Page 9 of Bernadette’s Dashing Doctor (The Bookshop Belles #4)

CHAPTER 9

Bad News and Worse Rumours

B ernadette returned to the bookshop from visiting the good women of Hatfield with a queasy stomach. Her dear customers had told her, in the most comforting tones possible, that Phoebe Baxter was spreading rumours about her being in some way responsible for the vicar’s demise.

To a woman they swore their loyalty to Bernadette, and said they were passing it on so that she knew and could avoid Mrs Baxter.

They gave her even more goods to take home, which were increasingly heavy to carry back. She could use a really good sulking session with Louise, but as she made it into the shop, her sister’s expression told her that wasn’t an option.

Her own misery would have to wait until she could help Louise, who had fallen into another funk.

“Oh Lou, what’s Joshua done now?” Bernadette asked with a sigh as she hefted her basket onto the counter.

“Not him,” Louise sniffed, “It’s the news. There’s been a great and terrible battle and all I can do is pray that Shaun and Papa are somehow safe.”

“I take it nothing’s turned up from Papa?”

“Shaun either,” Louise sniffed the words together in her glumness. “Honestly, why can’t men write and tell us what’s going on? Do they want us to think they’re dead? Do they want us miserable?”

“I’ve visited the Alloms and they gave me pork pies. Why don’t we stop early and have some food?”

“I’m not hungry,” Louise muttered, reading through the news article again, as if reading it over and over would change the words to her liking.

“But they’re Mrs Allom’s pies!”

With a theatrical sigh, Louise said, “Maybe I’ll have a bite of yours.”

“I’ll not have you wasting away, it will be bad for business,” Bernadette said, trying to make light of it. “Actually, I heard some nasty rumours this morning. Phoebe Baxter is spreading lies that I poisoned Reverend Millings. Obviously, she hasn’t directly said I did it, but she reminds people I know all about herbs and which ones are dangerous.”

“That’s the last thing we need,” Louise said, wiping her face with one hand and scouting for her crowbar with the other. “I’ve a mind to teach her a lesson.”

“So you hadn’t heard yet?”

“I’m sure Rosie would have told me sooner or later,” Louise said. “There will be plenty of gossip at the midsummer assembly, so if she hasn’t heard it, she’ll definitely hear it by then.”

The Midsummer assembly was in three more days. It was the main social event of the summer, although this year the male dance partners would be greatly reduced. “Are you coming to the assembly?”

“I’m far too miserable to dance and talk politely with people. Who knows how awful the news will be by then?”

Bernadette was loath to go too. Especially at the thought of Phoebe spreading more lies about her. “Well then, I shall not go either. I’ll stay home and look after you,” she said firmly.

Louise sat up straight and her face dried almost instantly. “But you must, ‘Dette. You must go and be merry and not have a care in the world! If you do not go, imagine how much worse Phoebe’s rumours will become - and you not there to defend yourself? She’ll say you’re ashamed to show your face because you’re guilty!”

Wonderful, Bernadette thought sarcastically. Pretending happiness she did not feel was the last thing she wanted to do, but Louise was right. She needed to put a brave face on things.

Nerves tense, stomach tight, Bernadette went to the assembly with Mrs Poole and Rosie. It was a very different crowd compared to the Midwinter assembly. Fewer people, and fewer gentlemen to go around. Her cousins were in attendance, including Benjamin. Last summer he’d had a flutter of eager young maidens gathering around him. This year he stayed close to his father Joshua. Both of them sneered when they saw her. She beamed with happiness in their direction, to show how unaffected she was.

It was all for show, but she maintained the pretence all the same. Joshua would never stop trying to get them out of the bookshop. Phoebe’s petty rumour-spreading was yet one more attempt to destroy them. She couldn’t help feeling frustrated all the same. Just when she thought they’d emptied their bag of tricks, they’d found a new one.

At least there hadn’t been any more fires!

Grandfather and Miss Yates were so welcoming and lovely, she stayed close to them, smiling so much she started to feel slightly less upset by the nasty rumours.

“You seem a little anxious, Bernadette?” Miss Yates mentioned.

Bernadette gently told her the problem.

Miss Yates’ eyes rounded in shock. “You help people, you never hurt them,” she said defensively.

“Thank you,” Bernadette said. They took it in turns to catch glimpses of Phoebe leaning in to speak to people. It was easy to see which people were easy to fool, and which others were shaking their heads and disagreeing with her. There were far too many people in the ‘fool’ side of the ledger for Bernadette’s liking.

She would simply have to keep smiling and brave it out.

What brought a genuine smile to her face was seeing Dr Williams approach. He spoke briefly with a cheerful Lord Ferndale, then greeted Miss Yates and herself with a respectful bow.

“Miss Bernadette, I’d be honored to secure a dance with you this evening.”

He was being so polite, she found herself grinning. “I wasn’t aware you danced,” she replied.

“The opportunity had not yet presented itself,” he said. “Do you have any unclaimed dances on your card?”

“As it so happens, I do,” she held up her completely blank card and a pencil. “You may claim two.”

“Any more than that would be unseemly,” he said, letting her know that he had either been asking somebody about the rules, or he knew dance etiquette far better than he knew table manners.

He’d claimed the very next dance, which began momentarily. She held her hand out for him to take. As her gloved fingers met his, warmth filled her hand and travelled up her arm.

“Did you know your cousin’s wife is making merry stories about you?”

Chills replaced the warmth, but Bernadette beamed her fake smile and said, “Yes, isn’t she charming ?”

“They tried to claim I was a suspect too,” he said as they reached their dance positions. “At a hastily convened town council meeting.”

“I’m so glad the church women were there to bear witness,” she said, as the music started up.

He kept their conversation going each time they passed each other, without missing a step.

“You dance very well,” she complimented him as he executed a crossover perfectly.

“If you’re wondering, Mrs Bell helped me refresh my skills.”

Bernadette found herself laughing at his admission. As they danced, the fake smile she’d been using fell away and a very real one took its place.

She was having fun.

Later, when they were drinking lemonade and chatting with the Ferndales, a tall man approached and introduced himself.

“Miss Bernadette, I’m Stratforth, I was hoping your sister Miss Louise would be here.”

“She sends her apologies, but she is …” what was it Louise had said? Her brain emptied and she ended up admitting the partial truth. “She is taking the news from France very badly. Our father has yet to return from those shores.”

Only then did her nerves recover enough that she remembered Louise had given the excuse that she was looking after Brutus. But then she’d have to explain who Brutus was and … that would only extend the conversation.

“Well, I might call in and see if she’s feeling better on the morrow,” he said, offering a respectful little bow. Then he walked over to where Joshua, Benjamin and Phoebe were holding their small court of friends and spoke briefly with Joshua.

Yes, it was probably for the best she hadn’t mentioned Brutus, because Mr Stratforth had gone directly to his parents.

As she was watching Mr Stratforth, it was obvious to Bernadette that Phoebe and her friends were talking about her, whispering behind their hands.

She’d always had Louise to protect her in the past, but Louise wasn’t here. For a little while she fought between two ideas; try her best to ignore them, or say something.

Saying something won out. Louise simply wasn’t available the way she used to be. Bernadette knew it was long past time for her to step up.

She handed her empty glass to Glynn, excused herself and made a direct line to Phoebe. Her pulse pummelled in her neck with nerves, but she had to say something. “Dear cousin Phoebe, let us not hide behind our hands. My ears are burning and I know you are talking about me. Is there anything you would like to ask me directly?”

She scarcely believed those words had come out of her mouth. Neither could Phoebe, judging by the shocked look on her face.

Phoebe quickly pulled herself together. “It’s so unpleasant when people accuse you of a crime, isn’t it?”

That stung, and for a moment Bernadette wondered if this rumour was in retaliation for the town keeping an eye on Benjamin. But then, Phoebe and Joshua had done their best to make all their lives miserable ever since their father had gone to France.

“I’ve done nothing. Dr Williams was there too, and he did nothing wrong either.”

Phoebe crossed her arms over her chest with disbelief. “You have the herbs and the knowledge to poison the vicar.”

“But I didn’t do it. And … more to the point, why would I?”

“That’s clear to all of Hatfield. He’s been scathing about you and your sisters for a good while. We witnessed that each week in church. Nobody would blame you for wanting to shut him up, but you went too far.”

Bile rose in Bernadette’s throat and she thought she might disgrace herself. She gave a hard swallow and forced it back down. “I didn’t touch him, and I didn’t give him anything either. In fact,” her memory suddenly came to her rescue, thank goodness, “I noticed a few weeks ago he was looking poorly and I offered him a tonic, but he refused. I doubt he would have accepted any medication from me, or indeed from Dr WIlliams, who also tried to offer him aid. Why, you heard his sermon last Sunday about it being God’s will whether the sick recover or otherwise. He didn’t believe in any medicines.”

Phoebe opened and closed her mouth a few times, but did not seem to be able to think of anything to say to refute Bernadette’s truths. She turned her face away with a sniff.

That should at least make Phoebe’s friends doubt the rumours; Bernadette had deliberately spoken as loudly as she dared without actually shouting. Yes, everyone had heard Old Brimstone hectoring them week after week, but there were plenty of people who’d seen her approach him outside church. Each time he would send her away with a flea in her ear, and any number of people from Hatfield could bear witness to that.

She made her way back to the comfort of Miss Yates’ company. When it was time to dance with Dr Williams again, she enjoyed herself even more. He proved to be a charming dance partner and conversationalist.

When their second dance was over, she stayed only a little while longer before making excuses to head home.

Dr Williams quietly asked, “Are we allowed to leave early?”

“It’s not really the done thing, but I need to rise early to prepare herb mixtures. You can stay and keep dancing if you wish.”

He shrugged and made a rueful smile. “There’s nobody else I’m interested in dancing with, and apparently we’d cause a scandal if we danced again.”

Warm flurries filled her tummy and for a moment she forgot how to speak. A naughty thought popped into Bernadette’s head. Should they cause a scandal? Common sense prevailed. She mustn't give cousin Joshua any more ammunition in his campaign against her, as tempting as that might be.

“Thank you for the dances. I must be getting home.”

The music flowed into the night as she walked the few paces to the bookshop. Inside was dark, not even the glow of a candle upstairs. She felt her way through the shop and held the railing as she took the steps.

The curtains were back and the window was open. Muffled assembly music drifted in, and a little light from the moon. A shadow moved, surprising Bernadette, until she realised it was Louise, still sitting up, alone at the kitchen table.

“Lou!” Bernadette startled, hand to her chest. “I didn’t see you there! Why no candle?”

“It went out. I was listening to the music.”

Bernadette relit the candle and then put the tea-kettle on the banked stove. “I danced with Dr Williams, and he was very competent. Joshua, Phoebe and Benjamin were there, of course. She is spreading horrible lies about me. Oh, and Mr Stratforth asked after you.”

It took a moment for Louise to respond. “Oh. The farmer?”

“Yes, he seemed very disappointed you weren’t there.”

Louise shrugged as if she didn’t care. Well, how could Bernadette blame her?

Bernadette made tea and sat at the table, feeling the heavy weight of an uncertain future settle in the silence between them. The deadline to get the paperwork the Chancery Court had requested was only a few days away now, and they had nothing to send. What would happen next, neither of them knew.

“What are we going to do, Lou?”

“I don’t know.” Louise reached out, took Bernadette’s hand and held it tightly. “But I do know I’m not going to stop fighting. No matter what.”

Bernadette puffed out a breath, then nodded, squeezing back. “No matter what.”

Last night she had told Dr Williams the truth. Bernadette did need to get up early. She rose with the dawn, which was an incredibly early start at this time of year, to prepare herbs. Specifically herbs that would help bring on a woman’s courses.

While she’d attended the midsummer assembly last night for the well-to-do, other gatherings had taken place across Hatfield with many of the remaining farmers and workers. There would be a great many young women who didn’t want to marry the boys they’d lifted their skirts for after imbibing a little too heartily. The herbs weren’t foolproof, but they were the best available.

Then she stopped for a moment and wondered. There had been far fewer men than usual at the Red Lion last night, so that should be the case for the other gatherings. Perhaps the demand for herbs would not be so great this time?

Nevertheless, she measured the ingredients into sachets and added them to her basket between layers of rosemary and dense bouquets of parsley. She was extra careful with the front door to make sure the bell above it didn’t ring and wake the others.

Roosters crowed in the back gardens. The golden morning sun shone across Hatfield as she went to meet two of the nearby midwives, Mrs Tristan and Mrs Leywood. They too had been up with the sun, and each was happy to see her.

“As always, please remind the ladies that the herbs might not work,” she cautioned, passing over her sachets.

“I always do,” Mrs Leywood said. “But people can’t help getting caught in the moment.”

“Well, they shouldn’t,” Bernadette surprised herself with how judgemental she sounded. “Goodness, I didn’t mean to be so blunt.”

“You look tired,” the midwife said, patting Bernadette’s hand with affection. “I’ve heard the nasty things Mrs Baxter is saying about you, any wonder your nerves are strained.”

She should rub some lavender on her sleeves to help restore calm. Then again, with the damages her cousins were inflicting, she would need all the lavender in Hertfordshire!

Her next stop was Mrs Bell, and she walked down the side of the house to the kitchen door instead of the front, so that she wouldn’t wake Glynn.

Mrs Bell was always happy to see her, and they chatted quietly in the kitchen over tea and biscuits. They exchanged details about people’s ailments and wrote them in Mrs Bell’s notebook.

“I do like Dr Williams’ ideas about record keeping, it is essential for the health of the town and I do believe he’s approaching it from a position of altruism.” Mrs Bell nodded in satisfaction. “I’m letting him copy anything he wants from my notebooks.”

“I think it will be very useful too. It was a shame our timing was so bad at the church.”

Mrs Bell sat up and reached over to Bernadette to deliver a warm embrace. “I know you had nothing to do with the reverend’s demise. Nor Dr Williams. Nobody with a lick of sense is listening to Mrs Baxter.”

A tear slipped out. Relief washed over Bernadette. “You have no idea how much I needed to hear that. Thank you, dear friend.”

There was a knock at the front door. Mrs Bell said, “Goodness, we’ve lost track of time, Dr Williams has a patient already.”

They listened out but there was no noise from Dr Williams in the hall. Instead, there was another knock.

“You get the door and I’ll get Dr Williams up,” Mrs Bell said.

Bernadette opened the door to see a young man standing there wearing a clerical collar. He took his hat off and bowed.

“You must be Miss Bernadette!” he said with a broad grin. “Lady Renwick draws an incredible likeness. I’m Mr Charles, your sister Miss Louise sent me over here to enquire about lodgings.”

Shock and confusion swirled momentarily. Bernadette pulled herself together. “Come in, please, Mr Charles. You have indeed guessed correctly.”

“I’ve come directly from your marvellous bookshop. I can see myself spending far too many hours there, it is a most wonderful emporium.”

“Are you to be Hatfield’s new vicar?”

“Temporarily at first, but I hope for a good while. Lord Renwick has recommended me to Lord Ferndale, who I shall need to meet with for approval.”

Was this a dream? The last vicar despised everything about them. What a breath of fresh air this would be. Bernadette couldn’t help grinning. Grandfather is going to adore you.

Mrs Bell was back in the hallway, which was becoming crowded, so they moved to Dr Williams’ room at the front instead, where they could all take a seat.

“Mrs Bell, I don’t need accommodation immediately. Lord Ferndale has seen to the first month at the Red Lion, where I’m sure I’ll be most comfortable. But after that, all going well, I should need lodgings in town. I know there is a vicarage, but my predecessor’s widow and daughter reside there, and I shouldn’t want to inconvenience them until they are full ready to move on.”

“I thank you most kindly for the advance notice. I shall certainly have a room ready by then,” Mrs Bell said.

Dr Williams joined them a few moments later, stopping abruptly in the doorway as he saw Bernadette. Seeing him with tousled hair and still sleepy, she couldn’t help blushing.

“Doctor Williams,” she said, standing up to make introductions.

Mr Charles stood immediately as well, a welcome smile on his face. “What a fortuitous morning, to meet two Baxter sisters, a busy midwife and the town doctor.”

They shook hands and exchanged more greetings.

Bernadette could not believe her good fortune, indeed, the town’s good fortune, to have such a pleasant new vicar. She couldn't wait to tell Rosie about how nice he was and spread some good gossip about, for once.

After they’d had a short chat about the town itself, Mrs Bell said, “We shouldn’t keep you any longer, Reverend, Lord Ferndale will be looking forward to meeting you. I have some letters to post at the Red Lion, so I can accompany you back if you like?”

“I thank you kindly, Mrs Bell,” he said, grabbing his hat.

The moment the front door was closed, Bernadette made a noisy sigh of relief.

“Are you quite well?” Dr Williams asked.

“Oh yes, very well. What a wonderful young man.”

“Are you… swooning ?”

“Maybe a little?” Bernadette shook her head. “He is a little glimmer of hope in a dark world.”

“Oh,” Glynn said, looking out the window as the new vicar and Mrs Bell walked into the Red Lion across the street. “You’re quite taken with him, then?”

A laugh escaped, but Bernadette immediately stopped herself at Glynn’s baleful expression. “It is only with gladness that at last we have some good news. Phoebe has been telling such dreadful lies and we haven’t heard from Father and Mr Jackson in so long. And… oh, never mind.”

“What is it?” He reached for her hand, gave it a comforting little squeeze.

It felt right, her hand in his. It gave her a little strength. “Cousin Joshua is being even more beastly than ever. He’s gone to the Chancery Court, and we are going to miss the deadline for providing evidence, and they’ll declare him the inheritor of the bookshop.”

Glynn swore, but it was in Welsh. The tone made it clear it was a strong profanity.

“I’m glad I don’t know what that means,” she teased, then added, “Dr Williams, respected member of the Hatfield community.”

“I forget myself,” he blushed.

He looked so adorable in his discomfort, she nearly laughed again. The good news of a new vicar was making her bubbly.

They were still holding hands, and neither of them seemed to have any inclination to let go.

Feeling almost as brave as she had been last night in confronting Phoebe, Bernadette dared to ask Glynn, “Did you think I was sweet on him after we only just met?” Had he been… jealous ?

He shook his head with denial, but still didn’t let her hand go. Eventually he made a bashful grin and said, “Yes, I did.”

Her pulse made loud drumbeats in her ears to the point where she might have a little swoon. The doctor had feelings for her?

Goodness, that was a rather lovely development. She could use a few more of those in this dreadful world.