Chapter 1

one

Rosherville Pleasure Gardens, 1878

E DITH HAD ALWAYS wanted to visit the famous Rosherville Pleasure Gardens—until she did.

The place wasn’t different from Hyde Park, really. Lots of trees, bushes, and green grass. So she didn’t understand why Rosherville was all the rage at the moment. To make things worse, the breeze kept turning over the pages of her Anatomy, Descriptive, and Surgical handbook— the abridged edition because the original one was too heavy to carry around, but it was better than nothing.

Focusing on the development of the human skeleton and memorising the names of all the bones was a chore, what with the children playing cricket, ladies chatting, and birds singing. Honestly, she should have stayed home and studied.

She groaned inwardly when another gust of wind deposited a buttercup in the middle of the illustration of a skull. She brushed the flower off with a huff.

Preparing for her upcoming admission test at the London School of Medicine for Women was her priority. The incredibly difficult test was only a week away and would decide her future, but instead, she was promenading in a crowded, loud, glorified park, getting behind on her work.

A laughing child jolted her. Another child running on the gravel distracted her, and the chatter confused her.

“Can’t we find a quieter place?” she asked her mother and sister.

No answer.

“I said—” She lifted her gaze from the book and searched around. Mother and Marianne were nowhere to be seen.

“Mother? Marianne?”

Many ladies strolled under the shade of their parasols along the gravel path. Other people rested under the weeping willows on picnic blankets, and birch trees swayed in the wind. But there was no trace of her mother or sister.

She snapped the book closed. Bother . She’d lost them. They must have taken a turn when she hadn’t paid attention, likely on that particularly crowded path where they’d slogged forwards through pressing bodies.

Her current situation was worse than the last time when she’d lost Mother and Marianne at the British Museum during that exhibition about…she didn’t remember. She’d been studying the pathways of the main arteries back then, and the museum’s corridors had confused her. Rosherville Pleasure Gardens were ten times bigger than the museum. It’d take ages to find her family.

Standing in the middle of the path, she craned her neck right and left, trying to choose a direction. She didn’t have the slightest idea where to go. The last place she remembered having been with Mother and Marianne was… the swan pond. Maybe. Marianne had made a remark on how fashionable a certain viscount was, and Mother had told Edith, ‘ You never listen to me .’ Or something like that.

The problem was Edith didn’t know if the swan pond was right or left. Holding the book against her chest, she turned around and started to walk. Surely, Mother and Marianne were searching for her, and if she walked along the main path, she was bound to meet them.

She was striding past a gigantic oak tree when something large and black dropped in front of her. A scream tore out of her as a groan of pain came from the crouched figure at her feet.

“Ouch!” Not a creature but a young man.

He clamped a hand on his arm, staggering to his feet.

“What are you doing?” She clenched her book more tightly. “You gave me such a fright.”

He raked a hand through his black hair that touched broad shoulders. “I fell.”

“So have I noticed, too.”

He angled towards her, showing a pair of sharp blue eyes that could have been cut from a sapphire. “I wanted to reach the top branches of the tree.”

She gazed up. The tree was a tall one. Several feet, for sure. “For what possible reason?”

He lifted a shoulder. “The view? It’s beautiful up there. Peaceful. And climbing a tree is a good exercise.” He tried to brush a few leaves from his dark-green waistcoat but winced. “Bugger. I think I broke my wrist.”

The shock due to his vulgar language couldn’t push aside her medical interest in his injury. Broken bones. That was a great coincidence.

“Let me see. I might help.”

He opened and closed his hand. “Are you a nurse?”

“I’m studying to become a surgeon like my father.” She showed him the book.

His eyebrows knit together. “A woman surgeon? Really? Isn’t that odd? I’ve never heard of a woman surgeon.”

Oh, that was the wrong thing to say, to the wrong girl, at the wrong time. She studied too hard to hear that being a woman was some sort of defect.

“What do you mean by that? Women are perfectly capable of understanding anatomy and medical procedures, and if you are one of those people who believe that women shouldn’t be admitted to a medical school, well, I’m afraid I don’t have anything else to say to you. Good day, sir. Or on second thought, I don’t care if your day is good or not.”

“There’s no need to get angry.” He held up a hand. “I’m not one of those people. I was merely surprised, and I don’t make the rules. Society doesn’t approve of women who take up a traditionally male career. I really don’t care about what career a woman chooses, and I agree with everything you said. Is that better?”

Softened by his reply, she reminded herself she would face many conversations like this one when she became a surgeon. “It’s 1878. Society has changed.”

“I’m not sure about that.” He showed a lopsided smile that, she had to admit, had a certain charm. “Name one woman who’s making a career as a surgeon.”

Ha! “Sophia Jex-Black, Elizabeth Blackwell, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, Rebecca Lee Crumpler?—”

“All right. You win.” He bowed. “I had no idea so many ladies were doctors. Shall we start over?”

She hesitated before answering. “Let’s start over.”

“Good. Would you mind?” He stretched out his arm towards her. “My wrist hurts.”

She paused again, not sure if touching this stranger was appropriate or not. Perhaps she should find Mother first and examine him later.

He inched his hand closer. “What is it? Do you already think it’s something terrible?”

She chewed a corner of her mouth. “I need to touch your arm.”

“I gathered that much.”

“I’m not sure it’s appropriate.”

“It’s 1878. Society has changed,” he said.

The cheek of him.

“Fine. Hold this and please don’t drop it.” She handed him the precious book and tugged his sleeve up. Nothing was red or swollen. She touched his wrist. “Does it hurt here?”

He gritted his teeth. “Bloody hell.”

“Would you stop swearing, please?”

“It hurts,” he said, barely moving his lips.

She touched the sore area. “Tell me if you feel intense pain or numbness.”

“No numbness, and the pain is bearable as long as you don’t press too much.”

“I don’t think it’s broken, just sprained, perhaps.” She took her book back.

“Thank you for your help, miss.”

“Excellent. You’re welcome. I wish you a good day, sir, and this time, I mean it.” She resumed walking, but he followed her.

“Wait. I was thinking—oh no.” He stopped.

“What is it?”

“That’s Mr. Montague, my tutor.” He pointed to a short man with round glasses, stopping and questioning everyone on the path. The young man put a finger on his lips before hiding behind a bush.

“What—”

“Good afternoon, miss.” Mr. Montague stopped in front of her and took off his hat.

“Sir.”

“Apologies for the intrusion, but I’m looking for my charge, a tall boy with dark hair and blue eyes in a dark suit with a green waistcoat. Have you seen him?”

“I…” She glanced at the bush. “No, sir. Sorry.”

Mr. Montague sighed. “Thank you, miss.” He left, muttering under his breath.

“Thank you.” The boy came out of his hiding place when Mr. Montague was out of sight.

Edith frowned. “I never lie. You made me lie.”

“Everyone lies.” The wind ruffled his unfashionably mussed hair, but the style suited him. “Anyway, I should escort you wherever you’re going.”

“Not necessary.” Besides, her destination was debatable.

“A gentleman is supposed to escort a lady, I think.”

“Yes, but I’m not sure gentlemen are supposed to climb trees or lie to their tutors.”

He put a hand on his chest. “Ouch. You hurt me, miss. I’m a sensible soul.”

“You mean sensitive. I don’t believe you’re very sensible.”

“I won’t get offended.” He stepped in front of her, blocking her path. “We started off with the wrong foot. May I introduce myself?”

She rose on her tiptoes to see past him if Marianne and Mother were in sight, but he was a tall one. “I have the feeling that, no matter what I answer, you’re going to introduce yourself.”

“I am Peregrine St. George, at your service.” He bowed from the waist, causing his black curls to form a curtain over his face.

St. George . She stopped searching around. “Are you related to the Earl of Ravenscroft?”

“Hell… I mean, yes! Albert, the earl, is my brother.” He offered her his arm. “May I have the honour of escorting you, miss… ?”

Dash it. If Mother learnt Edith had been rude to an earl’s brother, she would never hear the end of it. Also, admittedly, Lord Peregrine was being nice to her.

She slid her arm through his. “I’m Miss Edith Winkworth, my lord.”

“Please, call me Perry. Everyone does.” He smiled as they resumed walking. “Where are you heading?”

“Actually, I lost my mother and sister. I was looking for them.”

He eyed the book. “A wild guess, but did you lose them because you were reading?”

“Yes, I did.” She stopped at a crossing.

These paths looked all the same. Bushes and gravel everywhere.

“Why did you come here if you wanted to read rather than take a walk? People come to the pleasure gardens to promenade.”

“And climb trees?”

He nodded. “Climbing trees puts us in contact with nature.”

“Tell me the truth. What were you doing up there?”

He exhaled. “You lost your mother and sister by accident. I lost my tutor on purpose. I was hiding through the branches, waiting for him to pass.”

“Why did you want to lose him?”

“The man didn’t stop talking about which plant was what, spouting Latin names without breathing. I mean, I don’t look like an ancient Roman, do I? I had no idea what the hell he was talking about, so I got rid of him.”

She let out a small gasp. “I’m not sure I approve.”

“I’m not sure I care.” He gazed around. “Which way?”

Shocked by the young man’s behaviour, she took a moment to answer. The right path showed a green gallery of tall trees; the left one seemed to lead to an orangery, and the straight one bent to the left and vanished from view. None of them were familiar.

“I don’t know.”

“We should go to the main entrance. Your mother and sister might be there, waiting for you.”

“Which path then? This one?” She pointed to the right.

He shook his head. “Left.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. I come here often with my tutor. Hence my eagerness to get rid of him,” he said as if being rude to his own tutor were perfectly normal. “Anyway, enough about me. I want to know more about you. You want to become a surgeon. That’s admirable.”

“I find the human body fascinating.”

“What a coincidence. So do I.” Again his cheeky smile. He even winked.

“Goodness.” She rubbed her forehead. Better to change the subject. “What do you want to do?”

He shrugged. “My brother is an earl. I won’t need to work. I don’t need to learn a trade. That’s it. The end.”

She opened her mouth in a stunned, silent shock. “You should cultivate an interest. Keeping the brain active and engaged is the key to a happy, healthy life.”

“Maybe when I’m older. I don’t want to spend my best years bent over books, obeying my tutor, or restricted by rules I don’t approve of. You should try, letting yourself go, I mean.”

“You’re a hedonist.”

“A fancy way to say a rake. But you must admit, I do have charm.” He puffed out his chest and gave her a mischievous smile.

With his midnight hair, fine features, and sapphire eyes, no one could deny he was good-looking, and his smile was charming. But a man without a purpose, who chased nothing but pleasure, didn’t hold her interest for long.

He clicked his tongue. “Your silence speaks louder than your words. You don’t find me charming. I’ll show you.” He came to a stop and turned his head around. “See that lady over there, the one in the white dress?”

She brought a hand up to her brow to shield her eyes from the sunlight. “Yes.”

He released her arm. “I’m so fantastically charming that people do whatever I ask.”

“I seriously doubt that.”

He leant closer, scandalously so. He was so close she smelled his fresh cologne and the soap on his skin. For a crazy, wild moment, she thought he was going to kiss her. How absurd. She wasn’t sure why the thought sent her heart into a frenzy. Maybe it was dread.

To her disappointment… no, no, she meant to her relief, he stopped his lips an inch from her ear to whisper, “That woman is going to dance for me, lift her skirts, and show me her petticoats and bloomers.”

She clamped a hand over her mouth, utterly stunned. A gentleman should never, ever mention feminine undergarments in front of a lady.

“I don’t believe you,” she said through her fingers.

“Challenge accepted. Watch me.” He grimaced when he opened his injured hand, but aside from that, he seemed rather confident.

She watched him stride across the grass to the lady, half-fascinated, half-horrified. In fact, she felt sorry for him because surely the lady was going to slap him for his impudence, hit him with her parasol, or even cry out for help. Poor Peregrine. He was about to face the biggest embarrassment of his life.

He bowed to the lady who bowed her head. Edith couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he leant closer, scrubbing the back of his neck. The lady dropped her parasol and let out a squeal before lifting her skirts. She twirled around, kicking her legs and showing her bloomers to the whole wide world. Incoherent sounds came out of her, and jumbled movements took hold of her. There was no mistaking the fact she did show him her undergarments.

“Heavens.” Edith put a fluttering hand on her chest, waiting for the lady to slap him. But no, the lady seemed absurdly grateful.

Perry talked to her, and the lady covered herself before bowing her head again. How was that possible?

He strutted towards Edith with the swagger of a cricket player who had just won the World Cup.

“Well?” He took her arm again. “Who’s the charming one now? Am I not the prince of charm itself?”

“I can’t believe it. How did you do it?”

He wiggled his finger to sign ‘no.’ “You don’t want to know how sausages are made. It ruins the magic.”

“There’s no magic in a sausage.”

“I beg to differ.”

Oh, the patience she needed to deal with Lord Peregrine. “Seriously. How did you do it? What did you tell her?”

“No. One secret for another.” He turned around a corner between two tall hedgerows. “You tell me something about you first, and I’ll reveal my secret.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Tell me about your most embarrassing moment. Spare no detail. The more scandalous, the better.”

Hmm. She pondered her answer, not because she wasn’t spoilt for choice among embarrassing moments, but because she couldn’t think of anything scandalous. At the embroidery club, she’d won the award for the most commendable member three years in a row.

“Well? There must be something,” he said. “It’s taking you too long.”

“All right. My most embarrassing moment happened quite recently.” Goodness, just thinking about it warmed her cheeks. “It happened with my anatomy tutor.”

He brightened. “Interesting. An anatomy tutor. It sounds promising.”

“Oh, shush. So I was taking a test, and question number ten asked which cranial nerve is the longest one…” She put a hand on her cheek; the memory still haunted her. “I wrote ‘ vague’ nerve instead of ‘ vagus’ nerve.” She chuckled.

He remained deadpan, staring at her as if she’d told him she wanted to remove his appendix without anaesthesia. “Is that it? Nothing else happened?”

“My tutor laughed. A lot. So embarrassing.”

He gave her an assessing glance. “Goodness, girl. You must have the most boring life in London, for crying out loud.”

“It was a truly embarrassing moment, and I told you that I don’t lie.”

“Blimey.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “I have no words.”

She wasn’t boring. Absolutely not. She had plenty of fun. “I told you about my embarrassing moment. It’s your turn now. What did you say to the lady?”

His lopsided smile caused a dimple to appear on his cheek. “I told her that I’d seen a snake slithering under her skirt.”

She skidded to a stop, crunching the gravel. “Lord Peregrine, you are not a gentleman.”

He looked affronted. “She thanked me for having saved her life. She said I was a hero.”

She shot her gaze skywards. Talking to him was an exercise in patience. Thank goodness, they arrived at the main entrance to the gardens.

“Do you see your family close by?” he asked, still holding her arm.

She gazed around, but dusk was creeping over the gardens, and even though many gas lamp posts were lit, she couldn’t see the path clearly.

“No. They wouldn’t leave without me. They must be around.”

He checked his pocket watch. “They’d better hurry. Princess Alice sails in less than twenty minutes for the Moonlight Trip back to London.”

“Are you going to take it?”

“Yes, that was my tutor’s plan.”

She moved closer to him as a chill seeped into her. “Mother won’t be pleased. It’s not the first time I’ve got lost.”

“May I give you a piece of advice?”

“Do I get to choose?”

“Spend less time studying. Instead, try to enjoy life a little bit more. You won’t regret it. You’re too young to do nothing but study. Live a little. Try different things. Tell lies. Steal something. Kiss a stranger. There’s plenty of time to become a serious adult.”

She waved a hand between them. “You should do the opposite. Read more and spend less time playing pranks on unaware ladies. You won’t regret it, either.”

He lifted a shoulder. “One day. Maybe.”

“Edith.” A familiar voice came from behind Edith.

She turned around to see Mother running towards her with Marianne.

“Mother.” Edith waved in relief.

“Where have you been?” Mother crushed Edith in a hug. “I was frantic with worry.”

“You ninny.” Marianne hugged her, too. “We didn’t see anything of the gardens because we were too busy searching for you.”

“I’m so sorry. I got distracted reading and lost you.” Edith could bet her mother would give her a piece of her mind later when they were alone.

“May I ask who this gentleman is?” Mother angled her head towards Perry.

He bowed from the waist. “ Enchanté , madam.”

Enchanté ?

“I’m Lord Peregrine St. George.”

Marianne blushed. Mother looked stunned.

“Lord Peregrine, are you the brother of the Earl of Ravenscroft?” Marianne asked.

“I am he, Miss Winkworth.”

“Lord Peregrine was kind enough to escort me here,” Edith said. And shock me .

Mother and Marianne curtsied.

“Thank you for taking care of my daughter, Lord Peregrine,” Mother said.

“It was my pleasure, madam,” Perry said. “Shall we head for the port? I have to board Princess Alice .”

“So do we.” Mother took Edith’s arm. “We’ll sail together.”

Perry smiled again, and Edith didn’t mind.