The Passions of Dr. Darcy

by Sharon Lathan

  He stopped talking and administered a series of tickles to Alexander, the boy shrieking in delight, until Elizabeth interrupted.

  “And?”

  George lifted his brow. “And what?”

  “The baby! Tell us about the baby before I lay my daughter down and come over there and punch you!”

  “I can tend to the task sooner, lassie,” McIntyre grumbled. “Several of us can if ye don tell us, Darcy.”

  “Oh, the baby. Yes, well, that might be more difficult than you all think.”

  “George, I am warning you.”

  “All right, Elizabeth. No need to get testy. William, your wife does have a temper, doesn’t she?”

  “You have no idea,” Darcy muttered, flashing a grin toward his wife, who tossed her head and kept her glare on George.

  “I thought it best to save the introductions for a bit later, all things considered, but I am pleased to announce the newest additions to our family. My son James Ullas Darcy and daughter Emily Priyala Darcy.”

  “Twins?!” The shouted question came from several quarters, George’s booming laugh ringing and rising to the ceiling.

  “Did you suspect?”

  “Of course! I am an excellent diagnostician, after all.”

  Darcy whistled. “Well done, Uncle. So much for your quiet days as a country physician.”

  George clapped Darcy on the shoulder, joy alighting his face and bestowing a youthful glow to the man who, at days away from fifty-four barely looked a year older than his nephew. “Bother that! Quiet days are not my style. Give me new adventures anytime.”

  “This might well be your greatest adventure yet.”

  “I certainly hope so, William. And I am more than ready for it. This adventure I have prepared for all of my life.”

  The End

  Historical Notes and Acknowledgments

  The history of India is vast, ancient, and complex. As a Westerner, I soon realized there was no way I could completely grasp all of it, or even part of it, with complete understanding. I purchased many resource books and have literally over two hundred web pages bookmarked (and many more I read but did not save) in order to present the world, culture, and medicine of India from 1789 to 1818 as comprehensively and accurately as possible. I had some help along the way and want to extend my thanks to three people who helped me immeasurably. Dr. Krishna Rajani, Associate Professor at UCSF Fresno and Director of Newborn Programs at Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno: Dr. Rajani has been a friend and colleague for years, his gracious offer to answer questions and direct me to the proper Indian resources proving invaluable. Dr. Girish Patel, pediatrician and practitioner of Ayurvedic medicine: Dr. Patel has been pediatrician to my children for over twenty years and also a colleague at the local hospital NICU where I worked for eight years. His personal knowledge of Ayurvedic practice and loaned texts of the history were studied until dog-eared! Gita Patel, wife to Dr. Patel: Gita is in every way amazing! Her knowledge of India’s history, Hindi and other dialects, yoga, art, Hinduism, cooking, and just about every other topic Indian breathed life into George’s story, but best of all, Gita has enhanced my life by her friendship.

  Note on languages: The bulk of Indian languages and dialects are based on ancient Sanskrit, both the Classical and Vedic forms. Standard, or Modern, Hindi has been the recognized official language of India since 1950. Prior to that, there wasn’t a “standard” language throughout India, although Hindi was the most common. However, the Hindi spoken two hundred years ago would have varied from the Hindi of today. Additionally, the regions and empires within India spoke their own dialects, heavily influenced by Sanskrit and by extension Hindi, but in some cases completely different. Another point to consider is that Sanskrit was a spoken language for centuries before it became a written language. In 1 BCE, the first Sanskrit inscriptions were in a Brahmi script, and over the centuries, the types of script changed as often as the dialects. In the late nineteenth century, devanagari became the standard writing system for Sanskrit with attempts to transliterate the script phonetically into English based on the Latin alphabet. What this meant for me is that tracking down precise words in particular dialects wasn’t easy! Thanks to the assistance of Gita Patel, a friend of hers fluent in Marathi, and several books, I chose words that are as close to correct as possible and which were pleasant to the ear or possible to pronounce. Pronunciation is another huge factor, many of the script alphabets not clearly transliterating into English. “Kshitij” is a prime example: The “ksh” is one letter in Hindi, spoken in a way that sort of sounds like K-S-H blended together but not exactly! Suffice to say, I never could say it as well as Gita, and she had to write it in Hindi script to say it right.

  Note on place and people names: Partially because of the language issues mentioned above, but also because of the constant upheavals during the centuries in India, the names of places have radically changed. For the sake of historical accuracy, I chose names proper at the time of my story. Hence it is Bombay and never Mumbai. I have included a map to help, but if you search on a present day map for just about all of the regions or towns Dr. Darcy visited, you will not find them. It was also interesting that many of the names were spelled differently by contemporary mapmakers and writers of the period. For instance, Poona is in some places written as Puna. Tipu Sultan is also noted as Tipoo Sultan. Primarily, these differences in spelling are due to the transliteration issue mentioned above. Tipu when spoken sounds like Tipoo! For my story, I chose the most common spelling I found on various documents and written in historical essays. Once I established a name, I did not change it, even if historically within the twenty-eight years Dr. Darcy was in India it might have changed.

  Note on the British East India Company: Founded in 1591, the history of the EIC is so complex that there is no possible way for me to sum up what I learned, and I only learned the essentials for the time period Dr. Darcy was there. One book that was instrumental for me was Raj: The Making and Unmaking of British India by Lawrence James. The BBC online also has a fabulous summation: www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/east_india_01.shtml

  There are numerous points I could make, but one that stood out for me in writing the years of Dr. Darcy is that the EIC at this point in history was primarily a trading vehicle, stable transactions for profit the main goal. Internal conflicts threatened that stability, and gradually as the latter half of the 1700s progressed, the EIC became more involved in Indian politics and wars. Sometimes that was because they had no choice, and other times it was due to expansionist tendencies that were never sanctioned by the British monarchy and parliament. Rivalry with the French over trade, and other issues closer to home, added to the increasing conflicts. Nevertheless, the EIC was not largely on a quest for power—yet—and the close supervision by the Crown kept matters from getting too out of hand. Another vital fact of these decades is that Indian ideals, culture, etc., were supported and not seen as needing to be “fixed” or “improved” by firm, benevolent rule. After the turn of the century, a shift in thinking took stronger root, the changes building one upon another until 1858–1947, the era of the “British Raj” that we now tend to immediately think of when hearing about India or the EIC.

  Note on medicine: My two favorite books on the history of medicine were The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity by Roy Porter and Patient’s Progress: Doctors and Doctoring in Eighteenth-century England by Dorothy and Roy Porter. And, of course, the books on Ayurvedic medicine lent to me by Dr. Patel, which included detailed treatments for various diseases. This topic is even more complex than the history of the EIC, so all I will say here is that every reference I made in the course of this novel is factual. The physicians, researchers, and scientists named are real figures prominent in their fields and critical to the advancements we now enjoy in Western medicine. The treatments used by Drs. Darcy and Ullas, among others, are period true. Ayur
vedic and Yunani medicine systems are ancient and in both cases astoundingly advanced. They also still exist to this day. It was a joy to highlight the realities of lost medical art forms and to show that, while seemingly barbaric to our modern minds, practitioners of medicine on down through the ages have performed incredible feats. Their dedication to healing and discovering the answers is to be applauded. Without their failures and successes, we would not know what we now do.

  Lastly, a special thanks to Frank E. Smitha, who created the base for the map I altered to show India as relevant to Dr. Darcy’s story. He graciously granted permission for me to include this map in the novel, so you, my readers, can better visualize.

  Glossary

  apothecary: a druggist licensed to prescribe medicine. In Georgian times, apothecaries could be educated or hold degrees, or they could be apprenticed. In the country, an apothecary may be all that is available and, if well trained, could be as skilled as a surgeon or physician.

  Avatarana: descent of the Ganges; Hindu celebration to honor the sacred river’s descent from heaven to earth; a soak in the Ganges, or any body of water since all spring from the Ganges in Hindu tradition, on this day is said to rid the bather of ten sins or ten lifetimes of sin.

  Ayurveda: an intricate system of healing that originated in India around 600 BCE and can be traced to the Vedas. Considered a “science of life and longevity” with balance between the physical and spiritual the foundation. The Susruta Samhita and the Charaka Samhita are encyclopedias of medicine and the foundation of Ayurveda medicine.

  Bombay: the seven original islands under British rule by 1668 were Bombay, Colaba, Mahim, Mazagaon, Parel, Worli, and Little Colaba. Bombay Governor Hornby’s venture to combine the seven into one large island named Bombay (present day Mumbai) began in 1782 and was complete by 1838. Eventually, additional small islands were connected, including the much larger Salcette Island.

  chacha: Hindi for uncle; chacha-jee used to add a respectful nuance.

  choli: a short or below the waist, tight-fitting shirt worn by women under a sari; often sewn of the same fabric as the sari but not always.

  churidar pyjama: a garment similar to a salwar but tightly fitted so that the contours of the leg are revealed; the fabric is longer than the wearer’s legs, worn to fall into gathered folds over the legs.

  daaktar: Hindi for doctor; used to address non-Ayurvedic doctors (they are vaidya)

  deshmukh: title given to a person who was granted a territory of land to rule over in the Maratha Empire. Loosely translated as “patriot” and roughly equivalent to an English duke.

  Dhamdhere: a Maratha clan. A high-ranking, powerful military clan in the empire with many serving as peshwas and sardars. Clan capitol is Talegaon.

  dhoti: a long, rectangular piece of unstitched cloth wrapped around the waist and legs and knotted at the waist; the methods of wrapping and knotting vary in style; worn by men only; can be long or short.

  Hatha yoga: a system of yoga dating to fifteenth-century India, derived from ancient Sanskrit texts, focusing on posture, breathing, and meditation to improve physical health.

  haveli: a private mansion, usually with historic or architectural significance; most influenced by Persian and Asian styles with a central courtyard and fountain common.

  inoculation: also “variolation”; process of infecting a person with an infectious disease in a controlled manner to minimize disease severity and induce immunity; originated in India as early as 1500 BCE for smallpox; forerunner of vaccination.

  jutti: a shoe of leather similar to a mojari but typically with a closed back and straight toe.

  kameez: a loose tunic, usually with long sleeves and a collar; can be simple in style and fabric or highly decorated; always worn with additional garments; wide variety of styles for men and women.

  kurta: also kurti if short; a loose shirt falling to the knee and without a collar.

  licentiate: a person who has received a formal attestation of professional competence to practice a certain profession or teach a certain skill or subject

  lungi: a type of men’s loincloth similar to a sarong; a stitched tube tied at the waist; can be short or long; worn by women in some parts of India.

  Maharashtra: an Indian state that once covered the bulk of western India; ruled by the Marathas until 1818, when it came under British rule as part of the Bombay Confederacy.

  Maratha Empire: an Indian superpower that existed from 1674 to 1818; founded by Maharaja Shivaji Bhosle, it took twenty-seven years of war against the Mughals before firmly in control; the Maratha Empire once covered much of South Asia and established Hindu rule in India; called the Maratha Confederacy from 1761 to 1818; governed by a Peshwa after 1749, during which time the empire reached its zenith in power.

  Marathi: the name of the people of Maratha; also the language spoken by the people, a dialect of Hindi.

  mata: Hindi for mother; intimate, personal term; mata-jee to add a respectful nuance.

  memsahib: feminine form of sahib used to address women.

  mojari: a leather shoe with a closed, curled toe and open back; created by artisans and highly embellished.

  musnud: a throne of cushions used by Indian princes.

  namaste: most popular form of greeting and bidding farewell; both palms are placed together and raised to just below the face as the person bows; universal to all Indians.

  paduka: oldest Indian footwear; essentially a sandal comprised only of a sole and a knob fitting between the big and second toe; multitudes of varieties and forms using every type of material; can be plain or elaborate.

  paijama: also pyjama; loose, lightweight trousers fitted with drawstring waistbands; worn by both sexes.

  peshwa: “Prime Minister” of the Maratha Empire and head of the army; supervised and governed under the king’s orders and in his absence; de facto rulers after the death of Emperor Shahuji in 1749. Capitol: Poona.

  physician: a person who is legally qualified to practice medicine; doctor of medicine with a degree from a university; a person engaged in general medical practice, as distinguished from one specializing in surgery; a person who is skilled in the art of healing. In Georgian times, a physician was an educated gentleman who rarely touched a patient, obtaining information via observation and verbal report to diagnose and treat.

  pita: Hindi for father; intimate, personal term; pita-jee to add a respectful nuance.

  sahib: meaning varies throughout Indian cultures and history; literal translation is “owner” or “proprietor” with the essence of “friend, associate, and companion” present; traditionally an Indian term for princely rulers and other leaders, usually in conjunction with another term (i.e., Maharaja Sahib); later became common as a courtesy title for any Indian or non-Indian person in authority, similar to “Mister.”

  sadhu: a Hindu holy man similar to a monk.

  sagarmatha: Nepali name for Mount Everest in the Himalayas; Qomolangma in Tibetan; “Peak XV” to British until mapped in 1856 and named after Colonel Sir George Everest, Surveyor General of India, who opposed the name.

  sari: also saree; an unstitched length of cloth up to nine yards worn draped around a woman’s body; can be plain or highly decorated; hundreds of ways to drape; often worn over a choli and petticoat but not always, especially in the past.

  sati: religious practice of a widow voluntarily burning alive on her husband’s funeral pyre; steeped in ancient history and tradition, the practice was never widely popular, and numerous attempts have been made to ban it entirely, although it does still occur.

  shalwar: loose, pajama-like trousers cut wide at the top and narrow at the ankle; can be baggy or form-fitting; worn with a kameez; traditionally, a man’s garment but today can be worn by women.

  sherwani: a long coat-like garment worn over a shalwar kameez; very formal; originally worn only by court nobles of India and
Pakistan.

  stillroom: a working room where medicines, cosmetics, perfumes, and household cleaners are prepared, alcoholic beverages are distilled, and herbs are dried; maintained by a female kitchen staff member called the “stillroom maid” or simply “stillmaid.”

  surgeon: a medical practitioner who specializes in surgery; sawbones. In Georgian times, a surgeon may be educated and licensed, but it was not required. Not considered a “gentleman” because they touched the patient and performed “work.”

  vaidya: a doctor of Ayurveda medicine.

  Vedas: translates as “wisdom” or “knowledge”; precise dating of origins is unknown, but appeared over five thousand years ago, making the Vedas the oldest known Indian literature and Hindu scriptures. They are considered divinely inspired.

  Yunani medicine: translates as “Greek Medicine”; a system of healing influenced by Greek, Islamic, and Indian medicine developed by Avicenna in 1025, documented in his The Canon of Medicine; flourished under Mughal rule.

  Map of India as traveled by

  Dr. George Darcy from 1789 to 1817

  “Afghanistan, India, Burma, and the British from 1797 to 1828.” Copyright Frank E. Smitha. Used by permission with alterations for this novel approved by Mr. Smitha.

  Website: Macrohistory & World Report at www.fsmitha.com

  About the Author

  Sharon Lathan is the bestselling author of the Darcy Saga sequel series to Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. Her previously published novels are: Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One, Loving Mr. Darcy, My Dearest Mr. Darcy, In the Arms of Mr. Darcy, A Darcy Christmas, The Trouble With Mr. Darcy, and Miss Darcy Falls in Love. Sharon is a native Californian currently residing amid the orchards, corn, cotton, and cows in the sunny San Joaquin Valley with her husband of twenty-seven years. When not hard at work on her faithful MacBookPro laptop or iMac desktop, Sharon is at the hospital where she works as a registered nurse in a neonatal ICU. For more information about Sharon, the Regency Era, and her novels, visit her website/blog at: www.sharonlathan.net or search for her on Facebook and Twitter. She also invites everyone to join her and other Austen literary fiction writers on her group blog at www.austenauthors.com.