Julius smiled reluctantly. “I am too obstinate to die.”
“I see that,” she responded with an impudent tone. “Which means it is time to drink.”
Some fresh concoction was thrust in his hand. Julius’s stomach flip-flopped in repulsion, but he could feel the weakness in his muscles and knew she was right. He would force himself to do so.
“Drink up!”
Julius leaned back and downed the brew, pulling a face. It tasted like embittered earth with a hint of honey. “Faugh!”
Audrey chuckled. “Now that your fever has broken, you must drink that for a few days to prevent further infection.”
“I suppose foul drinks never killed anyone.”
“Just so.”
She moved around the room, putting her things back in the valise she seemed to never be without. In the corner sat the birdcage where the little starling was chirruping to greet the morning like an old friend being welcomed home. Audrey appeared quite cheerful, returning to flop back into the armchair she had slept in.
“I am ever so relieved,” she confessed, her silver eyes bright.
“Never say you did not want my death on your hands.”
“Of course not! You are my first patient since Papa died.”
Julius gestured toward the starling, who was flapping its free wing. “What of the bird?”
Audrey laughed. The throaty, lyrical quality tinkled into his loins to set off an unexpected stirring. Oh well, he supposed it was fortunate that he found her attractive, what with being required to marry her and all.
He wondered if there was any way to avoid that eventual outcome, but he could not think of one.
“It is a pity you cannot be a physician. You are most competent.”
Her face grew solemn, and she slumped back in her chair. “I could practice medicine officially if the Company of Apothecaries would allow me admission.”
Julius blinked in surprise. “The apothecaries allow women in their ranks?”
Audrey heaved a heavy sigh. “Under special circumstances, they have permitted women into the guild since the seventeenthcentury. I have petitioned them several times but have been unsuccessful as yet. I await a response from my most recent request.”
Julius was intrigued. “What sort of circumstances?”
“Usually, it is the widow of an apothecary, if she can prove that she apprenticed successfully at her husband’s side. The Widow Wyncke was one of the first, having worked in her husband’s business for decades. The guild considered he had done a great service to them and was favorable to her circumstances.”
“So you wish to practice medicine?”
Audrey’s nod was enthusiastic. “Once I convince the guild to accept me, I will return to Stirling to tend to the villagers.”
Julius’s spirits lifted at this news. He might be required to wed her, but the doctor’s daughter would be quite happy to rusticate in the country. After Julius did the right thing, he would remain mostly a free man.
“Why have they rejected you? Dr. Gideon apprenticed you since you were a young child.”
She appeared dejected. “It is politics. I cannot join the physicians without a university degree, and Papa was a member of the physicians’ guild which is a rival to the apothecaries’ guild. In my most recent petition, I provided them with documentation that he was a committed student of Nicholas Culpeper’s works, and apprenticed me in the apothecary arts, but … I am not certain that it will be well received. They might be irate that he infringed on their domain.”
“Ah, yes. The competition between the guilds is not to be underestimated for the pettiness that can arise. What will you do if they reject you again?”
She fidgeted with the tie of his banyan, making him think about how her pert bosom was shielded by the single embroidered layer. Julius flickered his gaze away just as hisstomach growled in hungry rebuke. He hoped Patrick appeared with his tray soon.
“I suppose I shall apply again and I will continue to apply until they accept me. I could practice in Stirling without their permission, but as a member, I would publish my father’s notes so that others can benefit from his research. Just as Nicholas Culpeper did when he published his book to encourage ordinary people to care for their own health.”
His heart twisted at the heartfelt words.
