“He wound up being the Dr. Ian McCullom! The very one!”
Lady Sommerfeld’s eyes lit up and her lips curled into a blindingly beautiful smile. “I believe your story, Lady Juliette, and I’m finding the image of Ian as a knight in shining armor to be quite fascinating. I think it suits his personality quite well.”?Ian? Suits his personality?
Did the viscountess know Dr. McCullom personally? Intimately?
Juliette’s stomach plummeted to the floor. As if sensing the shift, Lady Sommerfeld clarified. “I’ve known him for years! He studied medicine beneath my uncle when I lived in Edinburough.” The explanation only made Juliette feel momentarily better before mortification took over. Here she’d been gossiping and speaking of a man and entirely ignorant of the fact that one of his longtime friends was sitting only feet away. Juliette’s cheeks flared; she suddenly wished for a miraculous recovery of her ankle because she wanted nothing more than to dash from the room and bury her head in her bed.
“He is also our personal physician,” added Mrs. Odette Stratford, Lady Sommerfeld’s sister-in-law. She was one of the newer members of their fold, though she’d likely be retiring for confinement soon. She was a petite, curvaceous woman and there was no hiding her ripe, rounded stomach any longer.
“Ian is the only one we trust with the care of our families,” Lady Sommerfeld supplied.
They were always so sweet, these ladies, so they did their best to ease Juliette’s embarrassment.
“Objectively, I must agree he is quite dashing,” Mrs. Stratford smiled. “Though no one better say a word to my husband.” She shot a warning glance to the rest of the women. “I don’t blame you one bit for finding him attractive.”
Suddenly, Lady Sommerfeld’s brows rose and her lips formed into a grin all of them had long since learned boded for something mischievous. “You know, Lady Juliette…Ian is coming to dinner next Friday…perhaps you and the earl should attend as well.” Juliette’s cheeks burned furiously when she realized this was an attempt to throw her back together with Dr. McCullom. Before her mind could form a response, however, Lady Morton jumped on board.
“At the risk of being unbelievably rude, would you be willing to add another place setting?” the duchess gave an exaggerated bat of her eyes. “Surely you need one more woman to complete your number for dinner? I simplyhaveto meet this man—this brilliant physician who is apparently also incredibly handsome.”
“You’re already married,” interjected another woman good-naturedly; “leave the eligible men for the unattached women!” This earned a collective giggle, even from Juliette. Lady Morton smiled easily and flicked the comment away.
“Pish. My husband hasn’t been in England in years anyway.” She spoke flippantly, but all of them knew Lady Morton would never be unfaithful to her husband, no matter that he hadn’t shown his face since the wedding ceremony…no matter that the tabloids were rife with the duke’s scandalous behavior.
“Well, Lady Juliette?” Lady Sommerfeld reiterated her invitation. “Shall we count you and the earl amongst our numbers?”
“I don’t know…” Juliette worried her lip. “Ethan and Dr. McCullom didn’t exactly hit it off well at their first meeting.” There was a shared glance between Lady Sommerfeld and Mrs. Stratford.
“Thatwe can believe,” said the red-haired woman. They shared a chuckle. “Despite having been his physician for several years now, Ian and my husband still butt heads like rams attempting to assert their dominance.”?“Really?” Juliette’s eyes widened.
Mrs. Stratford snickered and sat back in her chair. “Lord Sommerfeld still hasn’t gotten over the fact that Dr. McCullom was in love with Meredith.”
Juliette gasped and Lady Sommerfeld’s head snapped to her sister-in-law.
“Wherever did you hear that?” she demanded.
“Why, Lily of course,” Mrs. Stratford explained with a Gallic shrug. Lily was the third Stratford sibling and the only female. She had married Baron Shefford and they and their family spent most of the year on their estate in Kent.
Lady Sommerfeld rolled her indigo eyes. “I assure you, Ian is simply a dear friend and behaves in only the most proper of manners. Do think about the invitation, Lady Juliette; if nothing more than as a way to get out of this house after being cooped up with your injury.”
“Thank you. I will certainly think on it.” Who knew? Maybe Dr. McCullom would be pleased to see her again…he’d already gone out of his way to see her once. And maybe she could present him with a completed translation of the Gaelic phrase he’d left with her; surely he’d find that impressive.
Chapter Four
Ian was poring over his notes in his office late one evening. Fatigue clouded his sight and he rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. Knowing he wouldn’t like what he saw, he still risked a glance at his timepiece. As suspected, it was even later than he’d estimated. This often happened when he was absorbed in his work; the night would come and go without his even realizing it.
The writing on the pages before him blurred before his eyes and forcing himself to stay awake wasn’t doing any good. He’d reached the point where his mind was sluggish, which accomplished nothing of any value.
He doused all but one candle, carrying it with him as he moved through the building’s lower floor. He checked the medicine cabinets where he locked away the more potent, hard-to-come-by medicines and herbs, and he ensured (twice) all the windows and doors were locked tight on both the lower and main floors before ascending the stairs to his private rooms above his business.
The building was three stories in height with a small, fully functional kitchen in the cellar alongside his medical practice. Although his current income allowed for it, he’d been supremely uncomfortable hiring a valet, butler, or bevy of maids. Instead, he made do with a single woman who would clean his private rooms while he was out during the day and then tidy his offices when he closed—except on these evenings when the distraction of his research kept him later than was reasonable. In addition to the cleaning, she also cooked him the simple foods he preferred, and, in return, he made it clear Mrs. Brown was welcome to bring along her young daughter on days when no one was available to care for her. He knew firsthand how difficult the world could be for a widowed mother of a young child. As daunting as the work seemed for an individual woman, it was a relatively easy job as far as cooking, cleaning, and housekeeping in London went. Growing up as he had, Ian was used to cleaning up after himself; he’d never had the luxuries a majority of his clients did. Most of his home’s private rooms were devoid of furniture by choice and had been closed up. As a bachelor physician, what use did he have for a dining room when he ate alone? Or a parlor when he was always the one making the house calls? He didn’t even think the extra bedrooms had been opened since he’d viewed the property before purchasing it; he couldn’t even recall the color of the papering on the walls.
Ian’s work was his life and his books were his friends.
Well…that was not entirely the truth. He did have some friends.
In addition to those connections he’d made in his travels, he’d become quite close with the new family of his longtime friend, Meredith. Though it had pained him to let her go when he realized she’d lost her heart to Viscount Sommerfeld, Ian took solace that Sommerfeld continued to treat Meredith well and made her undeniably happy. And if he didn’t…well, then Ian knew a thousand ways to kill a man…quite a few of which were untraceable unless one knew what to look for.
Ian’s foot froze above the first step when he heard the ring of a bell. He held his breath until it sounded again, then released it in one great whoosh. He rubbed his weary eyes with his thumb and forefinger. There was never to be a respite for him, was there? He couldn’t in good conscience ignore the caller. Surely someone at this hour had a good reason to seek out a physician’s care and, if they didn’t, then he’d send them on their way with instructions to return at a more reasonable time the following morning.
