The Doctor's Daughter

Chapter Nine

Edward sat in Lord Rutland's study looking deep into his empty glass, he'd come over for advise but all he'd done was sit in silence. Lord Rutland just sat there signing documents during the silence, occasionally topping up his glass.

"Why are you so good at this?" Edward asked as he was passed a sandwich.

"I'm used to it." He smirked, taking a bite of his own monster sandwich, "I just did this on a boat instead."

"How different do you think things would be if she'd said yes to you?"

"Completely and utterly, you wouldn't be who you are." He stated, "And I like who you are, so I'm fine with that."

"Apparently she's gone to stay with her Aunt in Leicestershire for a few months."

"Mss Houghton?"

"Who else?" he laughed despite himself, "She's so perfect but just disappeared when I realised."

"She probably knew you realised." James shrugged, "Women are strange and I'll never even pretend to understand them."

The door swung open and Lady Monroe walked in her head in the papers, not seeing Edward, "James, wasn't your ship the Grey Lady? Oh! I didn't know you had company, hello darling."

"Lady Monroe."

"Call me Aunt Susie, it's about time someone did." She stated hitting her brother over the head with the paper. "What you moping about?"

"The depressive mysteries of women." James stated looking up at his sister, "Take a seat, I know you'll want to know everything."

Susie sat down and leant forwards before taking one of Edward's hands in her own, "Tell me everything, let me see if I can figure out what you did wrong."

"Susie!" James exclaimed.

"If he's anything like you, he did something wrong." She shrugged not turning back to her brother.

"Well there's this woman I know, my sisters adore her and I love her." He shrugged not knowing what to say.

"Miss Houghton." She deduced instantly, "It was obvious from the dinner party that you liked her for yourself; why else would she be there?"

"Sally invited her actually; they were all hers, Lizzie and Carla's guests." He smirked as she got it wrong.

"Well I was still right." She shrugged, "Did you ask her, kiss her, anything?"

"Well I hugged her and asked what she thought of me." He frowned, "This is a little personal really, with her not here to say a word."

"Susie doesn't care, we're blood therefore she will." James smirked enjoying not being her victim.

"You asked her what she thought of you?" Susie asked slowly, shaking her head as she sat back to look at her nephew. "Well more subtle than your father that's for sure, but by a hair!"

"What should I have done?"

"Kiss her!"

"She asked me not too, she said a kiss from me would ruin her."  He stated.

Susie's hands clutched beneath her chin as she gasped, "Oh how romantic, what a darling she is! Even more reason why you should not have asked her what she thought of you... out of curiosity what did she say?"

"That I was an excellent brother and a good friend." He shrugged.

"She's in love with you." Susie concluded, "She's ran away because she's scared and good right to be, I mean look at the two of you! She's just the daughter of a doctor, probably no noble blood in her."

"That doesn't matter to me, she's a beautiful person." Edward sighed, "I'd just have her as a friend if I could."

"He got the best bits of Judith and of you." Susie whispered to her brother not really caring if Edward heard, "He's lovely."

"Grown men aren't lovely." James and Edward said at the same time.

"You two are so cute!" she laughed clapping her hands, "I'm going to leave you to man time now, but darling don't just sit there and mope do something about it. True love waits for no man."

---

Gwen knew the moment she entered Leicestershire, everything suddenly got more rural if possible; farmsteads scattered the landscape in the valleys between the rolling hills upon which stood ancient oaks and forests. Her Aunt lived in a village called Glenfield, its ancient church stood in ruins beside the new; her old house sat within a moat on the edge of the village with a brook babbling at the boundary of her land.

This is where she'd grown up after her mama died; her father and Uncle Malc didn't know what to do with a little girl so she'd been sent here. The small cart pulled to a stop and Gwen jumped down as the front door swung open, the little Yorkshire Terrier sprinting down alongside the Border Collie to greet their guest.

"Benny!" Gwen laughed kneeling down and hugging the collie who'd been a pup the last time she'd been here, "Look at you, old man."

"Gwenny, sweetheart!" Aunt Sylv shouted from the doorway, "Don't let those guard dogs keep you away."

"Nothing could." She laughed standing up and walked towards her aunt, flanked by the two dogs, "How are you Aunt Sylv?"

"Same old, knee's come and go as they please." She cackled clapping her hands before framing Gwen's face with them. "Oh you are so beautiful, I'll hit my brothers with a stick for keeping you unwed for so long."

"I don't mind it." She grinned as Sylv snorted.

"But I do, I want some children to spoil before I go!"

"I'll try my best then." Gwen smiled, but her mind snapped to the feeling that had consumed her at the dinner party, with Anna in her arms and Edward watching her. For a split second she'd forgotten the baby wasn't hers and that neither was Edward.

Sir Cartwright, not Edward; she must remember that fact.

"What's that sadness for?"

"What?" Gwen asked grinning at her aunt, "Me sad, you're looking at someone else surely."

"You can tell me when you're ready, now go and pick your room." She sighed waving her hands up the stairs, "You remember which faces east don't you?"

"Of course." Gwen smiled kissing her cheek and disappearing up the stairs.

The sense of being home washed over Gwen as she stood in the hallway, light streamed through the open bedroom doors dust particles dancing like fairies in the beams. With a smile she noted to tell Sally about the fairies that hid in her aunt's house, she'd write tomorrow morning.

"Gwendolyn, you always had your head in the clouds." A male voice laughed, she turned and saw Charlie standing at the top of the stairs, "You've not grown an inch!"

"Charlie!" she laughed throwing her arms around his shoulders and he picked her up and shook her about. "What are you doing here?"

"Mrs Cliff has been letting me stay here and train as her steward." He smiled setting her down, "What about you?"

"I needed to get away from London, and now I'm here I forget why I even went." She smiled and he laughed knowingly.

"Come on, I need tea and Mrs Cliff ordered me to fetch you before I was allowed any." He grinned showing Gwen the full force of his charm.

"You've grown Charlie; I thought you'd still be a beanpole even now." She admitted as they walked down the stairs.

"Wait till you see Henrietta Marsh; she's gotten ugly." He whispered and Gwen instantly howled with laughter. "Seriously, she's fat and ugly now. We'll have to go visiting in all of our splendour."

"Oh please Charlie, I'd love that." She admitted, "She was so nasty to me growing up, I knew karma would bite her nose."

"Always the vindictive one Gwen." He sighed dramatically before bursting out a grin.

"And you Mr Theatrics."