Charming Dr. Forrester by Jemma Frost

Author:Jemma Frost
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: historical romance doctor, historical romance enemies to lovers, historical romance scarred hero, beauty and the scarred hero, beauty and the beast regency, victorian romance
Publisher: The Arrowed Heart
Published: 2021-04-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

The sound of children playing upstairs drifted down to the parlor where Johanna and Ava sat drinking their afternoon tea. Loud thumps followed by squeals of laughter attested to an exciting playtime after returning from the Sunday church service an hour ago. Clearly, it was time for all their pent-up energy to be released.

“It seems Nanny is having a tough time of it.” Ava cast a worried glance heavenward. A frown marred her pale face, replacing her usual pleasant expression.

“Oh, let them have their fun,” Johanna said softly, a tinge of pain in her heart at the lack of such happy sounds in her own life. Maybe someday.

“I don’t mind a little roughhousing,” Ava explained, “But when it feels like they’re trying to shake the roof off the house, I get a little concerned...” Another boom went off punctuating her statement.

“They’re fine, dear. Now, I must tell you about my new venture with Dr. Forrester.” Johanna smoothly changed the subject, having been dying to tell her best friend about her work with Robert. Aside from short letters, they hadn’t found time to chat until that afternoon. And a tremor of guilt went through her at the realization. She’d come to Manchester to visit Ava, yet she’d abandoned her to pursue a new adventure with Robert. She would need to make more of an effort to balance the two worlds.

“Yes! I’m quite intrigued; I know you were searching for something to fill your time, but this seems a bit extreme.”

“Nonsense! This is exactly what I should be doing. It’s just like your charity boards except I’m skipping the middleman and going directly to the people who need the most help.” Johanna leaned forward, setting her teacup on the table in front of her. Excitement radiated from her pores; she wanted Ava to understand the importance of her work.

“While that sounds lovely, are you sure it’s safe?” Ava asked before taking a slow sip of tea as her brows furrowed in worry.

Johanna waved her hand. “Of course! Robert...I mean Dr. Forrester, would never commit any unwelcome advances.” Which was true, she supposed, as any advances from him were quite welcome and encouraged. But she didn’t tell Ava that, at least not yet.

“I wasn’t speaking of Dr. Forrester,” Ava drawled, filing Johanna’s familiarity with his name away for future discussion. “I meant mingling with the poor diseased class of Manchester. I’m not sure how safe it is. What if you catch something horrible?”

The blatant elitism stunned Johanna for a moment before she recovered sufficiently to respond,

“Why, Ava Lynn Jensen, since when did you become so heartless? A rich man is just as susceptible to disease as a poor one, and I should know because I help with those guests at the hotel. The only difference is the former can afford healthcare whereas these people cannot. They need our help, and if Robert’s willing to risk himself, so can I. Besides, we mostly deal with bumps and bruises or chronic illnesses that aren’t catching.

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