Ah yes, payment,he thought as he was led out of the room and downstairs.
Alwyn foresaw that, for him, collecting pence and shillings would be the most uncomfortable aspect of doctoring. The profit earned each year by his estate ensured he could forgo chargingpatients anything, but he knew that if he did not requiresomepayment, especially at first, his services would be regarded as suspicious.
So I must get used to holding my hand out at each visit’s end,he thought while Marjorie counted out a few coins for him.I can always donate it to the dispensaries once I have it in hand.
Before he slipped the money into his coat pocket, there was a jangling of harnesses out on the street. A carriage was pulling to a stop just outside the door.
“Who’s this?” Marjorie said, moving towards the window, her decorum dispelled by curiosity. “No one ever comes to see us.”
No one?The sadness of the unguarded statement struck Alwyn.My visit here must be the most excitement they’ll have today…perhaps even this week.
He thought of Aunt Joan who, living hours from London, was even further removed from Society.
At least Miss Jepson has a companion in Marjorie. There’s a thought! Perhaps I could hire a —
“Why it’s Lord Loughley!” Marjorie’s sudden exclamation jolted Alwyn back into the moment.
Lord Loughley? Here?Lunging towards the window, he looked out to see a carriage, a family crest emblazoned on its door. A well-dressed man stepped out and Alwyn knew him at once to be the fellow who had been trounced at billiards more than ten years earlier at Castle Farrmore.
IsheMiss Jepson’s nephew?
But Alwyn would not stay to find out. With no parting word to Marjorie, who was reaching to open the front door, he bolted to the back of the house. From the kitchen, he dashed outside into the garden, crossing it in a few long strides. Then he was through a little gate and going down the alleyway. It wasn’t until he strode past a church, a bell ringing in its belfry, that he realized he wasn’t sure where he was. Continuing on, he came to a busy street, and finally stopped, his heart still racing.
What a rabbit I must seem, bounding off!His face burned with shame.Or worse, a quacksalver, fleeing the site of malpractice.
Yet, he remembered how sullen Lord Loughley had looked while being teased in the billiards room all those years ago. Alwyn had never seen the man at the castle afterwards when his father’s other friends had come for week-long stays.
If Loughley wanted some sort of revenge against Papa, he might publicly accuse me of playing some elaborate prank, posing as his aunt’s doctor. Then Papa’s legacy, Mamma’s memory, my years of study — all of it might be upended in a moment!
With a few furtive glimpses around, Alwyn saw that no pedestrians were pausing to regard him. Not a single rider had turned his way, nor did any curious face look out at him from a passing carriage. He was clearly of no interest to the rest of the world in his moment of shame.
He took a deep breath, and lifted his chin. Still clutching the coins, he got his bearings and thought through how to get to Felix’s study and its strongbox. As he started on his way there, his heart no longer pounded in his ears, but he knew there were a number of details about Miss Jepson’s visit that he would not write down in the good doctor’s log.
Quite Possibly Face to Face
EARLIER THAT same morning, Rose had suggested a walk through Green Park, declaring that the weather was the finest they'd had since arriving in town. Belinda and George were quick to agree, but as they started out of the front door, he emitted a strange huffing sound. Looking back, Lindy saw her uncle clutching the door jamb, his other hand to his temple.
“Are you alright, George?” Aunt Rose asked, concern marring her brow.
“Yes, yes. This chilly air is like a knife to the skull, isn’t it?”
Neither woman contradicted him, though they exchanged a wondering glance.
“Ought we go back inside, Uncle? Would you like to sit by the fire?”
“Not by the fire, no. But come to think of it, I have a bit of correspondence that I ought to send out this morning, so please do go on without me.”
“Lindy and I can wait for…”
“No, no! I will not hold you back. Go on, do!” He kissed his wife upon her cheek, seeming like his normal self, and then stepped back inside.
The sunshine was beckoning, so Belinda and Rose started out. Within a quarter of an hour, they were walking paths past meadow-like stretches of lawn, and stands of flaky-barked plane trees that soared to the heavens above. One especially large onehad roots that emerged from the ground like a giant’s fingers, only to plunge back into the earth several feet on. It looked the perfect place to sit, so the ladies each chose a prominent knuckle upon which to settle herself.
Lindy knew she ought to guard her skin against the sunlight, but its warmth proved too alluring, so she tilted her face up to the dazzling sky. Taking a luxuriantly deep breath, she let her eyes drift shut. After several peaceful minutes, she opened them again, and started at the sight of a person in profile, standing on the path just feet away.
Only the tip of the woman’s nose was visible beyond the brim of her velvet covered bonnet. Her figure was slight, enwrapped in a blue-grey pelisse coat, decorated with elegant swirls of cording. Tendrils of fair hair hung around her neck, and the satin ribbon at her chin was tied in a luscious bow. When she turned her head, revealing more of her face, Lindy could see she was quite young.
Probably just out, really,Belinda thought as she watched the girl’s gaze flit about. She seemed oddly unable to settle on anything, making Lindy think that her vision must be woefully poor.
