Knuckles rapped on the library door, and Molly stuck her head through the opening, "Sir, I'm ever so sorry for disturbing you, but there's been a problem with Miss Dunne. It seems, well, it seems Joe couldn't find her at the docks."
James struck a knee against the desk in his haste to stand. A jolt of pain shot through his leg, making him flinch. The day was going from bad to worse. "What do you mean, he couldn't find her?"
Behind Molly, Joe shuffled his feet and twisted his scruffy wool cap in his hands as if he hoped to strangle it. "Sorry, sir, but there weren't an older Irish lady come off the boat. Well, there were one, but she 'ad a ride an' all and didn't 'ave reddish hair. Our Miss Dunne's gone missin'."
"James, what is this?" Sophia's attention perked like a hound on a scent.
"The worst," he replied. "It seems the woman I've hired to assist in packing the library and office has gotten lost."
"You've brought a woman from Ireland to help with your collections?" she asked, her voice rising, latching onto the piece of information that troubled her most. The possibility Miss Dunne had drowned in the Irish Sea or been accosted off the boat didn't concern her.
"I have tried to bring a woman from Ireland to help, yes."
Sophia swept her arms to point at the bookshelves. "But these books are valuable. They're to pass to Amelia, and I've been told some have been in your family for generations. How do you know this Irish creature won't steal some and sell them for profit?"
On the way with you! Get back to that dock and pick up our protagonist. How tired she must be waiting by that wharf with the smells and tainted occupants! Hmmf.
Reviled by her Irish community after
being accused in the death of a child, Rachel Dunne flees to London,
abandoning her gifts and calling as a healer. Thankfully, her English
cousin Claire has secured her a temporary position in the home of
James Edmunds, a widowed physician who has decided to leave his
medical practice to become a gentleman farmer. Dr. Edmunds has no
knowledge of Rachel's past and, hired to catalog the books in his
library, Rachel vows to never pass herself off as a healer
again.
Every time James loses a patient he is reminded of his biggest failure — the loss of his wife. Even when he knows he has done everything within his power to save a patient, the feeling cuts a deeper wound into his soul. A compassionate and gifted physician, James has lost heart in the practice of medicine, but his heart is strangely drawn to the young Irishwoman cataloging books in his library.
Rachel knows her position is temporary, but if she can manage to keep her past hidden long enough to secure a position as a teacher she'll be able to make a way for her family to join her in England, away from the scandal that weighs them down in Rachel's name. Of all the possible positions Claire could have found for her, being employed by a physician seems to be just another cruel joke God has played on her — especially when that physician is a handsome, compassionate gentleman for whom she has no business harboring romantic feelings.
When a spiteful member of the household staff discovers a letter with sketchy details about Rachel's trial in Ireland, both Rachel's job and the feelings growing between her and Dr. Edmunds are at risk. Can she keep the truth hidden? Or will her necessary deceptions cause everything around her to unravel?
As the threat of cholera begins to spread panic through London, both Rachel and James must decide if they can trust God enough with their secrets and their gifts to allow a deeper healing to take place within their hearts … and afford them a chance at love.
Every time James loses a patient he is reminded of his biggest failure — the loss of his wife. Even when he knows he has done everything within his power to save a patient, the feeling cuts a deeper wound into his soul. A compassionate and gifted physician, James has lost heart in the practice of medicine, but his heart is strangely drawn to the young Irishwoman cataloging books in his library.
Rachel knows her position is temporary, but if she can manage to keep her past hidden long enough to secure a position as a teacher she'll be able to make a way for her family to join her in England, away from the scandal that weighs them down in Rachel's name. Of all the possible positions Claire could have found for her, being employed by a physician seems to be just another cruel joke God has played on her — especially when that physician is a handsome, compassionate gentleman for whom she has no business harboring romantic feelings.
When a spiteful member of the household staff discovers a letter with sketchy details about Rachel's trial in Ireland, both Rachel's job and the feelings growing between her and Dr. Edmunds are at risk. Can she keep the truth hidden? Or will her necessary deceptions cause everything around her to unravel?
As the threat of cholera begins to spread panic through London, both Rachel and James must decide if they can trust God enough with their secrets and their gifts to allow a deeper healing to take place within their hearts … and afford them a chance at love.
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