Professor made an assortment of potions, poisons and pills to satisfy the demand of the public. However, by ten o’clock he still had not shown up. Elizabeth assumed that he must be too ill to get out of bed – though she did not remember him ever being sick before. Regardless if he was ill, Professor de Bard had a recipe for any sickness that plagued him, so surely he must arrive soon.
Elizabeth continued to worry slightly as the day continued. She rushed about helping customers, giving advice, and recommending different products.
Finally, one o’clock came with still no sign of Professor de Bard. Perhaps he had decided to take a day of. Mayhap he was testing Elizabeth. Yes, that would be it, she thought with a smirk, the Professor is testing how I fair on my own.
Once Elizabeth had closed the shop she decided to walk to the Professor’s house and enquire as to why he had not shown up today. Mostly she wanted to gloat for coming to the conclusion that he was testing her. The Professor only lived a short distance away in a rather pretty house that backed onto a field. Elizabeth had visited it many times before now, and did not feel awkward in the slightest about turning up unexpected.
Once at his doorstep Elizabeth knocked loudly and waited for over a minute. There was no response so Elizabeth knocked again – this time louder. Another minute passed in absolute silence. She tried the doorknob but found that it was locked. Getting annoyed Elizabeth walked to the window that looked into his sitting room. She peered through the glass, which was difficult as it was quite grimy. She could not see any lamps lit, nor was there any movement. She rapped her knuckles upon the glass loudly. Nothing. Heaving a sigh, Elizabeth walked away from the Professor’s home and headed back to her own house. Last night he had said that he had important business he needed to attend to, yet he had not mentioned anything about leaving.
When Elizabeth arrived home at two o’clock in the evening, the sky was a brilliant blue, and fluffy clouds floated lazily across the horizon. Removing her bonnet and untying her hair, Elizabeth stepped into the sitting room where she found her mother standing in front of the fire, waiting, with an eager look upon her face.
Elizabeth sighed, ‘What a day I have had.’ She slumped into a chair and looked up at her mother, ‘Professor de Bard did not show up today – nor did he answer his door when I called upon him to see if –’ She stopped suddenly for her mother was showing a peculiar expression. ‘What is it?’ She asked suspiciously.
‘I have news.’ Her mother said with a quivering voice.
‘Of the Professor?’ Elizabeth sat up straight.
‘No.’ Her mother frowned, ‘I am sure he is just preoccupied with some new concoction he has discovered. You know what he is like, Elizabeth.’
Elizabeth nodded. It was true that the Professor often became obsessed if he felt he was close to a breakthrough in medical science.
Her mother sat down next to her and fixed Elizabeth with a wide-eyed gaze.
‘I have something to tell you.’ She persisted. It was clear she had been desperate to reveal this news for several hours.
‘What? Why are you acting so strange?’
Mary Searson cleared her throat noisily, ‘Well, I was knitting a pair of little booties for Mrs Weatherby down the lane, when I heard a knock upon the door around ten o’clock. I got up to answer it, and on the doorstep he stood.’
‘On the doorstep who stood?’ Elizabeth asked.
‘I asked him to come in and sit down, gave him a cup of tea. He looked right nervous, he did.’ Her mother continued.
‘Who was it?’ Elizabeth asked again.
Her mother ignored her, ‘I asked him what he wanted, and he said, well … he said that he wanted to make his intentions clear. Very polite he was, a proper gentleman. I was not quite sure what he meant though, so I asked him.’
‘I do not follow.’ Elizabeth said, rather confused, and becoming slightly annoyed.
‘He said his mother had brought him up good and proper, and to always treat a lady with respect. Bless him. He said ‘Mrs Searson, I have come here to inform you of my intentions to court your daughter’.’
‘What?’ Elizabeth said thunderstruck, ‘who? Who was it?’
‘George Greenwood, of course!’ Her mother said excitedly, ‘The Captain sat in that very spot, and told me