Chapter 24
The day announced itself warm, even for June, even for the crack of dawn, and nature was beginning to hum with life.
James, on the contrary, was cast down, for he had not succeeded in seeing Amy the day before.
Despite that this was the day of the Bridwells’ departure, he had no choice but to follow his morning ritual.
Doing so was essential to publicizing his baths.
He first went to drink the Groesbeek water just steps away from the Sauvenière source.
After that, he would ride over to see his patients at the thermal baths.
At the Sauvenière, two Irishmen with whom he had a nodding acquaintance went to greet a third, ignoring James as they brought the news.
“MacFirbis has been ruined!”
Consumed as his mind was by the dwindling hours before Amy would leave Spa, it took a minute for the meaning of the overheard statement to make sense.
James pivoted toward Ryan O’Keefe, the man who had spoken and who also frequented the gaming tables, then looked away.
He did not wish to appear as though he were eavesdropping, but O’Keefe seemed to have little concern for who heard him.
On the contrary, he appeared eager to be the bearer of shocking news.
“He lost everything to Gruber. His entire fortune—gone in one night.”
The companion whistled through his teeth, seemingly more thrilled by the gossip than disturbed by the misfortune of its victim. “Keeping to his rooms, is he?”
“Not so. Gone. His servant went to bring him coffee this morning, and his portmanteau had vanished, along with him.”
“What? And Gruber?”
MacFirbis ruined and gone? How would Isabel fare with such news?
If MacFirbis had indeed left without her, she would have the miserable luck of being associated with two failed betrothals in the space of one week.
That would not help the reputation she had claimed to be so concerned about.
James could still find it in him to feel sorry for her, though.
This second broken engagement was not her fault.
“Gruber is gone too. He left before the first light. Had to. Everyone suspected he was a Captain Sharp, and the fact that he fled town proves it—or nearly does. He won’t be able to show his face anywhere on the Continent now.”
The friend whistled again, and James fixed his gaze on the hedge behind the Groesbeek source as he drained the rest of his water.
He was truly sorry for MacFirbis. He had been taken in by a master of the trade and with disastrous results.
Even if the man hadn’t exactly worked to make himself agreeable to James, he did not deserve to lose everything.
James hoped that part wasn’t entirely true and that he had some means of keeping his estate, even if it meant living frugally for the rest of his life.
He handed his cup to a servant, now ready to ride over to the Tonnelet. It would be his last time assisting Amy’s father for his therapeutic bath.
Yesterday, Mr. Bridwell confided that the family was to leave for Liège midafternoon as a first stop on their journey to Paris.
Despite James’s unchecked behavior in kissing Amy without making a binding promise, he had attempted another visit.
He would not let her suffer any doubt about his constancy after they separated.
When he arrived, however, her sister told him that Amy was visiting the princess.
Hannah had seemed sympathetic to his plight but said that as it was Amy’s last visit there, she could not be certain when she would return.
To James’s relief, a messenger arrived that afternoon with a letter from Amy that made him smile and brought much-needed reassurance.
In it, she listed the directions of their planned stops in Paris and Rome with a note that she did not yet have one for Aix-en-Provence but would write as soon as she knew of it and their planned dates there.
She added that the family would be at the Promenade that night, where she hoped to see him.
He had looked everywhere for her but finally had to accept the fact that the Bridwells had not come, and the hour had passed for him to call upon them in their rooms.
With a heavy feeling that was as much from Amy’s imminent departure as it was from his gnawing worry about earning a living, James turned to leave.
He was at the stairs leading up to where his horse stood when someone called to him from inside the pavilion.
He turned, and Monsieur Necker, the Parisian, stepped out of it and strode forward.
“Mr. Fletcher, I beg you will wait a moment.”
Monsieur Necker was a more distinguished member of Spa’s society. Although he had no ties to nobility, his reputation for leadership preceded him. As a banker and a political economist, his influence was great both in the court and with the bourgeois.
James bowed. “Monsieur Necker, I am at your service.”
“I’m glad to hear it. I’ve learned that you have opened thermal baths at Le Tonnelet, and I am interested in trying them for myself.” He smiled, softening the austerity found in his usual mien. “I have never attempted the bathing, but I am hearing good reports of its effectiveness.”
James was alive with curiosity. Who had brought the news of his baths to Monsieur Necker’s ears? This could be the making of the Tonnelet. If Monsieur Necker found his baths beneficial, his patronage was sure to attract others.
“It will depend on your ailment, Monsieur,” he answered as soon as he found his voice.
“At the very least, it should provide you with an energizing experience. You will feel as new. Shall we meet this afternoon to discuss which prescription most suits you?” He could schedule the appointment after Amy left.
Perhaps it would soften the blow of her departure.
“I am quite taken today with the preparations for Waux-Hall, but tomorrow should suit me fine.”
James bowed. In everything else, it had slipped his mind that Waux-Hall was to open that evening with a grand ball. “Ah yes, of course. I will come and seek you in your rooms tomorrow, then. Good day, monsieur.”
He went up the stone steps and at the top of the hill spotted his rented mare nibbling on the wildflowers.
Insects buzzed in the heat, announcing that summer was upon them.
When he had ridden by the creek on his way up, its rushing current was swollen with the recent rains.
Usually, his spirits lifted in the warmer months when everything was alive; but today, in spite of his luck with Monsieur Necker, it was difficult to find joy.
If only Amy did not have to leave, or he could offer for her sooner than he had initially determined.
He pictured himself surprising her by showing up in Paris with the news that his income was steady and he could marry her without delay.
A small crowd waited for him at the Tonnelet—a heartening development, and a first. When he inquired of one gentleman how he had learned of the baths, he was told it had been from Morry.
The two behind him cited Mr. Vroomen as their source.
Mr. Rosemund was last in line and said that rather than wait for a bath to be available, he did not mind bathing in the outdoor pool, for he deemed the weather warm enough.
After listening briefly to the newer gentlemen’s complaints, James indicated for the servants to show them to the area where they might change into their shifts.
Another surprise awaited James inside, for he heard female voices through the door that separated the partitions in the bathing structure.
With the gentlemen properly in the hands of waiting servants, James moved to the connecting door to see which intrepid female was to be the first to try his baths.
A vision of Amy waiting for him on the other side flashed through his mind and caused him to make a wry face.
She would not be afraid to try them after they were married, he suspected, but she would be too modest to attempt it as a maiden.
And she was more than likely caught up with packing their remaining items.
When he opened the door, his gaze fell on the Princess Orlova, flanked by one of her friends and her maid.
Surprise stole his voice for a moment, and he halted on the threshold.
It appeared Monsieur Necker would not be his most notable patient.
At the last minute, James remembered the name the princess was traveling under.
“Madame Michalkoff, it is an honor to have you try the baths. Is this your first experience bathing?”
“Yes. Miss Bridwell speak of healing effect. I myself would like try them. I have come to Spa recover from fatigue.”
It was a small beat before James could reply.
Amy had told the princess of his baths and lauded their virtues?
She had certainly known that in encouraging the princess to try them, she would be giving him the greatest help to launch his project and thereby his profession.
Had she done this after he had unwisely kissed her?
Perhaps even yesterday while she was visiting the princess at the time he had attempted to see her.
The kindness of the gesture came to him like a precious gift.
James halted this pleasurable train of thought and forced himself to focus on the matter at hand. “The bath will certainly help restore you, ma’am.”
He went on to explain why the water’s properties were so potent, gesturing for one of his paid servants to help her into her bathing costume behind the protective screen.
He was glad that he had gone the extra step in creating a separate bathing unit for women.
Only the more adventurous ones might try it at first, but the investment would eventually give a return.
Perhaps his path to prosperity would not take as long as he had feared.