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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

‘That is welcome news,’ Sarah said, turning to him and putting a hand on his arm. ‘Number 52 is not as it should be. Dr Simpson is barely himself. He is pretending that this mattress business is not upsetting to him, but the opposite is true. It’s plain for anyone to see. And Mrs Simpson is struggling to cope despite the new staff. She seems overwhelmed and I worry for her.’

Sarah belatedly noticed where her hand had strayed and removed it. Their eyes met briefly as she did so, which served only to add greater significance to the touch.

‘I think that we might be able to clear this matter up once and for all,’ Raven said, giving stridence to his tone to dispel the awkwardness. ‘I have spoken to Dr Johnstone and discovered more about his wife’s illness.’

‘He received you?’ Sarah asked. ‘Cordially?’

‘He was as affable as could be expected in the circumstances, but yes. He was most helpful.’

‘He all but threw me out for my impertinence in daring to be there asking questions. He took great exception, I think, to being interrogated by a woman.’

‘The man is grief-stricken and his sorrow has been compounded by the indignity of his wife’s death having become the subject of debate. In going there alone, did you really expect it would be otherwise?’

Sarah glared at him, so he hurried on.

‘I prevailed upon him to help us clarify the matter. He said that he will write a letter stating that his wife did not die of haemorrhage and that he had nothing but gratitude for Dr Simpson’s kind attention. He suggested that his account of events could be corroborated by the nurse who attended Mrs Johnstone after the operation until her death.’

‘Then we must find her,’ Sarah said. ‘We should amass as much evidence as possible to prove beyond doubt the baselessness of these damaging accusations and show those foul peddlers of fiction to be the craven gossip-mongers that they are.’

Raven was a little taken aback by her vehemence and thought that the whole matter would have been resolved long ago if someone had thought to put Duncan and Miller in a room alone with Sarah.

‘Perhaps more significantly,’ Raven said, ‘I might be able to prove that her death was entirely unrelated to Dr Simpson’s procedure.’

Sarah stopped walking.

‘What do you mean?’