Page 38 of Prescription for Sin

“Despicable creatures. Which doctor were they working for?”

“A professor, though I was rather too preoccupied with survival to catch his name.” Everett watched his father carefully as he added, “Fortunately, a nurse named Miss Emma Brown found me.”

Something flickered in his father’s eyes at the name, so quick Everett might have missed it had he not been looking. “This woman saved your life?”

“Twice over,” Everett said softly, remembering Emma’s gentle hands during his fever. His neckcloth felt uncommonly tight at the memory. “She took me into her home, then nursed me through a dangerous fever.”

His father settled behind his desk, a position of authority Everett knew well. “Is that where you’ve been? I sent Mr Gregg searching when I hadn’t heard from you.”

“I had no funds for an inn, and my leg…” Everett gestured to the injury, watching his father pale at the realisation of how close the wound had come to his femoral artery.

“You should have sent for me immediately,” his father chided, dabbing his forehead with a kerchief.

“I was busy completing my mission,” Everett said, noting how his father’s expression sharpened.

“Have you discovered something, then?”

Everett chose his words carefully, torn between duty and the growing need to protect Emma. “I have suspicions about our unlicensed physician. Not a man, as we thought, but a woman.”

A deep crease appeared between Dr Moreland’s brows. “Surely not the nurse who saved you?”

“Her medical knowledge is…extraordinary.” Even now, remembering Emma’s competence stirred both admiration and desire. “Her confidence in treating patients…”

“A woman?” His father’s scepticism was expected, yet it rankled. “Highly unlikely.”

“If it is Miss Brown”—Everett leaned forward, intensity bleeding into his voice—“we cannot pursue disciplinary action. The community relies on her skills. The suffering her absence would cause—”

“That county has two licenced physicians,” his father interrupted smoothly. “Her…assistance…is hardly necessary.”

The casual dismissal of Emma’s worth made Everett’s blood boil. “She saved your son’s life, and you would see her disgraced and her talents wasted?”

His father’s expression softened slightly. “I didn’t say that. I am merely exploring all sides of the issue.”

“No one needs to know she practices medicine,” Everett pressed. “I’ve yet to confirm anything definitive.”

His father studied him with uncomfortable intensity. “When do you expect to conclude your investigation? Unless…” A knowing smile appeared at his lips. “Have you involved yourself with this woman?”

The question hung in the air like a sword. Everett forced his features to remain neutral, though Emma’s face filled his thoughts. “No.”

“Then why do I get the feeling there’s more to the story than what you are telling me?” Something in his tone suggested calculation rather than mere curiosity. “You’re nine and twenty, high time to consider marriage. Though surely not to this…Brown woman.”

The contempt in his father’s voice made Everett’s spine to stiffen beneath his coat. Before he could respond, his father continued smoothly, “With my position as Her Majesty’s physician, you could make an advantageous match. In fact, Her Majesty herself mentioned a suitable young lady…”

As his father spoke of marriage prospects and royal connections, Everett’s mind wandered to Emma and the lessons they’d shared. He quickly distracted himself with something more distasteful lest he display his arousal to his father.

“How fares the cholera outbreak? What is the death toll?” Everett asked.

The slight stiffening of his father’s shoulders confirmed his growing suspicions. Something larger was at play here, something that might explain his father’s determination to investigate Rochester’s successful hospital.

“Return to the countryside,” his father advised paternally. “It’s safer there. I’ll send correspondence when I need you for an upcoming gathering.”

“I must stay and do my physician’s duty. I shall not hide from this outbreak.”

“You are my only son, my only child. I will not allow you to risk your life.”

“Unfortunately, it is my decision to make.” He rose to his feet and reached for his crutches. “And what gathering do you refer to?”

"Lord and Lady Salisbury are hosting a Christmas house party next week. Political matters mainly, though I hear Lady Salisbury means to play matchmaker for her sister. Several eligible gentlemen will be in attendance."