Page 95 of Seduced by an Irresistible Lady

Dr Frederick shook his head.

What in tarnation is Frank saying?

He removed his hat and wrung it for lack of having any other thing to squeeze.

“How is what you are saying helping matters, Frank?”

“Oh dear heavens, you don’t understand me. No matter what you feel for the woman, she’s always going to have a glut of choices. I don’t know what is between you two, but I have never seen any signs of you preparing to get married. She will marry who she will marry, Doctor. All you can do is let her know your mind,” Mister Frank said.

“Do not worry your mind over what you cannot determine. It’s no slight on her part if she chooses Lord Jeffrey, no matter how undeserving you think he is,” he added.

Doctor Frederick shook his head. Mister Frank was right, very right. No matter how many sensual sessions they had shared, it might not matter one bit to her. All it did was gratify her.

I’ve been such a fool. I am not going back to that house again. My episode with Miss Helena has come to an end.

Dr Frederick walked into the house and into his reading room. He walked to the sink and rinsed his face with water. The dropping rivulets didn’t drain the pain with them, though. And when he looked into his image in the mirror, he wasn’t sure there were no tears mixed in with the falling droplets. If he didn’t cry, his heart was wailing. That he was sure.

Chapter 20

Not Here Now

Helena looked to her house’s gate. A carriage rode as if coming into the compound but then went by it. Helena shook her head. She had spent almost two months in Ireland, which was a thoroughly enjoyable place. She had been back for more than two weeks now.

One would think that time enough to get over a person.

One could never be more wrong. She was sure Dr Frederick knew she was around now, but he had never shown. Lord Jeffrey’s first visit was a mere two days after she first came back.

He spends more time with Father now. They are pretty close, and I do not fancy it one bit.

She no more had a frigid relationship with Lord Jeffrey. She didn’t change for him, but she understood what he wanted now.

He wants a woman who scurries at the sight of him, a woman who will thoroughly execute his every whim and caprice. I am not that woman.

But Helena knew she would have to marry him, despite what her picture was for the man of her dreams.

Dr Frederick.

Helena described what she had with Lord Jeffrey as functional, at best; cold, at worst. She saw him almost every other day now and was already tired of his acts and attitudes. He was plain nasty to stewards and never accorded Miss Justina with fitting respect even though Helena had taken her time to explain who Miss Justina was to her, what she meant to her.

“So what is she?” he had asked her when she was done explaining that day.

“I don’t understand.”

“She’s a steward, Helena, a servant. Forget the frailties your heart shows because of how long she’s spent with you. She’ll always be a servant to me.”

Helena had felt like giving him a hard slap across the face when he said that.

What a prod! He is such a devil.

Now everyday was boring and fearful. She had not spoken to her parents about the financial situation since she came because she was scared. They were unnecessarily happier than before, like they had forgotten about the issue.

Or had accepted their fate and were compensating for the uncertain future with making the best of their time now.

She was scared for her father’s mental health. She had heard of people being unnecessarily happy when they suffer bad times.

That is one step from madness.

Lady Lavinia was no more around to cheer her up with her untiring tongue and her untamable happy demeanour. Lady Lavinia was now in Ireland, having the time of her life with the love of her life.