Twenty-One
“We will be going to see the duque after this,” Jean-Louis informed Aurora as he helped her out of the carriage. She knew it was useless to argue with the man and that this impending audience with Apollo was inevitable.
Instead of answering, Aurora focused on her patient’s well-appointed street as she tried to anticipate what she’d be walking into. At least she had protection, even if it came in a quite aggravating package.
Just the previous evening, she’d received an unexpected request from her fistulotomy patient asking Aurora to her home for the postsurgical visit. Given the young woman’s distress regarding her husband in those initial encounters, she’d had been reluctant to come alone, which was how she’d ended up with Apollo’s henchman as a chaperone that morning. Which meant there was no escaping the duke’s summoning. She had no doubt that if she refused to go see Apollo, she’d find herself over Jean-Louis’s shoulder.
“I said I would go after this visit, Jean-Louis,” she retorted with a sneer, but the man was utterly unflustered by her annoyance. And it wasn’t like she hadn’t expected Apollo to do this. In truth, she’d expected him to barrel into Claudine’s the very next day after the charity event. But to her surprise, the Duke of Annan had stayed away.
She’d be lying to herself if she didn’t admit to missing the man. Despite her efforts to maintain emotional distance from him, she’d felt his absence intensely. She yearned for the den of iniquity and how simple everything was there. So, she’d kept her distance, because she’d rather have him mad at her than make him vulnerable to Philip’s monstrosity.
Whatever game the man was playing was a dangerous one and her presence would only make it worse. Philip had been silent, no threats, no warnings about revealing their past connection, and that scared her more than if he had. She knew sending Apollo that note instead of telling him face-to-face had been cowardly, but he would’ve asked questions she didn’t feel ready to answer. She could’ve contacted her brothers to alert them of Philip’s whereabouts, but the last thing she needed was three more overbearing males underfoot.
No, she had matters in hand. Today she would tell Apollo what was happening between them had to end and she’d go back to her life. She’d only been in the man’s bed for a week, how hard could it be to give it up?
She decided she was not in the state of mind to answer that question honestly and diverted her attention to the task at hand. For now, she’d leave the worrying about Apollo, Philip and her brothers for after the visit. This was not the time to have her head in the clouds. She had no sense what would await her this morning. The patient had been so skittish before, she could only assume she was a glorified prisoner in her own home.
“You can accompany me to the gate, but you cannot loiter by the door as you do at the clinics,” she warned Jean-Louis as they neared the house, which earned her a sound that was not exactly a no but very far from anything that sounded like an agreement. The man took his task of guarding her a bit too seriously and had attempted more than once this past week to dissuade her from leaving the carriage at certain locations. He could also be quite stubborn. “This should not be a very long visit,” she reassured him when they reached the door.
She looked up at the ostentatious molding above the doorway and considered what might await her. A potential confrontation with an irate husband who at the very least terrified his own wife.
This was probably too much of a risk. She knew that, but she couldn’t leave a patient to her own devices after a procedure. And Dona Maria had made the request herself. This was part of the work, after all, risk-taking. She wasn’t asking anyone to incur it for her—other than using Apollo’s apartment and then demanding he keep her secrets—and it was her prerogative to help those who needed it. That was the vow she’d made after all that happened with Philip. She would never leave a woman to her fate if she could help it.
She just wished she hadn’t started things with Apollo, because for the first time since she’d begun her medical studies, her own needs seemed to be at the forefront of her mind. She missed Apollo, missed the way he took care of her, and wasn’t that idiotic? A man who she could never have.
Perhaps it was time to leave Paris. Apollo would get that building for the clinic, she was certain of that. And now with stronger financial support, everything would be all right. She’d managed to ensure that the clinic could provide services for a long time to come.
By the time she grabbed the door knocker, Aurora was in a mood, which became evident by her aggressive pounding on the door. It wasn’t very long before a forbidding gentleman opened the door.
“Yes?” he asked haughtily as he gave her a thorough examination. It was quite a feat, considering he didn’t lower his head even a fraction of a centimeter. He was quite tall and dressed in dark livery. Not bulky like Jean-Louis, but he seemed perfectly capable of keeping her out if he felt like it. His cold blue eyes and his sneer certainly didn’t appear welcoming.
“I’m here to see your mistress, she’s expecting me.”
He seemed genuinely confused at her words, as if the idea of the lady of the house receiving any callers was unfathomable.
“I’m a physician,” she explained. This statement, as expected, only made the man look that much more suspicious.
“It’s all right, Collins.” Dona Maria appeared at the top of the stairs in her usual sober attire. But instead of that sullen demeanor from before, her lovely brown face was more animated and there was color on her cheeks. “I can take if from here.” She rushed forward, pushing the man aside, who emitted a little yelp at his mistress’s arrival.
“But, madame, we were told to not allow any company that’s not in his lordship’s list while he is away.”
His lordship.
Aurora had suspected her patient was married to someone of a certain standing. This was risky indeed. The servant had an English accent, which told her it was probably some British aristocrat living in Paris as an expatriate. It was not his words that chilled her to her core, but the reproving, patronizing tone he used. Like Dona Maria was not his mistress, but merely a wayward child. But if being spoken to by her servants in such a derogatory way bothered her patient, she did not show it. On the contrary, the young woman was uncowed by the man’s rudeness, as she sent him another defiant look.
“Please come in, Doctora Montal—” Dona Maria stopped short, likely out of caution of not identifying Aurora to the traitorous Collins. “You may go, Collins. I will call for you if I need anything.” Aurora watched in amazement as the cowering woman she’d first met was now standing up for herself. “As far as I know, this is my home and I shall receive whoever I like.” With a cutting glare, Dona Maria walked past her odious servant and took Aurora’s hand. That horrid odor from the fistula was gone, replaced by a lovely fragrance of orange blossoms.
“My apologies, Collins can overstep.” Her voice sounded stronger, and she stood taller. Her raven black hair was in a thick braided crown around her head. There was a strength back in her voice, in the way she held herself, that had not been there before.
It was the kind of change Aurora had seen countless times. This woman’s ailment had taken her dignity, her humanity, and now she’d begun to recover it. Witnessing this, knowing that in some small way she’d helped her reclaim something that had been stolen from her was why Aurora would never let anything keep her from her work. If she were the emotional type, Aurora thought she might shed a tear or two for this newly emboldened version of Dona Maria.
“This way,” the young woman indicated, pointing down a long hallway.
“How are you feeling, Dona Maria?” Aurora asked, as they made their way past a number of large portraits displaying what looked like generations of prominent ancestry.
“Please call me Sandra,” she said with a smile that went all the way up to her eyes.
“All right.” Aurora nodded, then did as asked. “How are you feeling, Sandra?” She rarely found out her patients’ real names or learned much of their lives. It was part of their strict rules around anonymity, but she was glad to experience this rare moment. To see this kind of transformation made the sacrifices worth it.
“I haven’t felt this well in years,” Sandra told her, but it seemed something else was on her mind.
“Are there any other issues?” Her patient shook her head as she led Aurora into a drawing room.
“Is this where you’d like us to do the examination?” she asked, looking around for a place where Sandra could lie down to have the stitches taken out. She understood the woman’s reluctance to have Aurora come to her bedchamber, with her staff being as intrusive as it was, but this room seemed particularly unsuitable. “We will need a place where you can lie down,” she said, looking at the two chaises, which could work, if necessary, but they were not exactly the best option. “For me to remove the sutures.”
“Yes, of course.” Sandra sounded a bit distracted, and when Aurora came closer, she could hear her teeth chattering.
For a second, Aurora panicked and wondered if her patient had set a trap for her. Perhaps informed the police of her visit. The procedure she’d performed was perfectly legal, but she certainly didn’t want them looking too closely.
“Has something happened to your children?” she asked, hoping for an answer that didn’t involve potential legal troubles for herself. It would break her heart to be betrayed by this woman.
“No, my girls are fine,” Sandra assured her, though she was clearly distressed.
“There’s another room where we can do the examination, after,” Sandra finally said. When Aurora looked down, she noticed the patient was wringing her hands. “I wanted to ask you something first.” Something about the way she said it told Aurora the request had nothing to do with doctoring. Her voice was very low, like she was afraid someone had their ear pressed to the door.
“What do you need?” she asked, knowing that no matter how dangerous the request, she would try to help.
“I’ve decided to leave my husband,” the young woman said, the tremor in her voice replaced by a steel that made Aurora swell with pride for whatever little part she’d had in it. “I don’t have a lot of funds for the journey, only the pin money I’ve saved, but it’s enough to get to my sister in Geneva. She’s begged me for years to come to her. I’m finally ready.” This would not be an easy thing. Even if she was willing to help, there was much to think about.
The law these days was more lenient toward women when it came to divorce, but there would be a scandal. In a court of law, her husband could probably take her children without much difficulty. There was so much to consider, so many pitfalls she could encounter, and Aurora knew she should bring those up before she agreed to anything. She also knew there was no possible way she would not do what she could to help her.
There was nothing to be done for the fifteen-year-old Aurora who had fallen into a terrible man’s clutches and paid a hefty price. But this older Aurora had a responsibility to be worthy of that bravery. Just like there was nothing to do for the years Sandra had lost, or for the pain she’d endured at her husband’s hands. But the future could be different for her, for her children.
“I know I ask too much,” Sandra apologized, as Aurora considered matters.
“How long will your husband be gone?” This was not the first time the clinic had aided a woman in escaping a terrible husband, but never one of this station. There could be repercussions for all of them if the man found out who helped her. But Aurora could not walk away and leave her here trapped.
“He returns late this evening.” That was not ideal. Aurora would not have time to get her more funds to escape with. She didn’t even know if there was a train she could leave on today. But if Sandra could pack herself and her children up quickly, she could well be on her way to Switzerland by the time he came back.
“Sandra,” she said, taking the woman’s hand. It was damp and cold, and she could feel the nervous tremors going through her.
“Yes, Doctora?” The hope in her voice almost broke Aurora, but this was not a moment for emotions. This was a time for action. With Sandra’s pin money and some of Aurora’s own emergency reserves, they could get her and the children away.
“Are you certain your sister will help you? He could come after you because of the children.” There was no point in sugarcoating the situation. This would only work if she knew what she was in for.
“She was always opposed to the marriage. She told my father Lord Ackworth was much too old for me.” A shadow crossed Sandra’s face and Aurora’s fury rose at the thought of what horrors she was likely recalling. “She said she’d help me with the divorce. I sent her a telegram after the surgery and she asked me to come.”
Sandra had the loving support of a sister and that was worth everything.
“You will have to leave now. With whatever you can carry.” Sandra sent her another of those tenacious looks and nodded.
“I’m ready and I’m not afraid anymore.” No, she wasn’t, Aurora could see it. “I might not get another chance.”
“We need to find out the train schedule,” she began, but Sandra pulled out a paper and gave it to her.
“There’s one train to Geneva, leaving in three hours. I have my bags packed.” She pointed at two valises sitting by the door, with two small cloaks draped over them. Once again, her chest swelled with admiration for this woman’s resilience. “I just need a conveyance that can take me and the children to the station.” They had three hours, which would give them enough time to take out her stitches, have Jean-Louis stage some kind of escape plan and get her away.
“I have a carriage outside,” she told Sandra, who looked like she’d collapse with relief at the news. Reluctantly, Aurora sent a thanks to Apollo’s overbearingness. “Let me examine you first,” she said, pointing to one of the chaises. “Then we’ll get you on that train.”
It took exactly two hours to examine her, enlist Jean-Louis and create a diversion with the servants that involved a small fire and a nearly disastrous encounter with an alley cat, but they managed to get Sandra and her children out. A feat she knew would not have been possible without the Duke of Annan’s carriage or his henchman.