The Doctor and the Libertine - Callie Hutton Page 0,23

told Lizbeth when I did her regular checkup a few weeks ago that Lord Sterling had been deposited on my front doorstep.”

Pamela turned to Lottie. “Lizbeth must have lost her memory along with her growing babe.” She turned to Rayne. “She never told any of us.” She waved at the rest of the ladies at the table.

Pretending to concentrate on her food as if it was the first meal she’d had in weeks, she shrugged. “Probably because there isn’t anything to tell. Once he arrived at the infirmary, I examined him and found him to have cuts and scrapes, as well as a broken leg, a sprained wrist, and bruised ribs.”

“What happened?” Lottie asked.

“He was horse racing, while under the influence of alcohol—”

“—of course,” Lottie added, her lips pursed.

“—He was thrown from his horse. Two of his friends—and I use the term lightly—brought him here in a carriage. Dropped him off on my front steps and left.”

Pamela sucked in a breath and covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh, no. How terrible. They didn’t stay to tell you about his injuries?”

Rayne shook her head. “No.”

“Serves him right,” Lottie murmured, her head down.

Rayne kept her mouth closed. She was reminded that Lottie and her husband Carter had reason to believe that Edwin—Lord Sterling—was the lowest of the low.

Lottie placed her fork alongside her plate, her expression pensive. “Actually, I said that out of habit. Yes, we had some trouble in the past, but that is in the past. Today, he acted as an honorable man. He sent for Addie, knowing you were overwhelmed. He, himself, did dirty work that few members of the peerage would.”

“Perhaps he’s changed?” Addie asked. “From what Grayson told me, Lord Sterling was an upright, honorable man until a few years ago. Then, he closed his London house, moved to Bath, and attempted to drink the city dry. He gambled into the wee hours, took mistress after mistress, flouted them even, and engaged in reckless behavior.”

“I wonder what happened that made him change so much?” Rayne asked. “He hinted at something, but never told me the story.”

Addie shrugged. “Sterling’s sister died a few months before he left London. That’s the only thing we knew. I wasn’t well acquainted with Lady Lydia myself, but I saw her at various events over the many,” she cringed, “years of my time in Society.”

“That is quite unfortunate. How did she die?” Rayne asked. She recalled asking him about his family one time when they were discussing her father, but he brushed her off. However, not before she saw the pained expression on his face.

“She retired from London to their country home without explanation. A few weeks later word spread that she had died from what her brother put out as an undiagnosed illness.”

“How very strange.” Rayne knew people passed away from such things, but that was mostly the elderly. It was not unheard of, but certainly uncommon in a young woman.

“In any event, I refused to let him drink while he was here. In fact, I threw two of his friends out and confiscated their flasks of brandy.” She smiled at the memory and gained a few chuckles from the other ladies. “He went through some difficult days at the beginning. Then as he got better, he started helping me with my books.” She sighed. “I am not very good at keeping records straight.”

“Not good at all if Lord Sterling knew you couldn’t afford to pay my maids,” Lottie said.

“Nevertheless, I will pay your maids.”

The next morning, the day after the train accident and all the chaos that had followed, Edwin made his way up the steps to the infirmary. He smiled when the door was locked, and then he dropped the knocker.

Hopefully, Rayne had gotten enough sleep after the difficult day she’d had. He’d spent a good deal of time after he left her remembering the kiss.

He’d had no intention of doing that while they spoke at the front door as he took his leave, but suddenly he was overcome with the need to taste her. The need to feel those enticing lips next to his. Although he hadn’t yet admitted it to himself, she affected him in a way no other woman ever had.

Yes, he would love to lure her to his bed, but more than that, he was taken by her intelligent, caring, and witty persona. There was depth and layers to Dr. Rayne Stevens. As much as he’d like to peel the clothing layers from her delectable