Kendra was ready when Lucas arrived at Thorsay House shortly after breakfast to collect her for their journey in search of the past. The coachman loaded her modest luggage and they set off. They hadn’t seen each other the day before because they’d both been busy, and she’d rather missed him.

The coach seemed an intimate space with just the two of them. Their legs were almost touching. She shouldn’t find the idea so pleasant. To distract herself, she asked, “How was your visit to the infirmary? You look more relaxed than usual.”

“It shows?” he said. “Yes, Lady Kirkland has fine, dedicated people working there, and I even had the opportunity to reset a dislocated knee. Very satisfying.”

She chuckled. “In other words, good medical fun. Will you make a habit of volunteering at the infirmary?”

“Indeed I will.” His gaze shifted to the city streets they were passing through on their way out of London. “I haven’t worked since the aftermath of Waterloo. I’ve missed being useful.”

She sobered. “I’ve read about the battle and the vast number of casualties, but my imagination surely can’t match the reality. I’ve heard that thousands of people were helping in any way they could to tend the wounded. You participated?”

His gaze returned to her. “Yes, besides bonesetting, I’d had experience cleaning and dressing wounds. The streets were filled with volunteers working in emergency clinics. I set one up in front of Simon and Suzanne’s house. Everyone in the household was helping. If not nursing, then by bringing water or writing down last messages.”

Kendra bit her lip as she imagined the pain of recording the last words of a young soldier to his family. “It’s moving to imagine you and Suzanne and the other members of the household working side by side. Humankind at its best.”

He smiled fondly. “You’re quite right. We all worked together until Simon was well enough to travel home.”

Surprised, she said, “Simon was wounded?”

“Quite gravely, but he’s made a complete recovery.” Lucas glanced out the window again, his classic profile very still. “I didn’t return to England until August. By then all the casualties were either recovering or dead. By the time the Magdalene and I arrived at Simon’s estate, all I wanted to do was sleep.”

The weeks of intense medical work had surely depleted him emotionally as well as physically. His left hand rested on the seat to her right, so she laid her hand over it. “You earned the right to rest as long as you wanted.”

“Perhaps, but it’s time I woke up to the world.” He turned his hand under hers and gently squeezed her fingers before drawing away. “Don’t be offended if I keep my distance. It’s going to be awkward sharing a carriage with you for days on end when I’m increasingly attracted to you.”