“Not really. She was part of the queen’s household, not the Wales’s establishment. The prince avoids his …” Lady Styles dimpled a charming smile. “Waiting on the princess has taught me that family conflicts are the same everywhere. The only difference is that the combatants have royal titles.”
“They seem like exotic creatures to mere mortals.”
“The two princesses, Alexandra and Louise, will be fascinated byyou, a lady doctor. Do you practice in London?”
“At our house in Finsbury and my clinic in Whitechapel.” Julia reached into her medical bag and produced a card with her particulars. “Seeing is believing, so they say. Evidence to convince a skeptical world.”
“Proof positive of a female physician.” Lady Styles waved it like a prize. “Thank you, Doctor.”
Julia watched her walk to her carriage, thinking,I’d like to know her better.
An hour after luncheon, Lady Styles retreated to the quiet of her favorite Osborne grove and sat on her bench. She had informed the Princess of Wales about the inquest’s findings. When she ended with the news that Lizzie had been pregnant, Alix’s face matched the white tablecloth.
Susan retrieved the card from her pocket and tapped it against her palm. She turned it over.DR. JULIA R. LEWIS, 17FINSBURY CIRCUS,LONDON. It also listed the location of her clinic on Fieldgate Street in Whitechapel.
A woman doctor … I wonder.
Susan looked up on hearing her name called and sighed at the imminent interruption. Peter FitzGerald and Captain Oliver Montgomery crossed the grounds from the direction of the stables. They made a dashing pair: the queen’s tall, dark, clean-shaven equerry and Montgomery, matching Major FitzGerald in height but with sandy hair and a neat military mustache. Oliver Montgomery was an equerry to the Prince of Wales.And Alix’s faithful swain, Susan thought.
The captain had been in Cowes for the past week, riding with the prince and Peter FitzGerald. But he hadn’t turned up for tea with the Princess of Wales until that day. It had surprised Susan because it was plain to everyone that he adored Alix.Obvious to everyone except the princess.Montgomerystood guard over his love like the Sphinx: lionlike in his strong attachment, rooted, mute, and immutable.
A pity her husband isn’t as devoted.No, that wasn’t entirely true, Susan thought.Bertie is devoted … he just isn’t faithful.
Captain Montgomery clicked his heels and bent over Susan’s hand. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but there was something in his manner.Overdone?He charmed Alix, but his gallantry left Susan untouched.
“Lady Styles, sitting in a bower, grave and lovely as ever. I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing you since … when?”
“Last July and then the yachting in August.”
“Of course.”
Susan thought,If the queen only knew.She had left early for Balmoral. And from her distant Scottish retreat, Her Majesty had no idea Bertie had filled her beloved Osborne House with friends she deplored. The newspapers had dubbed the prince’s circle the “Marlborough House set.” The queen called them “rogues, roués, and hangers-on.”
Captain Montgomery’s smile vanished. “And now this tragedy. I know Peter is eager for news.”
“Are you staying for dinner?” Susan asked.
“Thank you, no. I’m meeting the chaps at the Yacht Club. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll find the princess.” Montgomery bowed and headed toward the house.
When the captain was out of earshot, FitzGerald said, “Well? What happened?”
“The jury returned an open verdict. It’s a suspicious death, but its cause is unknown. And she was pregnant.”
“Worse and worse. No resolution, just endless speculation. Well.” FitzGerald lifted his shoulders. “It will probably come to nothing. The police won’t trouble themselves over—”
“A pregnant Irish girl,” she said sharply. “Not even a maidservant of the queen?” Susan had thought the same thing, but that shrug rankled.
“I suppose they’ll go through the motions.”
“After the inquest, I pressed Doctor Lewis about the cause of death, but she—”
“She?”
“Yes. Doctor Julia Lewis examined the body and testified before the coroner’s jury.”
“Good Lord, a woman doctor. What next?”
“I had no idea such a person existed,” Susan said, looking down at the card. “I asked if I might consult her.”
