She smiled, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “I can’t return to study.”
“Why not?”
“That time has gone. Now I’m…” She seemed to choke on air with a shuddering breath.
“What?”
“I’m scared.”
He pointed in the direction of the public house. “Thanks to you, two children didn’t become orphans tonight. You can’t be scared of that. You’re a brilliant, brave woman, and the fact you don’t see it makes me angry. Why do you think I asked you to work for me? Not for the damn painting or the letters I can’t read. I did it because I believe you can be a great doctor. Hell, you’ve just proven it.”
“My father was very disappointed when I stopped studying.” Each word came out slowly as if she forced herself to speak. “How can I start studying without disappointing him again? If I fail, I’ll completely lose his respect, or what’s left of it.”
“I don’t understand. You can’t disappoint him by studying again. That’s what he wants for you.”
She nearly hid her face in his chest. “I might not be good at studying anymore. What if I start again, and it turns out my brain can’t keep up? He’ll be so disappointed. I’ll be disappointed.”
“No, he won’t be.” He stopped walking to take her face in his hands. “He would never be disappointed by your trying. He’ll be right next to you, cheering you up and helping you.” He caressed the top of her head. “But the most important thing is what you want to do. Do you want to become a doctor?”
She pressed her cheek to his palm. “You know how difficult it is for a woman to be accepted into society as a surgeon. Female doctors are bullied and made fun of. Not to mention the years of studying and the cost of the fees.”
“I didn’t ask you to analyse society. Doyouwant to become a doctor?”
For a long, horrible minute, she didn’t say anything but stared at him with a lost expression that broke his heart. Then she gave the slightest, tiniest nod.
He leant closer. “I’d like to hear you saying it, please.”
“Yes,” she whispered lower than a little mouse.
“Louder, please?”
“Yes.” She raised her voice by only half an octave.
“Louder?”
“Yes.” There was no change in her tone.
“For Pete’s sake, shout!”
She let out a high-pitched scream that pierced his ears. He burst out laughing.
She laughed too, sagging against him. “Yes, yes. I want to be a doctor. I love medicine. I love working in a hospital. I want to study again.”
He picked her up and twirled her around. “Yes!”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and whooped at the sky.
“Be quiet, you bloody drunk!” a man yelled from a window before pouring a bucket of icy water on them.
The sudden, unwelcome cold and wetness silenced Perry.
“There are people who want to sleep here. Go home.” The man slammed the shutters closed.
Edith’s mouth hung open as drops trickled down her soaked hair. “Goodness.”
He brushed her wet locks from her cheeks. “Are you all right?”
She laughed but clamped a hand over her mouth to muffle the sound. “Never been better.”
