Page 28 of A Touch of Charm (Miracles on Harley Street #3)

E veryone was back and the practice had filled with bustling energy. But then Thea noticed that Stan’s eyes had wandered to the nurse.

Interesting.

This was mainly because the nurse diligently focused on folding and refolding a towel that Andre then reached for to spread on the treatment bed.

Thea narrowed her eyes and waited for Stan’s reaction.

When he met her gaze, he indicated “no” with his eyes, and she inhaled as understanding dawned on him.

“ Dac? ?mi p?strezi secretul, ?l voi p?stra ?i eu pe al t?u, frate. ” If you keep my secret, I will keep yours, brother. Thea subtly gestured in the direction of Nurse Wendy.

Stan inhaled, nodded, and then looked at the nurse again. She was pretty, young, and seemed to blush furiously under Stan’s intense gaze. But what struck Thea the most was how well she worked with Andre.

Once Stan had taken off his shirt, it was Nurse Wendy who took the tweezers and held the wound down as Andre removed the stitches. Mary grimaced a little when she first saw the dark scab wash away with the witch hazel solution and the bowl tinged with the dissolved red blood.

“I’ll remove the stitches because there’s an infection, but I will bandage the wound so that it won’t open,” Andre explained for Stan’s benefit as much as Mary’s. “This is called a roof tile bandage,” he said when he placed one piece of muslin in a crisscross over the other. “The pressure comes from both sides to draw the skin together.”

“How long until the wound closes?” Stan asked, wincing when Mary joined Wendy and patted his shoulder.

“You don’t just need it to close; you need the infection to heal. This could otherwise take a dramatic turn,” Andre said firmly. Wendy handed him another bandage while gently nudging Mary’s so she wouldn’t rub.

“Just pat, pat, see?” Wendy showed Mary and Stan shot Wendy a grateful look.

And Thea now knew why Stan inhaled and flexed his muscles for them—well, he didn’t want to show the pain of the deep infection to the little nurse, but he wanted to show off his muscles to the adult one. Thea knew her brothers better than herself sometimes.

“We must repeat this at least twice daily until the wound is closed. Only then can we immobilize the arm, so the scar remains narrow and smooth.” Andre turned to Thea. “It seems we will keep him as a patient to Cloverdale House after all.”

“Wendy, could you—” But Andre didn’t need to finish.

She nodded eagerly, and it was a little too obvious that she averted her gaze from Stan, who was pulling his shirt back over his exposed torso.

“I’ll look after your wound at Cloverdale House,” Nurse Wendy said.

It was a promise that hinged upon a practicality Thea knew should soothe her, but instead, it sent an ache spiraling through her chest. Cloverdale House. The place where he would be—where she could see him again.

The thought took root, unbidden yet undeniable, sparking a restless hope in Thea’s chest. She could still see the faint curve of his lips before their kiss, feel the pull that defied reason. Her cheeks warmed at the memory, her pulse quickening with a longing she could neither quell nor justify. She shouldn’t feel this way, shouldn’t crave that spark again, but the idea of seeing him at Cloverdale House was enough to set her heart racing. It would be her chance—her excuse—to be near him once more.

Except that the next day at Cloverdale House, Andre didn’t come. One of doctors said that there was a large carriage accident, and he had a great number of patients, but Thea hadn’t heard everything. Instead, some of the other doctors had arrived, introduced themselves to Anna when Thea had been sharing tea with her, and then withdrew into the various rooms Thea didn’t keep track of. Thus, Thea distracted her mind from the intense kiss with Andre with a little homework for Mary.

“Why are you making me learn French and Latin?” Mary asked, holding the pencil and writing simple words.

“Because you are so young now, you can learn three or four or even five languages at the same time easily.”

“It’s not easy,” the little girl pouted.

“I know.”

“But you said it is.”

“It’s easier now than learning the languages when you grow up. I never said it’s easy altogether.”

“How many did you learn when you were five?”

“Five.”

“Yes, when you were five.”

“No, I mean, I learned five.”

“Which ones? French, Latin, and English?”

“And Romanian and Hungarian.”

“Say something in Hungarian!”

“Bármit elérhetsz, amit kit?zol magad elé.”

Mary beamed. “What does it mean?”

“You can do anything you set your mind to.”

“Even though I am a girl?”

“Especially because you are a girl.”

“You’re a girl, too! You have to marry and have children soon.”

“That’s what my father wanted, Mary. But it’s why I ran away.”

“Did I run away to learn languages and be free like you without a husband and children?”

Thea choked. If this was how Mary saw her acts of defiance, she had many amends to make. “Mary, darling, you didn’t run away. We were kidnapped, then saved, and I sent a message to your parents to let them know that you are safe until they return to London. It’s a bit like an excursion with me.”

“My princess.” Mary hugged Thea.

Now, she couldn’t stop the tears from coming anymore.

“Why are you crying?”

“Oh, it doesn’t matter.” Thea forced a smile and wiped another tear with her free hand while she held Mary on her lap.

“But it’s your feelings! Of course, they matter!”

“To you, perhaps, not to my father.”

“He is probably too busy and will have more time when the deals are all in order.”

“Is that what your mother tells you?”

Mary nodded.

“It’s also what my mother told me. But then I grew up, and I realized that when my father had time for me, it was to ensure that I learned well, practiced the dances, that my posture was straight, and my teeth white.”

“He loves you and wanted to see you growing up.”

“He loves what I can do for him and what I can manage as a grown-up. That’s why I had to learn all these languages.”

Mary squinted as if she tried to sense what Thea was saying. Thea knew she shouldn’t tell a child about all this, but even just thinking it, she felt ungrateful. Who had ever heard of a princess who didn’t appreciate her station?

“Let me try to explain this.” Thea took Mary’s hand in hers and looked at her. “It is indeed important to invest in your education. Languages are important, but so are arithmetic, geography, and water coloring.”

“Why?”

“So you build a foundation for what you will learn later.”

“Is that what you’re doing now?”

That stumped Thea for an instant.

It was indeed a lesson she was learning. She had no guidance or set assignment, but figuring out where she belonged did require all the training, knowledge, and heart.

And it had taken a little girl a few minutes to put it together. Could it be that simple when one prioritized love?

“Languages, for instance, show people you are interested in their country, culture, and etiquette.”

“So you learned Hungarian before you liked the culture?”

“No.”

“The country?”

Thea pursed her lips.

“It’s just not very far away from where I lived, so while I like the language, the country and the culture are very close to mine.”

“So you picked England instead?”

Thea leaned back in the chair and scratched her nose. “No.”

“When are you going to Saxony, Bavaria, or Prussia?”

“Why?”

“Because you learned German. You’re learning languages to make friends with the people, right?”

“No.” Thea deflated. It wasn’t brilliant considering it this way. “Mary, I was raised to fit into any of those cultures with great ease because the man my father wanted me to—wants me to marry,” she swallowed bile, “is connected to all these countries.”

“So perhaps he will love you and take you there to explore?”

“No, he won’t. And I ran away because I didn’t want to be with him.”

Mary considered that for a moment. “I’ll make up my own language.”

“What?”

“ Rasinu kalatin plomp .” Mary gave a self-assuring smile. “ Prumblim .”

“What does that mean?”

“Whatever you want it to mean so it makes you happy.”

“That’s not a language then, Mary.”

“But it should be. What’s the point in learning languages to speak with people who don’t make you happy? In my language, anything I say is something that will make others happy when they hear it.”

She clapped her little hands and hugged Thea.

“Thank you so much for creating Quinovinum with me.”

“What’s Quino—”

“ Quinovinum is my language now.

“ Halikanu Peraton ,” Mary added. “I’m hungry.”

So Thea took Mary downstairs in the hope to find a small meal for Mary to tide her over until dinner.

“Oh, Andre! Rasinu kalatin plomp. ” Mary ran toward him, lifted her arms, and he instantly set down his cup on the saucer and picked her up. She took his face in both hands and smiled. “ Prumblim .”

*

“ Prumblim ?” Andre’s eyebrows rose so high they betrayed his questioning whether he should question what she said. But he thought it better not to ask, considering that Thea stood rather stiff in the doorway. It had been such a long day, one emergency after the other, and he was glad to finally see Thea again. Of course he rather wished to be alone with her but he smiled brightly and hugged Mary. “Thank you, Mary.”

“See, he understood!” Mary turned to Thea and slid back down Andre’s arms. Thea had come closer, and Mary now tugged at her sleeve. “He knew exactly what I said, and it made him happy. He smiled!” Mary pointed at Andre’s mouth and Thea gave him a bright smile.

Yes, rather lovely indeed.

But now Thea burst into laughter. There was no chance Andre knew what Mary had said. They weren’t words!

“She made up those words.” Thea shook in mirth when Andre gave her a surprised you-can’t-be-serious look. Then he laughed, too.

“Would you care to translate the language… ahem, what is it called?”

“ Quinovinum .” Mary emulated Thea’s best governess tone.

“ Quinovinum .” Andre nodded with an air of grave understanding. “And if you translate what you said to English, it means…?”

“Whatever would make you happy to hear.” Mary nodded and gave a tight-lipped smile.

“Which is what?” Andre pressed on.

Thea pressed her hand over her mouth, seemingly trying not to laugh.

Then Mary drove her hands over her face to wipe the frustration away. “You truly don’t know?”

Andre and Thea both shook their heads.

“But it’s the same thing for both of you! If you say Prumblim , you’ll both finally be happy!” She threw her hand into the air. “Just say it!”

“Say what?” Thea asked.

“I love you!” Mary groaned, pivoted, and walked away. “ Prumblim. Prumblim. Prumblim . Is it so hard to say love?” And with this word, she’d left through the door.

Finally, alone again.

And that was a word, indeed.

He knew he hadn’t blinked in a while but was frozen. Andre felt his pulse in his knees, but he couldn’t locate his legs or feet.

Prumblim.

Love.

Saying it to one another.

He tried to swallow, but his throat was dry.

Thea stood only a foot away, blushing like… like… Andre cocked his head.

Like it was true.

“ Prumblim ?” Andre asked with a half-smile that seemed to return when Thea inhaled and held his gaze.

“She just invented a language that would make people happy.”

“It’s a brilliant idea.” Andre shifted but didn’t close the distance to Thea. “She’s right. Prumblim . Especially when the person they love the most shares it with them.”

His heart thrummed so violently now that he could feel it shaking his ribcage. It was nonsense; the heart didn’t move from its titled spot over the diaphragm, but it made all the sense in the world for him to feel as he did.

“ Prumblim ,” Thea nodded. “ Rasinu kalatin plomp .”

“What?” Andre reached for Thea and lifted her chin with his thumb. She smirked, making his heart nearly burst out of his ribcage.

And when she blinked at him, her dark eyes saw straight into his soul. He tucked a few shimmering strands of her blonde curls behind her ear as if he had to bring order to the disarray her golden locks had brought into his life.

But the only way things would be in order was if he kissed her.

Right then.

“ Rasinu kalatin plomp ?” He rasped. “Is that in her language?”

“It means whatever you wish for it to mean in Quinovinum .” Now Thea tilted her head slightly and smiled, but her gaze fell from his eyes lower.

He hoped it was to his mouth as he closed the distance. “You have an affinity for languages, Princess.”

His lips touched hers.

“I have an affinity for you,” she said in his mouth just before he inhaled. “I’ve fallen in love with you.” She opened her mouth to receive his and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

“Me too,” he managed before there was no more time to speak.