The Doctor's Daughters
By Chris Kalyta
BCB:
In this
sequel to The Doctor's Daughter (also set during the War of 1812), Lawrence and
Abigail have just found each other when her father forbids the two from having
any further interactions. As winter
approaches and the English and American armies settle in, the two must find a
way to change the mind of Doctor Aimes and also unmask a spy before any more
innocents are slain. An erotic adventure
and romance for readers 18+.
Excerpt:
“You have been a foolish girl,” chided Abigail,
as the two sisters slipped quietly into the kitchen. The elder sister refused to look Barbara in
the eye. The room was very orderly and
freshly cleaned, which was no surprise to the younger Aimes sister. Abigail, she thought, never had so much as
one light brown hair out of place, even at the worst of times.
“I have?”
Barbara’s mouth dropped open in surprise at her elder sibling’s
admonishment. She removed her travelling
cloak and set it over a chair, then pushed a wayward strand of blonde hair back
under her bonnet. With a roll of her
eyes, Abigail picked up the discarded cloak.
“No,” stated Barbara, “’tis my cloak so let me dispose of it.”
Abigail watched in wonder as her younger sister
actually performed a household chore without the need for repeated chiding
beforehand. While tucking a cloak away
in the wardrobe was a simple task, Barbara had sat idle for years while the
elder Aimes sister had done all the family’s cleaning and cooking.
“What cause have you to chide me for being a
foolish girl...” Barbara’s voice dropped off as she realized what she was
saying. “I mean, sister, what recent act
have I done that makes you think I am foolish.”
“You seduced him!” hissed the elder
sister. She tugged at her own light
brown hair and still would not look Barbara in the eye.
“I admitted this much to you before I departed
to collect Father. Lawrence would make
any woman an ideal husband, so you have no reason to label me a fool simply
because I used what tools I have to lure him.
And, as you well know, I had thought he had feelings for me and I,” she
raised her chin, “...I did as I saw fit to establish a happy future for
myself.” Then she nodded at her sister,
for emphasis.
“A courtship does not begin with premarital
intimacy!”
Barbara’s eyes flashed. “If you have not taken advantage of my
absence these last two days, sister, then I will call you a fool to your
face. As I informed you: I was leaving the
two of you in seclusion so you would become better acquainted.”
“Better acquainted?” Abigail stuttered, then
grabbed a pot from the stove and headed outside through the rear door of the
house. Barbara followed her, then worked
the pump for her sister — again to Abigail’s surprise.
“You have availed yourself of the opportunity,
have you not Abigail? Lawrence’s heart
was always yours, even when he and I briefly thought it belonged to me.” Abigail did not respond to the question. “Oh!
You call me fool, yet I have charted my course and set my sails whilst
you busied yourself baking cookies and worrying over the larder! Why could you not cast yourself on the wild
seas and live? Must you always be so
proper? So obedient?”
“Your maps are faulty and lead you to an end
you shall not like!” countered Abigail.
“At least I live! Sister, why could you not have taken him in
your arms and enjoyed what time you were given?
Don’t you know that we have but a fleeting time on this mortal world? We have heard so often enough in that boring
old church! Lawrence lives and breathes,
and he was here, alone with you in our home all night, yet you cowered on your
bed with your sheets pulled over your head!”
“I did not cower in my bed...” Abigail
whispered.
“Then you did...!” Barbara released the pump handle, tightened
her hands into fists and spun on the spot.
“Oh, you finally cast aside fear and doubt, and took a plunge!”
The elder Aimes sister remembered her fear, her
uncertainty, and then her heathen pleasure at the intimacies she had shared
with Lawrence during the night. Momentarily, she was lost in the recollection
of his firm hands guiding and caressing her, his lips brushing against her
shoulder, her neck, and her back. The
act had been like nothing she had ever imagined, and lying in his arms
afterward had surely felt like Heaven itself.
“We should not talk of this!”
“Oh, but we must!” Barbara reached out and took her sister’s
hands in hers. “Everyone is so fussy
about such things. You must tell me everything! And then we’ll compare...”
“...AND
I SHALL NOT COUNTENANCE YOUR ADMISSION TO THIS HOUSE AGAIN!” shouted Doctor
Aimes from inside the house, interrupting their conversation.
The two sisters stared at each other in shock,
and then hurried back into their home.
The front door slammed shut, and they rushed through the house to find
their enraged father struggling to light his pipe by the fireplace, his hands
shaking.
“Father!
What has become of Lawrence?” demanded Abigail.
“Captain Orr,” Barbara reminded her sister as
discretely as she could.
“That man shall not have entry into this house
again, nor shall you speak with him! I
forbid it!”
“Father...!” begged Abigail.
Doctor Aimes growled in fury. Then, his eyes softened as he looked into
Abigail’s face. “Captain Orr dared to
ask me for your hand, Abigail. If I had
only been here to protect you against such men!” He began pacing.
“What slight has he offered?” asked Abigail,
quietly. Barbara knew her sister was
submitting to her father’s will and she felt a cold chill.
“That penniless officer could offer you no real
future, Abigail.” The doctor turned to
Barbara and pointed his pipe at her.
“Mark my words both of you! A
Captain’s salary may seem like a gold mine while you wear a maiden’s bonnet,
but it’s a pittance once the war has ended.
And if he were to be slain in battle, you would have next to nothing
Abigail.”
“Father,” began Abigail, “Captain Orr has more
to offer than...”
“My mind is made up, Abigail!”
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