Finding his place in the absence and neglect of Miss Kitty Simmons had seemed too insurmountable an obstacle for Fotherby. However he excelled in his exam and, after settling Portland’s affairs with Mr. Kildare, he returned to Wanderford Hall. In leaving the London house he felt as though Lord Barrington had died once more and he felt the guilt he had laid at his own feet cause him to stumble as he stepped out of the coach in Buxton. He had made a decision to visit Doctor Shipton before he journeyed on to Wanderford Hall, for he felt he owed it to the gentleman for all that he had done for him.

The older surgeon could not have been happier to find the king at his door, and this welcome gave Fotherby the strength he needed to face his homecoming. He boarded in Buxton for three nights before he...

Please subscribe to keep reading.