The Charmer (63 page)

"Whatever is wrong with
your yard, be sure to listen to Isabel," the gentleman said, relaxing his
stance a little.  "She’s one of the finest apothecaries in London.  As
physician to the queen, I employ her herbal remedies on occasion and have found
them to be most beneficial.  Your condition should clear up in no time if you
follow her instructions.  Good day, Sir.  Isabel."  He nodded to them both
then left the shop.

Isabel blew out a breath.

"Strange, I don’t seem to
recall there ever being a problem with my yard in our relationship,"
Nicholas said.  "But I didn’t see your departure coming, so I might be
wrong on that score too."

She slumped back against the
bench as if suddenly deflated.  "Nick—"  She broke off and rested her
head in her hand.

He reached for her, but dropped
his arm at the last moment.  "I’m sorry," he said.  "This has
been a trying time for us both."

She nodded.  "Let’s at
least be civil to one another."

"Of course.  But tell me,
who was that man?"

"Lawrence Shawe.  My
employer’s son.  He’s a newly appointed physician to Her Majesty."

"A little informal with his
address, don’t you think?"

She glared at him.  "What
he calls me is not your concern.  So what did you come here for?  A
remedy?"

"Remedy?  Yes.  Of course.
I have...a sore throat."

"A sore throat?  Then why
didn’t you say so when Lawrence was here?  It might have saved you some
embarrassment."

Because Nicholas didn’t think of
it then.  "I wouldn’t be embarrassed if you hadn’t given me an erection problem."

"It suited my mood at the
time."  A faint smile played at her lips.  It faded and she turned her
back to him.  He watched as she mixed three different powders together then
packaged them up and handed it to him.  "Dissolve this in a cup of red wine
and gargle it three times a day.  If the ailment continues then come and see me
next week."

"I’ll be back
tomorrow."

"Tomorrow is Sunday.  The
shop won’t be open."

"I know."

He opened the door and left
without turning back to look at her even though every part of him wanted to.
As he walked down Bucklersbury Street he tried to sift through his emotions and
set them aside so he could think clearly. 

But the only clear thought he
had was that he had found Isabel.  After all his searching, he had uncovered
her by pure chance.  No, not chance.  Not exactly.  He almost laughed at the
irony but there was nothing humorous about it.  The very thing that had kept
him away from her for long periods after their marriage was the same one that
had brought him to her now.  Spying.

***
HONOR BOUND
is now available for immediate download from Amazon's kindle bookstore***

About the Author

A
native of
Australia, C.J. Archer has loved history and books for as long as she can
remember. She worked as a librarian and technical writer until she was able to
channel her twin loves by writing historical fiction. She has won and placed in
numerous romance writing contests, including taking home RWAustralia’s Emerald
Award in 2008 for the manuscript that would become her novel
Honor Bound
. Under
the name Carolyn Scott, she has published contemporary romantic mysteries,
including
Finders Keepers Losers Die
,
The Diamond Affair
, and
You
Again
. After spending her childhood surrounded by the dramatic beauty of
outback Queensland, she lives today in suburban Melbourne with her husband and
their two children.