It was a reasonably sized abode—two stories—made of brown stone with well-proportioned windows, the frames painted a fresh white. A brass plaque upon the white front door proclaimed it was the residence of Dr. P. Lawrence. We had finally found our man, and he was, it seemed by the upkeep and position of his house, of good standing in the town.

Evan dismounted, tied his horse to a nearby post, then held out his hands to help me down. I levered myself from the saddle, his hands finding my waist and catching my descent. For a second, our faces were only inches from each other. Our eyes met, acknowledging the importance of what lay ahead, and then I was back upon on my feet, a decorous gap between us.

I secured my own mount to the post and spied a pale feminine face at the window watching our arrival. At my return scrutiny, she ducked away, leaving only the flick of a blue curtain. A maid? Or perhaps the lady of the house. It all seemed very genteel and quiet.

We were both silent as I undid the saddlebag and withdrew my silver card case. Evan stood aside for me to approach the front door, his expression somber and his finger and thumb rubbing together, the only sign of his anticipation about the interview ahead.

I grasped the brass door knocker—in the shape of a garland—and rapped it twice upon its plate.

Only a few seconds passed and then the door opened and the face I had seen fleetingly in the window peered out. The girl curtsied. A maid, then. And one kindly kept, for she was neat and smiling and had been allowed a blue-ribbon bow upon her linen cap.

“Good day,” I said. “I am Lady Augusta Colebrook and this is Mr. Talbot. We wish to see Dr. Lawrence.”

She took my offered calling card but did not read it—she likely did not have her letters—her smile shifting into consternation. “Is it an urgent medical matter, my lady?”

Although I wanted to say yes to ensure our audience, I also did not want to start the meeting upon a lie. “It is not,” I admitted. “It is a personal matter.”

“The doctor and mistress ain’t currently in, my lady.”

“I see. We will wait, then.”

She considered this development. “Doctor could be a while, my lady.”

“Even so, we will wait.”