Elizabeth smiled. “You see, he was too poor to support a wife, and the eligible ladies paid him no mind.”
Charlotte raised a brow. “You mean they would not look at him twice without a living to his name.”
Elizabeth nodded. “Precisely.” She looked at her hopeful friend. “Charlotte, Mr. Roberts showed no interest in getting to know you better, or am I mistaken in his manner?”
“Lizzy, I feel the same. I saw no interested looks, nor any effort to engage me in conversation. The rector was all business today.”
“It is well. There is still the physician and the landowner. We will try again tomorrow.”
Chapter 71: Meeting the Doctor
The following morning, Elizabeth informed Charlotte of a plan designed to introduce her friend to the district’s physician.
“This afternoon, we will drive into Lambton. I have business with Dr Collin Rutledge, who keeps a small clinic and surgery on the lower floor of his home. I intend to open the stillroom at Pemberley and supply his charitable work. You will come with me, of course, and observe him, and he you.”
After luncheon, Elizabeth and Charlotte were conveyed to Lambton to call upon the physician at his residence. His stone house was the largest on the street, and the gardens were neatly kept. The housekeeper led them to the drawing room, where they waited a quarter of an hour before the doctor joined them.
Charlotte saw at once that he was a tall, slender man with an easy manner and laughing eyes. They stood, and Elizabeth made the introductions. He bowed and said, “I beg your pardon for the delay. We had a complex dressing to change, but I was able to carry it to a certain point and then left my student to complete the procedure.”
Elizabeth looked interested. “You have a student working with you, sir?”
“Yes,” he replied. “He is a fellow. He has completed his formal studies and is now gaining practical experience.”
“He must be of great assistance to you,” Elizabeth observed.
The physician smiled wryly. “Ordinarily, I might agree. But this particular young man would rather be at play than at work. He is a third son, having found no satisfaction in the military, theclergy, or the law, and so turned to medicine. It is too early to say whether he will do well in the profession. It would be a pity if he did not, for he has completed all his studies.”
Elizabeth looked concerned. “Sir, you have my sympathies. It sounds as though you are charged with the care of someone’s child, rather than with a young professional about to enter the field.”
The doctor chuckled. “Indeed, madam, I am. He is my younger brother.”
The two ladies laughed, and he seated himself across from them. “Now, Mrs. Darcy, how may I be of service to you?”
Elizabeth said, “I intend to open the stillroom at Pemberley and wish to provide you with tinctures and extracts for those patients unable to pay for their treatment. Would such a service be of benefit to you, sir?”
She added, “If so, I will require your recipes for each tincture and extract, so that our preparations meet your standards.”
Dr. Rutledge appeared thoughtful. “Mrs. Darcy, your offer would save me a great deal of time. I should be very grateful for any assistance. May I send you a list by the end of the week? I must first examine my stock to determine what I most require. I can tell you now that I am nearly out of tincture of echinacea and willow bark.”
Elizabeth replied, “Miss Lucas will visit at Pemberley for the next four months. She and I will prepare the remedies together. If it is helpful, she is available tomorrow to copy out the recipes for the tinctures of echinacea and willow bark.”
The doctor turned to Charlotte. “I shall pull those two recipes from my files tonight and have them ready for you.”
She inclined her head. “At what hour shall I arrive, sir?”
“Any time between ten and two would suit. My brother will be present even if I am called away, and either he or I shall provide you with the paperwork.”
“I will be here tomorrow at ten.”
Elizabeth rose, and Charlotte followed.
“Sir, we shall take our leave and allow you to return to your work and your student. Good day.”
That evening, Charlotte sat alone upon the small sofa in her bedchamber, reflecting on her visit to Derbyshire. In only one week, she had made the acquaintance of two eligible gentlemen, both respectable, both with promising futures. As a pleasant surprise, both were also attractive and seemingly without vice or entanglement. Her only concern now was whether either of them might find her agreeable enough to seek a closer acquaintance. Neither the rector nor the physician had shown any hint of interest in her.
That same night, in her own chamber, Elizabeth, attired in a silk nightgown, had been writing in her journal when Mr. Darcy entered. She set aside her writing and reached for her teacup.
Darcy set his glass upon the table and asked, “Were you working on your poetry?”
