idly brushed a curl away from where it rested against his hand on her throat.
"You are agitated, but you will not die, Miss Farnham. Were you reading your lurid novel before you fell asleep?"
She looked puzzled for a moment.
"Mrs. Radcliffe's book? Yes, but what does that signify?"
"Reading novels can contribute to a disordered mind, Miss Farnham. You should stick to more edifying literature before sleep."
"Oh," she mulled that over, then shook her head. "It is not my mind that is disordered, Dr. Murray, but my heart that is fast."
She gestured, to make sure he understood the difference between her head and her heart.
"Don't you want to listen to my chest? Dr. Drummond at home always puts his ear on my chest to listen to my heartbeat and reassure me it is strong."
"Very well. If it will help you fall back to sleep."
She followed his instructions when he told her to sit on his bunk.
"Unfasten your garments please."
Instead she clutched them tighter and looked at him wide-eyed.
"I did not think you liked me, Dr. Murray!"
He was dumbfounded for a moment, then the penny dropped.
"Miss Farnham, this works best with only a thin barrier between your skin and my ear. Just do as I say so I can return to sleep. You only need to unfasten your nightdress partway."
"Oh."
She loosened her wrapper and shrugged it off her shoulders. Her nightdress was plain, which surprised him, but it was of fine linen and had a pink satin ribbon that she untied, leaving the neck to gape open. The outline of the form beneath tantalized him, but he forced himself to concentrate.
He pulled out a thin and worn handkerchief from his sea chest and shook it open.
"Lie down on my bunk, on your back."
She followed his instructions, and he sat next to her. He eased the night garment open, exposing the upper mounds of breasts that he could say, with perfect accuracy, were some of the finest he'd ever seen. Lush and pink, rising and falling with her breathing, like rosy-tipped meringues. He draped the cloth over her, then bent his ear to her chest to listen, and learn, as he had done so many times in the past.
If he lingered there with his cheek on her bosom longer than was clinically necessary, it was hardly his fault when her skin was so warm, and soft, and fragrant, and completely hairless, unlike so many of the other chests he'd listened to. To be honest, he did not need to put his ear on her bosom at all. She was already looking better since he'd distracted her from her thoughts about the specter of Mrs. Cowper following in their wake.
However, if it brought her a measure of comfort, who was he to argue with her? So he listened to her strong, healthy heartbeat, pronounced her lungs clear, and helped her to her feet.
She looked down at her bare toes as she refastened her garment and he folded up the handkerchief.
"You must think me a silly ninny, Dr. Murray, to bother you this way."
He did not seize the opportunity to agree with her that, yes, he absolutely thought her a silly novel-reading ninny.
"You are not the first person to suffer a nightmare after a shocking event, Miss Farnham. You did the right thing in coming to me."
"I do feel much better now. I believe I can go back to sleep," she said brightly. She moved to exit the cabin and had her hand on the latch when she turned and looked at him.
"Thank you for not laughing at me, Dr. Murray."
She gave him that smile that made him feel slightly disoriented. No doubt it was only that so few people he encountered in the course of a day's work had any reason to smile at him.
After putting up his handkerchief and making a brief note in his journal regarding her visit, Alexander climbed back into his bunk. He couldn't say why he took his pillow, where her head had lain moments before, and brought it up to his nose.
Lavender. A soothing scent, calming for the nerves.
Which was, of course, the only reason why he fell asleep with his arms wrapped around his pillow.
Chapter 4
The
"You are agitated, but you will not die, Miss Farnham. Were you reading your lurid novel before you fell asleep?"
She looked puzzled for a moment.
"Mrs. Radcliffe's book? Yes, but what does that signify?"
"Reading novels can contribute to a disordered mind, Miss Farnham. You should stick to more edifying literature before sleep."
"Oh," she mulled that over, then shook her head. "It is not my mind that is disordered, Dr. Murray, but my heart that is fast."
She gestured, to make sure he understood the difference between her head and her heart.
"Don't you want to listen to my chest? Dr. Drummond at home always puts his ear on my chest to listen to my heartbeat and reassure me it is strong."
"Very well. If it will help you fall back to sleep."
She followed his instructions when he told her to sit on his bunk.
"Unfasten your garments please."
Instead she clutched them tighter and looked at him wide-eyed.
"I did not think you liked me, Dr. Murray!"
He was dumbfounded for a moment, then the penny dropped.
"Miss Farnham, this works best with only a thin barrier between your skin and my ear. Just do as I say so I can return to sleep. You only need to unfasten your nightdress partway."
"Oh."
She loosened her wrapper and shrugged it off her shoulders. Her nightdress was plain, which surprised him, but it was of fine linen and had a pink satin ribbon that she untied, leaving the neck to gape open. The outline of the form beneath tantalized him, but he forced himself to concentrate.
He pulled out a thin and worn handkerchief from his sea chest and shook it open.
"Lie down on my bunk, on your back."
She followed his instructions, and he sat next to her. He eased the night garment open, exposing the upper mounds of breasts that he could say, with perfect accuracy, were some of the finest he'd ever seen. Lush and pink, rising and falling with her breathing, like rosy-tipped meringues. He draped the cloth over her, then bent his ear to her chest to listen, and learn, as he had done so many times in the past.
If he lingered there with his cheek on her bosom longer than was clinically necessary, it was hardly his fault when her skin was so warm, and soft, and fragrant, and completely hairless, unlike so many of the other chests he'd listened to. To be honest, he did not need to put his ear on her bosom at all. She was already looking better since he'd distracted her from her thoughts about the specter of Mrs. Cowper following in their wake.
However, if it brought her a measure of comfort, who was he to argue with her? So he listened to her strong, healthy heartbeat, pronounced her lungs clear, and helped her to her feet.
She looked down at her bare toes as she refastened her garment and he folded up the handkerchief.
"You must think me a silly ninny, Dr. Murray, to bother you this way."
He did not seize the opportunity to agree with her that, yes, he absolutely thought her a silly novel-reading ninny.
"You are not the first person to suffer a nightmare after a shocking event, Miss Farnham. You did the right thing in coming to me."
"I do feel much better now. I believe I can go back to sleep," she said brightly. She moved to exit the cabin and had her hand on the latch when she turned and looked at him.
"Thank you for not laughing at me, Dr. Murray."
She gave him that smile that made him feel slightly disoriented. No doubt it was only that so few people he encountered in the course of a day's work had any reason to smile at him.
After putting up his handkerchief and making a brief note in his journal regarding her visit, Alexander climbed back into his bunk. He couldn't say why he took his pillow, where her head had lain moments before, and brought it up to his nose.
Lavender. A soothing scent, calming for the nerves.
Which was, of course, the only reason why he fell asleep with his arms wrapped around his pillow.
Chapter 4
The
Similar Books
Headspace
Calinda B
Spring Blossom
Jill Metcalf
The Tournament
Scarlett Vora
The Lotus Effect (Rise Of The Ardent)
Bridget Ladd
As Lie The Dead
Kelly Meding
Chromosome 6
Robin Cook
An Unexpected MP
Jerry Hayes
Master Thieves
Stephen Kurkjian
The Case of the Diamond Dog Collar
Martha Freeman
Dark Intelligence
Neal Asher