India

doctor. Come tell me all about that nasty raw feeling caused by that seducing devil who took advantage of you.”

She laughed. “And I have to get on the bed to tell you about it?”

“How am I going to ascertain the injury until I do an examination?” he asked reasonably. “A close examination.”

“It doesn’t hurt that much. Besides, we can’t do that again.”

“Why not?” He held out his cane toward her. “Will you take that for me?”

She stepped forward and took the end of it, whereupon he jerked backward, reeling her in like a fish on a line. Linnet fell on top of him in a fluttering soft bundle of sweet-scented womanhood.

Piers’s arms tightened. “Damn, you smell good.”

“You smell like soap,” she said, sniffing. “Unpleasant soap.”

“Castor soap. We’re trying to cut down on hospital fever.”

“What on earth is that?”

“Fevers go around hospitals, and kill patients who weren’t even in line for a coffin,” he said, nuzzling her hair until he found a delicately shaped little ear. “This castle’s perfect because it’s got so damn many rooms that we can just stow most of the patients by themselves until their fever breaks.”

“I’d like to hire some village women to come in and read to the patients who are awake and not infectious,” Linnet said.

“Village women and reading. I see a problem there.”

“A village woman who knows how to read,” she said, not all that patiently. “I’m sure there are some. And another woman or two to entertain the children and perhaps work on teaching them to read.”

“Entertain? This is a hospital, or next thing to it. We’re not playing host to a traveling show.”

“The patients will get better sooner if they have something to think about. Why, look at Gavan.”

She shut her mouth, but Piers caught a tone in her voice that made him give her ear a little nip. “What are you up to?”

“Nothing. Gavan walked up and down the stables five times after luncheon. His leg is much stronger.”