Raven’s heart surged. Then Professor Alison’s nose suddenly wrinkled, an unpleasant odour in his nostrils. Raven caught it too and turned to see that a cart had pulled to a halt on the road alongside them. It was covered in muck, having been used to transport God knew what, but the most appalling aspect was that the Skeleton sat at the reins, and, inevitably, Gargantua was with him.

Raven felt a rage kindle within him as the giant leapt from the vehicle. On this occasion, it was not the mere annoyance of being summoned once again, but of being thus confronted and his most unsavoury associations laid bare before no less a figure than the Professor of Medicine.

Alison looked Gargantua up and down as he crossed the pavement towards them with his lolloping gait, the professor’s disdain at being imminently importuned not quite disguising his concurrent professional fascination. At that moment, Raven felt his own outrage ameliorated by an unaccustomed feeling of sympathy for Gargantua. The man had probably been subject to cruel and invasive regard most of his days, but Raven knew that he particularly resented the scrutiny and assessment of medical men. He feared what Gargantua might say as a result. The giant was, however, remarkably polite.

‘Pardon the intrusion, sirs, but my employer, Mr Flint, urgently requests the attendance of Dr Raven here.’

Professor Alison’s eyes narrowed at the mention of Flint’s name.

‘Flint?’ he asked with incredulous distaste. ‘He is the money-lender, is he not? Dr Raven, surely you are not in debt to such a man?’

Raven did not know quite how to respond. The words ‘after a fashion’ floated in his mind unspoken, but there seemed no way to describe any arrangement he might have with Flint that would reflect anything other than badly upon him. This would surely tarnish his nascent reputation with not only Professor Alison, but anyone who might learn of this through him, a constituency comprising everyone who was anyone in Edinburgh medicine.

‘Dr Raven is sought on a medical matter,’ Gargantua said. ‘He was good enough to deliver Mrs Flint of her first child and has no qualms about who he is prepared to treat.’

Raven felt an unexpected gratitude towards Gargantua. Though it was his and the Skeleton’s presence that had precipitated this disaster, his careful words were nonetheless a mercy he had not been obliged to extend. He could have played it other. He wondered what lay behind this thawing of the animosity the giant held towards him. Prior to this he would have believed all the salt in the world incapable of melting that ice.

‘Most admirable of you, doctor,’ Alison said, politely but uncomfortably. ‘I will let you away.’

With that the professor swept onwards, visibly relieved to extract himself from their encounter, while Raven was left to get on with whatever Flint wanted of him.