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Back The Art of Dying Save as PDF
Chapters (90)
  1. PROLOGUE
  2. 1849
  3. ONE
  4. TWO
  5. EDINBURGH
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. NINETEEN
  23. TWENTY
  24. TWENTY-ONE
  25. TWENTY-TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. TWENTY-NINE
  33. THIRTY
  34. THIRTY-ONE
  35. THIRTY-TWO
  36. THIRTY-THREE
  37. THIRTY-FOUR
  38. THIRTY-FIVE
  39. THIRTY-SIX
  40. THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. THIRTY-NINE
  43. FORTY
  44. FORTY-ONE
  45. FORTY-TWO
  46. FORTY-THREE
  47. FORTY-FOUR
  48. FORTY-FIVE
  49. FORTY-SIX
  50. FORTY-SEVEN
  51. FORTY-EIGHT
  52. FORTY-NINE
  53. FIFTY
  54. FIFTY-ONE
  55. FIFTY-TWO
  56. FIFTY-THREE
  57. FIFTY-FOUR
  58. FIFTY-FIVE
  59. FIFTY-SIX
  60. FIFTY-SEVEN
  61. FIFTY-EIGHT
  62. FIFTY-NINE
  63. SIXTY
  64. SIXTY-ONE
  65. SIXTY-TWO
  66. SIXTY-THREE
  67. SIXTY-FOUR
  68. SIXTY-FIVE
  69. SIXTY-SIX
  70. SIXTY-SEVEN
  71. SIXTY-EIGHT
  72. SIXTY-NINE
  73. SEVENTY
  74. SEVENTY-ONE
  75. SEVENTY-TWO
  76. SEVENTY-THREE
  77. SEVENTY-FOUR
  78. SEVENTY-FIVE
  79. SEVENTY-SIX
  80. SEVENTY-SEVEN
  81. SEVENTY-EIGHT
  82. SEVENTY-NINE
  83. EIGHTY
  84. EIGHTY-ONE
  85. EPILOGUE
  86. HISTORICAL NOTE
  87. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  88. Extract from A Corruption of Blood
  89. 1850
  90. ONE

‘I think that he has been busy with other things,’ Raven replied.

He sat down in a chair beside her.

‘Are you planning on moving in here with Archie?’

‘No. He wants me to stay at Albany Street. He says I need to rest, and I know that he is right, but I feel guilty.’

‘Why?’

‘Because it is a relief to get away. It’s so hard to watch him suffer.’

Raven felt a twinge in his own guts as she said this. Now that Archie was here, he would be able to press Raven about his request.

He noticed that Sarah had begun to weep and offered her his handkerchief.

‘I have been trying not to cry when I am with Archie,’ she said, ‘but I feel that I can cry in front of you.’ She leaned towards him, but Raven drew back. She looked surprised and then hurt.

‘It doesn’t feel right with Archie here, under the same roof,’ he said by way of explanation.

‘Is it more unseemly to be seen comforting another man’s wife or to be seen in a dalliance with a housemaid?’

Raven sighed. She was never going to forgive him for leaving her, was she? For not doing what Archie had done.

‘The world of medicine is not forgiving,’ he said. ‘It is a snake pit. You have seen that. There are people who would use any weapon they can to do down their rivals.’

‘Why don’t you just admit it?’ she said. ‘You did not love me enough to suffer the disapproval of men such as James Matthews Duncan, men you do not even respect.’

‘There is more to it than that,’ Raven replied, looking down at his clasped hands. ‘There is a part of my nature that I fear, and I have battled to tame it. Simpson always tells his students: “Let your own professional character be the one great patron to whom you look for professional advancement.” I have been trying to cultivate a professional character that invites trust and respect.’

‘And you needed to leave me in order to do that?’

‘I thought that I did.’

‘You fear you have the devil in you,’ she said. ‘You told me that once. The truth is, Will Raven, I admired you because of your devilment. But now I can see you are afraid to be yourself.’ She sighed as if weary. ‘All men have the devil in them to some extent. The ones I distrust are the ones who would deny it.’

SIXTY

logo missingarah felt a twinge in her side again as she waited at Dr Fowler’s door. It passed as it had on previous occasions, but she wondered if she should have let Raven take a look at her after all.