can get.”

4
    â€œYou are growing to be a heartless woman, Rosamond Albritton!” wheezed Estelle. A heartless woman! How you can laugh so—!”
    Wiping tears from her eyes, Rosamond lay back, sighing weakly, against the worn squabs of the carriage. “No, Aunt, but you—you must admit ’twas laughable. All those people—so worn and wan one moment and fighting like savages the next! And—and that poor lady trapped inside the umbrella…!” She went into whoops again and Mrs. Porchester was at once infected, so that the carriage fairly rang with their laughter, and Dr. Victor, riding alongside, looked in with a rather austere expression that made Rosamond laugh even more.
    â€œAnd—then,” gasped Mrs. Porchester, having recourse to her handkerchief, “the way that scrawny little surgeon … sprang at Dr. Victor like a ravenous tiger—”
    â€œAnd punched his hoity-toity head for him!” Rosamond moaned helplessly and pressed a hand to her side. “Faith, but it—did my heart good!”
    â€œHis poor nose bled so,” sighed Mrs. Porchester, who had taken quite a liking to Dr. Victor. “And you’ve not done your side any good with all your unkind cackling.”
    â€œUnkind, is it? The wretch deserved it!”
    â€œBecause he looked at you without admiration at Tante Maria’s ball? Stop and think, my love. He may have a friend who was a Jacobite. Or he may be a married man and loyal to his own lady and with no eyes for any other, however beautiful.”
    â€œOh, that is not fair! I’ll own my remark to Captain Holt may have sounded harsh—though one would not think a patriotic Englishman should have objected. And a gentleman would not have eavesdropped on a private conversation! But you know that is not my reason for disliking him. The creature is rude, and so proud I wonder he does not burst with it! The way he looked at you when you asked him to be our courier! I vow the icicles fairly crackled. And that a physician should fail to help an ill person in an emergency—”
    â€œNow you are not being fair, dear. The ship’s surgeon did not say it was an emergency. Only that he would like to have consulted with Dr. Victor about it.”
    â€œEven so—’twas disgraceful.” Rosamond looked out of the window. The object of their conversation was glancing back at Trifle, who followed with much flapping of ears and lolling of pink tongue. He rode well, did Dr. Arrogance, holding himself straight but easy in the saddle. ‘He may be a married man…’ She eyed him thoughtfully.
    As though to welcome them home the skies had cleared and bright sunshine awoke a myriad sparkles on dew-spangled trees and drenched fields. The Kentish countryside spread its emerald beauty in a rich panorama. The carriage jolted past marshy meadows in which plump cattle grazed peacefully; isolated farms and cottages where housewives hurried to take advantage of the sunshine and hang out their washing; a sleepy hamlet where old men in gaiters and snowy smocks gossiped on wooden benches in front of the inn. They left hamlet and habitations behind at length, having turned onto a lane so richly lined with burgeoning hedgerows that it seemed a verdant tunnel dappled with shade from the venerable old trees whose branches met overhead. It was harder going now because of the mud, and the carriage slowed, Victor being obliged