“So, you do?”
“Do what?”
“Find the doctor interesting?” Arabella asked.
Grace frowned before applying a smear of jam to her half-eaten toast. These two were acting very peculiar this morning.
“I suppose.”
Although she had answered, Grace knew neither were satisfied by her answer, but she couldn’t begin to understand why not. Still, the moment passed and believing the topic of Dr. Hall behind them, Grace opened her mouth to speak when her aunt spoke.
“It’s just, it truly is a wonder that the doctor has recovered so, after what happened to him last year.”
Grace’s toast paused midair as she looked at her aunt.
“What happened to him?”
“Hm? Oh, nothing, dear. It’s not for you to worry about.”
“Oh, but, Lady Belle, you must tell us now,” Arabella said.
Aunt Belle took a deep breath and waited to exhale as both Arabella and Grace waited for her to speak. It was one of Belle’s favorite things, to be the center of attention, but being the clever woman she was, she was always sure to make it clear that she loathed gossip, when in truth, nothing brought her more joy.
“Well, I suppose I should tell you, although I do not condone gossip,” she said, nodding at each of them.
Grace’s brow lifted in question, but a sharp glare from her aunt told her to remain quiet. Instead, Grace just smirked.
“I hope bad fortune hasn’t befallen the doctor,” Arabella said.
“Well, whether it was good or bad, is still to be determined. But it was rather devastating.”
“What was?”
“The throw over.”
Arabella’s eyes went wide.
“Did someone throw over Dr. Hall?” she asked. “But how could someone do that? He is so clever and kind and handsome.”
“Yes, I regret to say that Dr. Hall was once engaged.”
“I—pardon me,” Grace said, fixating on Arabella. “You think the doctor is handsome?”
Arabella’s cheeks turned pink.
“Well, of course. Who doesn’t? It’s well-spoken of in Glencoe, that he’s the most handsome man in the Highlands, although I’m not a fan of beards.”
“Yes, the beard does hide a bit of his face,” Aunt Belle said. “But we cannot fault him for it.”
Grace wholeheartedly disagreed. Dr. Hall’s neatly trimmed beard was rather distinguished. The sharp angle of it, especially beneath his chin seemed to accentuate a jawline that anyone might find attractive.
If they thought of the doctor in such a way, which thankfully, Grace did not. But it was surprising to hear that he had been engaged.
“Dr. Hall’s aunt, Mrs. Fletcher, once told me that her nephew was incapable of being in a relationship,” Grace said.
It was a fact that Grace had believed wholeheartedly. Heck, it was the entire reason why she had sought him out as a replacement to her tenure with Dr. Barkley, because he viewed the entire idea of romantic coupling as a symptom of society, a manifestation of pack living. Or at least, he was supposed to. He was supposed to be incapable of romantic relationships, like she was. It’s what had solidified her decision to study beneath him.
This, however, changed everything.
