The Doctor and the Libertine: The Merry Misfits of Bath - Book Five

by Hutton, Callie

  Mr. Richards stood, walked to Edwin, and put his hand out. “A pleasure, my lord.” He grinned at Rayne. “Financial advisor, and collector of debts? There must be quite a story behind that.”

  Rayne shrugged. “I’m not quite sure myself. I think it just happened. Will you join us for luncheon, Edwin?” Her face flushed a bright red and he realized she must have been embarrassed to have used his given name in front of her sister and brother-in-law.

  He cast a glance at Mrs. Richards, and as expected, the woman’s eyebrows practically reached her hairline.

  “Yes, I would like that, however, now I need to spend a bit more time with Mrs. O’Leary.” ‘Twas best to get back on track to give Rayne time to compose herself.

  “Yes. The people from the asylum are sending someone for her in the morning.”

  “Oh, how terrible! This is one of your patients, Rayne?” Mrs. Richards asked.

  Rayne nodded. “Yes. There is a long story behind it, so please don’t spend a great deal of time in sympathy for the woman.”

  Rayne’s sister and brother-in-law looked at her strangely but said nothing. Edwin nodded and headed to the infirmary with pad and pencil in his hands.

  Two children came racing down the stairs, laughing. Glory practically ran into him as she chased an older boy. He grabbed her by her arms. “Whoa there little lady, where are you off to in such a hurry?”

  “We're goin 'o play wi'h a ball. Shah 'im, 'homas.” Glory barely got the words out, trying to catch her breath.

  The boy held out the ball. “It’s just a regular ball, sir. Nothing different about it.”

  Edwin smiled. “Let me guess. You must be Master Thomas Richards? Am I correct?”

  The lad nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  “I am Lord Sterling, a friend of your aunt, Dr. Stevens.”

  He held his hand out and was pleased when the boy accepted it and gave it a good, strong shake. “I apologize, my lord. I wasn’t aware that you were his lordship.”

  “Do not concern yourself.” Edwin squeezed the boy’s shoulder and continued on his way. Yes. Little Glory would do well with her new family.

  Rayne had waved goodbye to her sister’s family, Glory with tears in her eyes, but clinging to the lovely doll Dean had bought her the day before. They’d spent three days visiting and catching up on family news.

  Rayne had not mentioned her betrothal to Mr. Faulkner-Jones to Mary Beth. She knew what her sister’s stance would be on the entire mess and Rayne was befuddled enough without adding her sister’s angst about how controlling their father was. Especially with his youngest daughter.

  She and Edwin had gotten to speak briefly about her dinner with the man she was trying desperately to convince not to marry her. She thought back to the useless conversation they’d had.

  “I don’t understand why you wish to marry, sir. Me, or anyone else for that matter. You’ve stated that you intend to follow your present lifestyle of travel and work out of the country. Why do you feel the need for a wife?”

  “It is imperative in my work to have a wife.” He waved his hand around in a dismissive motion. “It is part of the requirements to advance. It makes one appear more stable.”

  She tried again. “Even if you feel the need to have a wife, I don’t understand why you would want to marry someone who is reluctant, as you must know by now I am. Since it matters not to you who you marry, why not choose someone else?”

  He sighed with exasperation. “Because I don’t have time to waste on this and your father assured me from the beginning that you would be more than willing to take on a husband who was absent most of the time so you can concentrate on your work.” He wiped his mouth and threw his napkin down on the table next to his plate. “As far as I am concerned, it is settled.”

  She’d not said anything more about the marriage after that, but found it hard to make polite conversation, and then spent the night tossing and turning in her bed.

  A few days later, the banging on her front door woke her. She rolled over and checked the small pink and white flowered clock on the dresser across from her. Eight o’clock.

  She jumped out of bed, surprised and disorientated. She never slept that late and whoever was at her front door must have had an emergency. She wondered briefly where Walter and the maids were as she hurriedly dressed.

  Just as she was halfway down the staircase, still trying to finish braiding her hair, Walter appeared from the back of the house and opened the door.

  “Well it’s about time! I thought I would be out there all day. Since when is this door locked? Not good for patients.”

  The muscles in Rayne’s stomach clenched as Father stepped through the door, his presence taking up the entire entrance way.

  “There you are daughter. Don’t tell me you were still abed?”

  She walked to her father and kissed him on his cheek. “No. I was up in my room going over some notes.” She felt the flush rise to her face and Father scowled, obviously not believing her lie.

  “I wasn’t expecting you.” She took his arm and walked him down the corridor to the dining room where wonderful smells filled the air. She settled in her usual seat and reached for the tea pot.

  “Would you care for some breakfast, Father? I can have Cook send in coffee. I believe we have some.” She’d spent years listening to her father eschew tea and grumble about how a real man drank coffee.

  “No. I broke my fast hours ago.” Again, he gave her a look that was meant as chastisement for her still being abed when he arrived. Rayne began to fill her plate from the platter in the center of the table.

  “I have come to escort you back to my house for your wedding.” He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

  Her breath caught and she put her fork down before her shaking spilled the contents all over the table. “What?”

  “I’m sure you heard me, Daughter. It is getting close to the date for your wedding, so I am here to escort you to my house. The wedding will be held at the church in my town, and it will be easier if you are already there.”

  She licked her dry lips, trying hard to keep herself under control. “But Father, it is still three days away. I have patients to see to.”

  “I have arranged for Dr. Miller to accept your patients in your absence.”

  Rayne was stunned. Father had the nerve to make these arrangements behind her back? Without giving her the courtesy of speaking with the doctor herself?

  The time had come to take a stand. She took a sip of tea and placed the cup carefully in the saucer. “I am sorry, but I must once again reiterate that I am not prepared, nor willing to marry Mr. Faulkner-Jones.”

  Father leaned forward and stared her in the eye. “That is precisely what he told me yesterday afternoon.” He pointed his finger at her. “I have made all the arrangements. Mr. Faulkner-Jones is the perfect husband for you. He is busy with his work and will leave you alone to take care of your own work.”

  For the first time in her life anger at her father swept through her. “That is the problem. Perhaps I want a marriage where my husband does not leave me alone. What do I get out of this arrangement? Mr. Faulkner-Jones tells me he needs a wife in order to advance in his career. What benefit is there for me?”

  Father’s lips tightened and a red flush rose to his face. As a doctor, she immediately became concerned about this heart. “Do not disappoint me in this, Rayne. I have worked all my life to build a good medical practice that I handed over to you. I expect you to live up to the name I made for myself and in order to do that you must devote all your time and energy to medicine.”

  “And as I said, why then do I need a husband?”

  “I will not live forever. You need a man to watch over you. Guide you.”

  She threw her napkin down. “This husband you are foisting on me will not be here to ‘guide’ me.” She hated the tears that filled her eyes.

  He shoved his chair back and shouted, “You will do what you are told. You have n
ever disappointed me in your life, Rayne. I have done everything for you. I treated you like the son I never had. And this is how you pay me back?” He stopped, wiped the sweat from his forehead, took a deep breath and then slid to the floor in a faint.

  Chapter 17

  Edwin entered Nick Smith’s office on the ground floor of the hotel he’d recently acquired. In the short time he and Lady Pamela had been married, Nick had sold his profitable gambling club, The Lion’s Den, and re-invested his money into two restaurants and the hotel.

  Considering the history Edwin had with Carter Westbrooke, a close friend of Nick’s, he was grateful that the man agreed to see him at all. But if anyone could help him move his project forward, it was Nick, and he was determined to do this.

  Slumped in his chair, Nick eyed him carefully as he entered his office. The man grew up on the streets of London and despite his cut of clothing and polished manners and speech, the angry and dangerous boy who never left him was still visible in his eyes. No one got the best of Mr. Nick Smith.

  He waved to a seat and leaned back in his. “What brings you here, today, Sterling?”

  Smith was known for getting right to the point and Edwin was ready for it. “I need your help.”

  Nick made no indication that he even heard Edwin, but since he hadn’t been thrown out of the office yet, he viewed that as a good sign. “I need to purchase a building with specific requirements and everyone I speak with points me in your direction.”

  “Go on.”

  “I know you are quite familiar with what happened to Lizbeth Mallory that also involved your wife.”

  For the first time Edwin saw a glimmer of something in Nick’s eyes. “My wife is not open to discussion.”

  Edwin nodded his head. He’d heard the rumors about Nick Smith and his fierce protectiveness of Lady Pamela. “After you, your wife and the Mallorys left Dr. Steven’s infirmary last week, I spent a good amount of time with Mrs. O’Leary gathering the names of the women who she sent from her boarding house to the brothel in London.”

  Nick sat up straighter in his chair and glared at him. “For what purpose?”

  Edwin immediately raised his hand to ward off Smith hopping over his desk and pummeling him. “Not what you’re thinking, I can assure you. It was my intention to find these women and offer them a place to live and training for employment so they can secure decent jobs and hopefully gain back the life that was stolen from them.”

  For almost a full minute the only sound in the room was the ticking of the clock on the wall next to Nick’s desk. Then he leaned back once again and rested his elbows on the arms of the chair and put his fingertips together. “Why?”

  Edwin had been prepared for this question. “I have led an unsavory life the last few years. While I cannot undo what I’ve done, I can certainly do better in the future.”

  Nick broke in. “Is this your idea, or Dr. Stevens?” The skepticism was clearly written on his face.

  “Mine. Of course, since Mrs. O’Leary is her patient, I had to get permission from Rayne to question the woman, but it was basically my idea.”

  Nick nodded. “Go on.”

  “So far my investigators have turned up two women who were kidnapped from Mrs. O’Leary’s boarding house. They in turn gave them the names of two others who were not taken from there but were forced by other means into prostitution.”

  “I must admit that after the insult you offered Mrs. Westbrooke, I had no use for you Sterling. However, it appears that Dr. Stevens has been a good influence on you. Since I don’t trust easily, I have my doubts this change in behavior is permanent but based on what you’re doing for the young women who were abused, I am more than willing to help.”

  “Thank you.” It was important for Edwin to not only win Smith’s help, but to find forgiveness and acceptance among Rayne’s friends and their husbands. He planned a future with her, and this was one more step in winning her.

  The next step would be gaining her heart. She already had his.

  He and Nick looked over various properties that he owned and those he had not purchased for himself but might work for Edwin’s purpose. He had a list of buildings to look over but needed something as quickly as possible since the four women he planned to house were currently holed up in a hotel at his expense.

  He didn’t care about the money but wanted the women to have something permanent and secure as quickly as possible.

  “I am headed to my club for luncheon if you wish to join me.” Nick tossed the invitation out there as if it meant nothing but did mean a great deal to Edwin.

  “Yes. I would.” Edwin folded the notes he’d been taking on various properties and tucked them into his jacket pocket. Nick grabbed his jacket from the clothes tree behind his desk and they left the office.

  The Bath and County Club in Queen Square was a combination of The York Club and The New Club. Around the year 1858 the two were combined to create the present club.

  Edwin had begun to visit the place again, once he’d turned from the more debauched activities with his dissolute friends.

  Dr. Rayne Stevens had been a tremendous influence in his life. He’d examined his feelings over the last few days and decided it was not merely gratitude for her medical care and her encouragement to repent his wicked ways, that drove his attraction to her.

  It was the woman herself. She was all things kind and wonderful and he was determined to make her his. He’d finally admitted that he loved her, and it was his task to convince her that she loved him, as well.

  “Over here.” Nick waved at Carter and Berkshire who had just cleared the front door. The men arrived at their table and regarded Edwin with raised brows. He stood and shook hands with the men and sat back down.

  “A surprise to see you here, Sterling,” Carter said.

  “He’s meeting with me on a project he’s working on.” Nick waved at the footman who arrived at their table to take their orders for luncheon.

  Edwin had no idea if Nick had been expecting Carter and Berkshire because if he had, he never mentioned it to him. While he wouldn’t exactly say he was uncomfortable, he was a bit on edge.

  However, all three men acted as though Edwin was part of their group. He had a feeling the women in the group encouraged their husbands to accept him for Rayne’s sake.

  Now if he could only get Rayne to accept him all would be well.

  After a pleasant luncheon where Edwin picked up some more information that would help him get his house for women up and running quicker, he left the men and returned home.

  It had been his intention to stop by the infirmary but decided to get some of his own paperwork done and then see if he could entice Rayne to join him for dinner at one of the fine restaurants in Bath. His holdings and investments were handled by his man of business, but it was his responsibility to go over everything Mr. Sanford sent him to make sure all was well.

  That had been another thing he’d let go when he was carousing and wreaking havoc like a green youth. ‘Twas a good thing he hadn’t been robbed blind while he played the fool.

  “Good afternoon, Marshall.” He greeted his man at the door and handed off his coat and hat.

  “There was a note delivered for you, my lord. I placed it on your desk.”

  “Thank you.” He didn’t understand why but suddenly he had a sense of unease. Marshall didn’t say a post was delivered, but a note, which meant it had been hand-delivered by a messenger.

  Right smack in the middle of his desk sat a small square of white paper. He made his way slowly across the room, his heart thumping as he picked up the note and opened it. The familiar scent of Rayne’s bath soap drifted to his nose.

  My dearest Edwin,

  I am sorry, truly sorry, but I have decided to marry Mr. Faulkner-Jones. I agree it is not the best match for me, but with all Father has done for me over the years, I feel as though I can grant him this one thing that is so important to him. It is not as if I will have to suffer Mr. Faulkner-Jones’s
presence very much. Life will continue pretty much the same for me.

  Please don’t spend time thinking about what could have been because I truly want you to be happy and you are deserving of a fine woman who can bring you contentment.

  With Kindness and Caring,

  Rayne

  He read the words three times, stunned, not wanting to absorb their meaning. Content? She wanted him to be content? He had no desire to be content. He wanted to be challenged, surprised, pushed, annoyed, and loved—yes loved—by Rayne. Not some faceless other woman who could never replace her.

  She hadn’t mentioned in the note when the wedding was to take place. He had no idea how much time he had to change her mind, but until he found out, he could not contrive a plan.

  He turned on his heel, strode to the entrance hall and retrieved his coat and hat, not waiting for Marshall to assist him. He would get to the bottom of this.

  He was not giving up.

  Walter opened the door and nodded. “Dr. Stevens is in the infirmary, my lord.”

  “Thank you.” Edwin took his time walking down the corridor, not entirely sure what he was going to say. He’d been numb since he’d read her note.

  Rayne was bent over a bed with an older man resting there. He saw a slight resemblance between the two and had an uneasy feeling this was her father. “Rayne?”

  She turned and his breath left him. She looked terrible. Her eyes were red from crying, her face puffy. Dark circles under her eyes told him she hadn’t slept in a while. He wanted more than anything to enfold her in his arms and tell her whatever troubles she had he would take care of. Always and forever.

  He held the note out that she’d sent him. “Sweetheart, we need to talk.”

  She shook her head. “No. My decision has been made. I must marry Mr. Faulkner-Jones.” She turned back to her patient and Edwin moved forward.