Libby's London Merchant by Carla Kelly

Author:Carla Kelly
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Elizabeth “Libby” Ames know noting about Nesbitt Duke, a London merchant who meets with an accident in front of her uncle’s house. A kind woman, she will tend him until he feels better. 
Benedict Nesbitt, Duke of Knaresborough, is not in her house by accident at all. In disguise, he’s checking out Libby for his best friend, who has it under good authority that she is wealthy and will relieve his financial ills. 
No one is who they seem, in this classic Regency Romance by Carla Kelly. Adding more mischief to the matter is Anthony Cook, good-natured but shy country doctor, who uncovers “Mr.” Duke’s more immediate problem. With the cure come heartache, love, regret and vindication. 
But for whom? The doctor who loves Libby? The duke who loves Libby? The brother who needs Libby? Or Libby herself, who must sort out her feelings and make the best of a situation that could ruin her, or save her?
Publisher: Camel Press
Published: 2023-01-03T00:00:00+00:00

11

Each minute seemed like an hour as Libby waited for Joseph to return with Dr. Cook. Libby shivered in the rain, wishing she could hold the girl closer to her. Another attempt resulted in a rock that nearly struck the child. After that, Libby folded her hands in her lap, gritted her teeth, and speculated on the perversity of human nature.

The girl settled down to an occasional whimper. She caught her breath and sobbed out loud and tried to move her leg. Her mother stayed where she was in the trees, unwilling to leave her child, even to run to the gypsy encampment, where the men watched their horses.

Perhaps I should be grateful for that, Libby thought, shivering at the unwelcome idea of stones thrown by men. She kept her hands to herself and willed the doctor to hurry.

And then he came over the little rise and down toward them. He appeared in no great hurry and Libby felt a rush of irritation. She started to stay something to hurry him along when she looked at the trees again and noticed that the woman was running back and forth in greater agitation, calling to her daughter.

The doctor stood still, coming no closer. He squatted on his haunches and Libby let out a sigh of great exasperation, audible to ships at sea, she thought. “Dr. Cook, I need you!”

To her further dismay, he put his finger to his lips. “Hush, Miss Ames. We have a delicate situation here.”

She shook her head at that understatement. “I am sure this girl has a broken leg. Can’t you do something for her?”

“I wish to God I could. If I touch her, that woman will run for the men and we will be in for it.” He held up his hand to ward off Libby’s hot words. “Hush, now! There is some strange taboo about a man looking upon a woman’s legs, even one as young as this.”

The doctor regarded the little girl, who watched him with wary eyes and edged closer to Libby, evidently the lesser of two evils.“Surely you can do something.”

“My dear, I have beat frustrated for years by gypsies,” he said. “I have watched them die when I could have saved them, and I have watched them driven from town to town because they are so strange.” He looked at the woman in the trees. “She is like a mother bird, trying to attract our attention away from the nest. It makes me shudder to imagine what treatment in our good British towns compels people to behave this fashion.”

He sat in silence in the driving rain, as if trying to make up his mind. “Well, Libby,” he said at last, “are you game for a stoning? I am not, but let us try something. Pull up her skirt so I can see her leg. ”

Libby did as he said, pointing to the place below the child’s knee where her leg bent at an odd angle. A shower of pebbles struck Libby on the cheek.

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