The Doctor and the Libertine

by Callie Hutton

  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.

  He touched her shoulder and she slumped, her head hanging. “Please don’t do this.” She wiped her cheeks and took a deep breath. “Edwin, please just go and abide by my decision.”

  “Is this your father?”

  She nodded.

  “What happened?”

  She still refused to face him. “He’s had a heart attack. His regular doctor has been to see him, and it doesn’t look good.”

  It all fell into place. Her father was very ill, possibly close to death and she had decided to do what he’d asked out of a sense of guilt. He had to tread very carefully here. She was obviously ready to snap.

  “When was the last time you ate?”

  She waved her hand at him. “I don’t know.”

  “Rayne, if nothing else listen to me as a friend. If you are going to tend to your father, you must get some rest and eat. If you collapse that will not help him, or yourself, at all.”

  When she didn’t answer him, he left and walked to the kitchen. Mrs. Foster was busy at the large coal stove stirring something that smelled good. “Mrs. Foster.”

  She turned, her eyes full of sadness. “Oh, my lord, I am so glad you’ve come. Someone has to talk sense into the doctor. She informed me she will be marrying that horrid man.”

  “What happened to make her decide that? The last time I spoke with her she was determined to break the engagement.”

  Mrs. Foster placed the stirring spoon alongside the pot on the stove. She wiped her hands on her apron. “The elder Dr. Stevens came for a visit. I overheard their conversation.” She blushed which told him Mrs. Foster didn’t accidentally overhear.

  He nodded. “Go on.”

  “They got into a terrible row over it. Then her father collapsed in a heap. She had Walter move him to a bed and sent for his regular doctor. In the meantime, she examined him and claimed he’d had a heart attack.”

  Edwin could not help but wonder if the man pretended such to bring Rayne to heel. From what he’d learned of the man so far, he would not be surprised. He’d manipulated Rayne her entire life. And if he had pulled this stunt, it had apparently worked. “Do you know what the other doctor said?”

  She shook her head. “No. It was after he left that Dr. Stevens came into the kitchen to ask for some herbs to make a tea for her father. It was while she was here that she told me she’d decided to marry Mr. Faulkner-Jones. I can’t help but think she only told me so she could say it out loud to convince herself.”

  Guilt was a terrible thing, and from what Mrs. Foster just told him, it was an argument between Rayne and her father that precipitated his heart attack. Edwin refused to believe it had caused his heart attack, but that was most likely how Rayne felt.

  “Can you put some of that wonderful smelling stew into a bowl? I’d like to insist that Dr. Stevens eat something.”

  Mrs. Foster nodded and grabbed a bowl from the shelf over the stove. She filled it with the stew and handed it to him. “You are so wonderful for her, my lord. I would never overstep my place to suggest to Dr. Stevens that she toss over the other bloke and marry you, but that is precisely what she should do.”

  She blushed, obviously realizing she had, indeed, just overstepped her position.

  He grinned. “Yes, Mrs. Foster. That is my plan. I don’t care that she thinks marrying Mr. Faulkner-Jones will assuage her guilt. I love her and will not give up until Mr. Faulkner-Jones is well on his way back to wherever it was he came from and Dr. Stevens is my wife.”

  Mrs. Foster placed her hands in a prayer position against her chest. “Thank the Good Lord!”

  Chapter 18

  Edwin entered Nick Smith’s office in his hotel. He was surprised to see Carter Westbrooke sitting in one of the chairs in front of Nick’s desk. Edwin shook hands with the two men and took the seat alongside Carter.

  As soon as Edwin had left Rayne two days before, after making sure she ate the entire bowl of stew, he managed to get a promise from her that she wouldn’t do anything rash for a few days. She reluctantly nodded, and he was pleased to have at least a little bit of time to work his plan.

  His heart beat a staccato as he attempted to appear relaxed. So much depended on what Nick had to say.

  “Did you get any information?”

  Nick leaned back and rested his elbow on the arm of his large, leather chair, cupping his chin with his index finger and thumb. He looked like the cat who had just stolen the cream. “Shall I tell him, Carter, or do you want to do the honors?”

  Edwin had always thought there was something shady about Faulkner-Jones and just didn’t understand his need for a hurry up marriage to a woman he’d been betrothed to for a few years.

  Carter cleared his throat. “It seems Mr. Faulkner-Jones is in a hurry to marry for two reasons.” He raised his hand and ticked off on his fingers. “First, he has petitioned for a promotion in his field of study, which is archeology. He has the opportunity to lead a new venture, but one of the requirements is he must be married.”

  “Why?” That seemed like an unusual requirement for that sort of a job.

  “Wherever it is that this new archeological dig will be, there is an abundance of—shall we say—ladies of the night. The dig is sponsored by a religious organization and they don’t want temptation among their scientists.”

  “But he doesn’t intend to take his wife with him.” Edwin was even more confused.

  “It doesn’t matter. The group leaders feel as though a married man will honor his vows whether his wife is with him or not.”

  Edwin studied his hands for a minute, taking this information in, wondering how he could use it.

  Then Nick took up the conversation. “However, the best part of our investigation came from some of my informants.”

  Knowing Nick had numerous contacts in the underworld due to his early years on the streets of London, Edwin perked up at this comment. “Yes?”

  “It seems your Mr. Faulkner-Jones has an arrest warrant with his name on it. Hence the necessity for speed to get the marriage over with. Our man needs to get out of England as quickly as possible. I believe if it hadn’t been a requirement for him to be married for this project, Dr. Stevens would have languished as his ‘betrothed’ for years.”

  Edwin took in all that information in stunned silence. After a few moments, he said, “What is the arrest warrant for?”

  Carter handed a paper to Edwin. “Years ago, he falsified information on an artifact that he sold to a museum. The curators found out, but Faulkner-Jones was out of the country and there was no extradition agreement between England and wherever it was he was holed up at the time. So, the warrant languishes, but if he is caught within the country, he goes right to gaol.”

  Edwin sat back and let the information process. “I wonder if Dr. Stevens’ father knows about this?”

  “It is our guess he does not. Based on what you’ve told me, his only interest in the matter is to see his daughter tied to her medical practice her whole life, with no chance of a normal, healthy relationship with a husband and a family. Hence, his desire to see her married to a man who will see her only a handful of times over their lifetime.”

  Edwin snapped. “Son of a bitch.”

  “Yes,” Nick answered. “It appears he is obsessed with this and controls the adult Dr. Stevens as much as he did the child.”

  Edwin shook his head. The man Rayne thought was a loving, caring father was really a monster. He wanted an empty life for his daughter just
because he wanted her to follow in his footsteps.

  “Do you know where Faulkner-Jones is now?” he asked.

  Carter looked over at Nick who handed him another paper. “This is his direction. He rarely leaves, which is no surprise, so I am sure you will find him there.”

  Edwin was overwhelmed. These men did not have to help him. In fact, Carter had once slammed his fist into his face and midsection because of how he’d acted toward the former Lottie Danvers—now his wife.

  Almost as if he read his mind, Carter said, “I can’t say all is forgiven for what you did to upset Lottie, but she and her other friends asked us to help you because they love Dr. Stevens. As long as you stay on this path and don’t go back to the dissolute you’ve been for the past few years, we can accept you into our group.”

  Nick added, “We’ve all made mistakes and made fools of ourselves. But we stick together. It’s a tough world out there and we need friends to have our backs.”

  Edwin had never been so humbled in his life. These men had virtually saved his life. He now had the information to chase Faulkner-Jones out of England and Rayne’s life, and move on with his plans to marry her.

  “I don’t know how to thank you. But know that if there is anything at all I can do to return the favor, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

  “We won’t,” Nick said with a grin. “That’s what it’s all about.”

  * * *

  Rayne came awake abruptly as Walter shook her shoulder. “Dr. Stevens, there are four women in the drawing room waiting for you.”

  To say she was discombobulated was an understatement. She barely knew where she was and what day it was. She’d fallen asleep on her desk, her now very stiff arms supporting her head. She had no idea how long she’d slept in that position, but based on the pain in her arms, it had been a while.

  Father.

  “Have you checked on my father, Walter?” Goodness, her voice sounded as if she’d swallowed a frog.

  “Yes, Doctor. He’s the same. Sleeping soundly.”

  She rose and stretched the muscles in her lower back and rotated her neck to get the kinks out. “Thank you.”

  She decided to take a quick trip upstairs by the back staircase and run a brush through her hair and rinse out her mouth. She checked the timepiece pinned to her blouse. Two o’clock. Since the sun was out, she assumed it was in the afternoon. Time and days were all mixed up in her mind since Father had collapsed in the middle of their argument about Mr. Faulkner-Jones.

  She still felt dreadful about that. Not only had she never defied her father before, she knew her obstinance had been the cause of his heart attack. His doctor waved off that theory when he had visited him and told her it was only a matter of time before it happened because he’d spent too many years working too hard, not getting enough sleep, and not eating right. His mind and entire life had been dedicated to his medicine.

  As much as she tried to push the thought from her mind, she couldn’t help but think if she did what Father wanted, and married Mr. Faulkner-Jones so she could remain tied to her medical practice, with no other life for herself, she would end up like him. Lying in an infirmary clinging to life with no family surrounding her.

  Mary Beth and Natalie had both sworn once they married that they would have little to do with Father. He hadn’t been cruel to them, but completely oblivious to their existence. Rayne had always been the only child he acknowledged, and that was because he wanted her to be the son he’d never had.

  Rayne had sent a note to her sisters when Father first collapsed and had yet to hear back from either one of them. She sighed. He might have been a wonderful doctor, but he was not a success as a father.

  Yet I’m willing to throw away a chance for a lifetime of love and happiness to appease the man who had no use for his two older daughters and only showered his attention on me because of my affinity for medicine.

  She quickly pushed that treasonous thought from her mind and hurried downstairs to greet her guests.

  “How lovely of you all to come visit me.” She smiled brightly at the four women who had embraced her as a friend.

  Addie stood and put her arm around her. “You know we all love you, but I must say, Rayne, you look awful.”

  It was probably the truth with her lack of sleep the last few days, so she tried very hard not to feel annoyed at the comment. “I haven’t had much sleep recently.”

  Addie and Rayne both sat.

  “I see you managed to get Mrs. Foster to send in tea.” Rayne eyed the tea cart with a teapot, cups and saucers and an array of sandwiches and biscuits.

  Lottie poured tea and handed the cup to Rayne. “I suggest you eat one of the sandwiches. Mrs. Foster said you haven’t been eating much, either. That’s not good for you.”

  “Who’s the doctor here?” she joked.

  “We are.” They all said in unison and then they all laughed. It felt good to laugh, to think of something else besides her upcoming nuptials with Mr. Faulkner-Jones and her father lying in the infirmary due to her obstinacy.

  “What brings you all here today? Out shopping?” She blew on her tea and took a sip, realizing how much she needed it.

  They looked at each other and Lizbeth cleared her throat. “Our husbands.”

  Rayne choked on her tea. “What?”

  Pamela took over. “We understand that you plan to marry this Mr. Faulkner-Jones. However, it is plain to everyone in our little group that you are in love with Lord Sterling and he is in love with you. Our husbands learned about this from his lordship and passed the information along to us.” She looked around the group. “So, we decided to take matters into our own hands.”

  “What does that mean?” Rayne asked, a little nervous about what the answer would be.

  Addie put her cup down and leaned forward. “What the hell are you thinking, Rayne?”

  * * *

  The direction on the paper in Edwin’s hand led him to a rather seedy looking building at the edge of Bath. It was not exactly a dangerous area, but certainly not somewhere one would expect to find the pompous Mr. Faulkner-Jones.

  Except if one was evading the police it would be the perfect spot for a well-known archeologist to hide in plain sight. Edwin climbed the stairs and knocked on an old wooden door with the number three on it.

  After only a minute the door opened. Mr. Faulkner-Jones looked ready to bolt. Most likely assuming the police were at his door. “What do you want?”

  “It’s nice to see you too, Faulkner-Jones. May I come in, or shall we have this conversation right here where everyone can hear it?”

  The man stepped back, and Edwin entered the flat. No need to pretend it was a social call, so he got right to the point. “I’m giving you twenty-four hours to leave England.”

  “And if I don’t?” It was obvious from his stance and demeanor that he knew Edwin was aware of the arrest warrant but had decided to bluff.

  “I notify the police that you are in England and exactly where to find you.” Edwin waved a paper in front of the man’s face. The fool assumed it was the warrant because he blanched and backed up.

  Edwin shook his head. There was no way he would have the warrant, it was a police matter, but the idiot didn’t understand that.

  “Just to make everything perfectly clear, you will leave, and you will not have any contact with Dr. Stevens before you go. You will quietly slip out of this building and use whatever transport you wish to use to take yourself back to wherever it is you need to be.”

  Faulkner-Jones curled his lip. “I never wanted to marry the bitch, anyway. She’s cold, and it would have been a chore to bed her to consummate the marriage.”

  Edwin smiled brightly right before his fist slammed into Faulkner-Jones’s nose. The sound of a bone breaking left him feeling quite satisfied as he turned on his heel and walked down the stairs, rubbing his hand.

  Damn that hurt.

  * * *

  Rayne paced the drawing room, mumbling to herself. The
ladies had left over an hour before with a promise extracted from her that she would follow her heart.

  That was exactly what she would do. No more would she live under her father’s commands. She deserved a life of love and happiness and having only medicine in her life would not do it.

  Yes, she felt guilty about her father’s heart attack, but as a doctor she knew his own doctor was correct and it was only a matter of time before it happened because of all the stress he’d subjected his body to over the years.

  Now as she wrung her hands, she formulated in her mind the words she would say. It was time she acted like a woman and stopped pretending she was a child who needed her father’s approval about everything.

  Taking a deep breath, she left the drawing room and entered the infirmary. Her father was awake and watched her as she crossed the room. “How are you feeling Father?”

  “As well as can be expected with my life hanging by a thread.”

  She tried very hard not to roll her eyes, but said, “I have come to tell you that I am very sorry to upset you further, but I am not marrying Mr. Faulkner-Jones. I have sent a note to him telling him just that.”

  “How dare you! Do you know how hard I worked to get you where you are now? A woman with her own medical practice? It is unheard of. What sort of thanks am I getting for what I did for you?”

  Deciding that bypassing another argument was the best way to move forward, she said, “I am sorry, but that is what I’ve decided. I’ve also come to the conclusion that I do not want medicine to be my entire life. I want love, and a husband who loves me, and children to love and raise. I believe I can do both. Maybe not all the time, and maybe not perfectly, but this is my life and that is what I will do.”

  “It’s that Sterling man isn’t it? He will ruin you. He’s a wastrel and will drag you down into the gutter with him.”

  “No. He won’t. He’s had some difficult times but that is over. He is a wonderful man who has done things for other people that you have no idea. And he loves me. And I love him.”