Page 22 of To Heal a Broken Earl (The Rakes of Mayhem #7)
Glancing at her list in the small bound notebook she’d begun to carry around with her, she noted that the new Axminster carpet in a darker hue of blue was due to be delivered tomorrow, along with the settee that had been re-covered in a cheery floral pattern that matched the blue of the drapes and the pale yellow of the walls. And then the room would be complete.
Taking one last look around the room, she sighed, pleased with their efforts in the parlor.
Leaving the room, she noticed the quiet of the house.
Michael was with the stonemason and several workers hired to repair the wall bordering the estate.
Katie was upstairs, likely taking a nap by now, under the supervision of Doris.
It would be a perfect time to experiment with the salve.
Emma retrieved the jar of salve and the small vials of sandalwood oil and orange essence she had tucked away in a box off the kitchen, along with a kerchief and other utensils she might need.
She knew that Michael favored sandalwood and citrus soap and shaving cream.
If she could use enough to mask the pungent odor of the salve, maybe he wouldn’t mind using it.
Easily finding the room at the far end of the stables, she unlatched the wooden shutter and used a sturdy piece of wood to keep it open.
She’d used a cask she’d found in the corner, rolling it over to the door to ensure it stayed open as well.
Hopefully, between the open window and door, enough air would flow through the room, and the smell would not be as overwhelming.
Tying the kerchief over her nose and mouth, Emma divided the salve into three equal measures, which she spooned into three separate glass jars.
In the first, she blended several drops of sandalwood oil and mixed it thoroughly; in the second, she used both the essence of orange and sandalwood, and in the third, she added only the orange essence.
After each mixture, she wrote in her notebook how many drops she had used of each oil, along with approximately how much salve she had used.
As she finished blending the salve with the mixture of orange and sandalwood, she heard a soft woof and suddenly found herself sharing the room with Finn, who began to sniff the air below each jar.
“Woof!” he barked more loudly when he sniffed below the one that had the orange and sandalwood a second, then a third time.
She tugged down the kerchief that had covered her nose and mouth and sniffed the jar Finn had barked at, before sniffing the other two.
“You approve of this one?” she asked, happy to have an opinion, even if it was from a dog.
Finn wagged his tail and barked once more.
She couldn’t detect any of the original salve’s smell, and while she had added orange essence, it seemed to enhance the sandalwood, not overpower it.
“It does smell lovely,” she said to the dog, patting his head. “Maybe this will work, after all.”
Earlier, as she made her way to the stables made her way to the stables, she’d noticed Finn in the company of Michael and Wright.
They had likely been laboring alongside the craftsmen from town, diligently working on the wall.
She imagined how exhausting the task must have been, especially under the warm sun.
Knowing the physical demands of their work, she felt a pang of concern for Michael.
He would be tired and sore after such strenuous labor.
Perhaps Hastings would be able to give him a soothing massage with the improved salve.
“Now, what brings you in here, Finn? I’m afraid I don’t have any treats in my pockets for you,” she said, stepping outside the door and looking around, before stepping back inside.
No apples to be found either. “Did you decide the work on the wall wasn’t appealing enough to keep you amused, dear boy? ”
“Woof,” he repeated, nudging the middle jar containing the salve that had been mixed with both essential oils.
“I take it that means you like it. I do, too. The question is whether Michael will approve,” she said, kissing Finn on the nose.
“Approve of what?” a familiar, deep voice said.
Emma looked up as Michael walked into the room. “It smells good in here,” he said, reaching down and scratching Finn behind the ears. “What is it?” He leaned down and sniffed the jars. “It smells like sandalwood.”
“It is sandalwood and orange, actually,” she said, pleased that he liked the scent.
“Is this some concoction you’re using to wax the furniture in the parlor?” he asked with a curious smile.
“Er…no…” She swallowed, suddenly nervous at revealing her true purpose. “I, um, asked Hastings for a jar of the salve that Dr. Bianchi had compounded for your leg. I thought, perhaps, we could mask the odor. I…well, I hoped—”
“You what?” he interrupted, his tone tinged with irritation, his eyes narrowing.
“I-I wanted to surprise you. I wanted to help. I thought if the salve didn’t have such a noxious odor that you might not be so averse to using it, and it could help with your leg.”
“Are you a physician now?” he said in a sharp tone. “You think a few drops of scented oil will be the magical cure for this mangled leg?”
“No,” she replied, shocked at his words and his sudden flash of anger. “It’s only that after our journey here, your leg seemed to pain you even more, and then it seemed to get even worse since the night in the library when you fell and hurt your leg.”
“I’m not hurt,” he responded tersely. “And I didn’t fall. I was preventing you from falling and injuring yourself when you foolishly climbed up that ladder in the dark.”
She felt her face flush with embarrassment at his reprimand. Even more so because the kiss that followed after he’d indeed broken her fall was emblazoned in her mind. “I was only trying to help,” she whispered brokenly.
Feeling her eyes blur with tears and her bottom lip quiver, she gathered the two vials of essential oils, corked them, and shoved them back into her pocket.
“I need to check on Katie. Please excuse me.” Without another word or glance in his direction, she whirled and rushed out the door, unable to stem the flow of tears running down her cheeks, and unwilling to allow him to view her mortification.
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