The Physicians Lady

Chapter 16

The door gave an audible swoosh as it opened to reveal a mix of scents. Worn book leather and musk. A welcoming scent that Aria would have taken a moment to savor had the door not let out an alarming creak as she opened it. She was trying to keep noise to a minimum and the old frame was not helping matters. Her fathers' study was not small by any means. Upon entering, one would first notice the rows of seemingly endless bookshelves lined to the brim with books bound in varying colors of dyed leather and inscriptions all on a variety of subjects meant to keep one's mind sharp for managing such an estate as the Alfords'. A large cherry wood desk sat in the middle of the space complete with a lamp, quill and ink, parchment, and a stack of letters; likely from tenants and overseers who reported to her father about estate affairs.

Aria took several large steps toward the desk, doing her best not to let her footfalls be heard outside the study. As she neared the desk, she let her hand drop to skim the polished surface of the cherry wood. As her gaze settled more on the contents of her fathers desk, her curiosity drew her to examine closer.

Notes. Sprawled out in disarray. Her father was a very organized man, and it puzzled Aria to see anything disheveled on his desk.  Was he searching for something? Distracted perhaps by a disconcerting letter? Aria let her thoughts run for a moment more before tearing away from the mess. She simply surmised that he had been too busy to clean up since his last time in here, although in the back of her mind she wasn't truly convinced. It is none of my concern. She insisted, turning away from what lay on the desk; refocusing on her initial purpose. Her navy dress swayed as she turned about the room, eyes skimming the shelves going book to book in search of any sort of medical related content. Her fingers delicately grazed the shelves, the lace ruffle from her sleeve hanging loosely beneath, catching a bit of dust from non recently used sections. Aria had seldom been in her fathers study, as it was he who spent the most time in it while she spent a great deal of her time in the library. It was almost overwhelming the amount of books he had on subjects such as Arithmetic, Grammar, History, and more. A far more broad spectrum than their library held, as a majority of the library contained fictions and biographies.

"Aha!" Aria gasped in excitement, which she quickly covered up and glanced over her shoulder to ensure no one heard her sound of glee. A smile lit up her face as she took a book from the shelf and read the cover: Doctor Buchans Domestic Medicine.

She thumbed through the pages, sure this was something she could learn from and absentmindedly made her way to her fathers chair. She plopped down in the chair with her legs dangling off the side in a way her mother would immediately deem as unladylike. After reading through several chapters on broken limbs and bone fractures she decided to give her suddenly weary eyes a rest. Lifting her gaze from the book, her eyes once again scanned the disarrayed notes that lay on her fathers desk.

It is rather odd that he would leave them strewn out like this. Papa is normally very tidy and meticulous. Aria thought rising from the chair. She knew her fathers letters were none of her business, but her unquenchable curiosity pushed her forward. Her fingers skimmed the papers, lightly moving them aside. Her eyes darted from letter to letter, most of which were as she presumed, simply from tenants of the estate.

What's this? She stopped as her eyes landed on a letter with a very familiar name.

Why would Papa have a letter from Lord Alcott? Aria gently picked up the unfolded parchment as her eyes hungrily read over the letter.

What in heavens name is this?

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Lord James Alcott, Duke of Melbourne has been suspected of aversion to debt charges and is to be kept under surveillance.

Debt charges? Why on earth would Alcott be in debt. Surely he had sufficient funds to pay off a sum of money. Aria knew it was not uncommon for a man to gamble away a fraction of their inheritance. She thought it utterly foolish to do such a thing when the money could be used for a profitable or charitable endeavor. But then, not all men had common sense. Debt charges were one matter, but the last sentence of the letter gave Aria pause.

To be kept under surveillance

Would not surveillance imply a greater misdeed? It was not mentioned in the letter, but what if they had no evidence?
A sudden thought struck Aria like an arrow through her heart.

Is James Alcott a criminal?

Arias free hand flew to her chest, attempting to steady her now rapid heartbeat.
But how? Her mind questioned. Why did her father have this information? Where did he obtain it? She stepped back and took a deep breath to calm herself and read the letter again. Surely I have misread it. She tried to assure herself. But as she read the letter again, she knew she was not mistaken. The man her father insisted she court was a wanted criminal, at least that's how she interpreted it. At the moment Aria wasn't entirely sure who to direct her anger upon. Her father, for insisting she court James Alcott, or anger at James Alcott himself. Suddenly, words her father said several weeks before rang in her mind.

"I have a reason. Trust me."

Does Papa know something I do not? He must, seeing that he has this information to begin with. Aria then stood by the desk, absentmindedly allowing her hand to once again skim the smooth surface. She had several questions to consider, but a new one poked its way through.

"Do I tell someone?" She questioned in a whisper to herself. "I cannot very well tell Papa, he will know I was snooping and will surely be cross." Aria paced slowly around the study. She was sure if anyone saw her now they would think her mad as she spoke to herself so silently that one could tell words were being spoken; but if not close enough, one would not hear them. Her hands splayed animatedly as she spoke to herself, attempting to derive a solution. "If Papa knows something already, would it not be beneficial for him to know that I am aware? I cannot carry on as usual with Lord Alcott. Knowing myself, I will give away the fact that I know there is something suspicious about him. Not to mention Charles Fredericks murder...

Is James involved somehow?

She and Nicholas both had a sinking suspicion of the possibility of Alcott being involved, but it was nothing more than a hunch at this point. As the harrowing thought crossed Arias mind at the possibility of her courting a criminal, she heard the faint sound of footsteps originating from down the hall. She placed the letter back on the desk, careful to put it and the other papers exactly as she found it and slipped out of the study, scanning the hallway as she did to ensure she was not seen.

Several questions begged an answer in Arias mind. Who is Lord James Alcott? What did he do, and what will he do next?

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