The Jane Austen Society(54)

“Aren’t you being a bit harsh, Andrew?”

“I don’t think anyone’s been harsh enough, to tell the truth. Maybe that’s been the problem all these years. Remember her brother, Cecil, how wild he was? That whole shooting incident—let me just say this, the father liked the cruelty. He admired it. He stomped all over everyone else. And she let him. Surely she could have seen what he was really about—and instead she bent to his will and let him completely control her. Not once did she ever try and assert herself—yet anyone could see that’s what he wanted. He hated that she was like this, so meek and yielding, so he punished her even more.”

“Andrew, really, it’s not like anybody else ever stood up to the old man.”

Andrew gave a small frown, then returned to his seat and passed one of the glasses of whisky across to Dr. Gray.

“I still think you’re being far too hard on her,” continued Dr. Gray. “You’re looking at it as a man. It’s much different for women, these types of things. When we were in school with Frances, women couldn’t even become bankers or accountants—and we wonder why old Mr. Knight wouldn’t trust his one daughter with his money. Until the war, what were their options—servants, teachers, nurses, actresses? I mean, Cambridge, where you went, still doesn’t even award the girls degrees, right? You walk away from all of this and who knows where you’d end up.”

“Being married to a strong woman like Jennie was such a godsend to you, Ben.” Andrew sighed with envy. “I see that so much at times like this.”

“I had a very smart wife. I learned a lot.”

“You still have a lot to learn, though—we both do.” Andrew took a large gulp of his whisky. “Why are we men so proud, so obstinate? What exactly are we afraid of?”

Dr. Gray laughed. “Oh, let’s not start going there. It’s been a difficult enough year already. First Adeline Grover fires me as her doctor, and then—”

“Wait, what?”

Dr. Gray shrugged. “It happens, I guess.”

“Did she give a reason?”

“Not particularly.”

“Well, that’s a first for you. Does anyone in this town not use you as their doctor? That’s got to sting a bit, what with your ego.”

“Thanks, Andy, that’s just what I needed to hear right now. It’s probably all for the best anyway—her powers of observation are so acute sometimes. Nothing gets past her.”

“And that’s for the best why?”

“What are you saying?”

Andrew downed the rest of his whisky. “I’m not necessarily saying anything.”

“Spoken like a true lawyer. And I’m not necessarily saying anything about Miss Frances, either.”

They stared at each other, calling to mind many moments from their youth, when they had fought over Frances and a few other girls.

“There’s something about growing up in a village,” Andrew finally said, “being boys and girls together, it’s so intimate—how would you ever know if you had found the right person? I mean, what are the odds that they’d be in your own backyard? I was training Samuel Grover, remember?”

“Oh, that’s right. I always forget that.”

“He was called up, when, 1942? ’Forty-three? I remember very clearly the day he and Adeline got engaged. He was so excited—he had been proposing for years apparently. She seemed less so.”

“Why are you telling me all this?” Dr. Gray got up nonchalantly to take Andrew’s glass, then refilled both their glasses before sitting back down.

“Because I think Adeline Grover fired you for a reason. She wouldn’t be the first woman patient to have done so.”

Dr. Gray shook his head. “No, you’re wrong. It’s nothing like that. Look at me, I’m far too old.”

Andrew laughed. “Thanks, for the two of us.”

“What on earth makes you say that about her anyway?”

“Oh, it’s nothing she’s done. It’s you.”

Dr. Gray felt as if he’d received a blow to the stomach. No one had ever guessed any of his secrets, or at least that’s what he had always believed. The thought that he had been transparent to anyone, even an old school chum like Andrew, terrified him.

“It’s okay, Ben. It’s only because I’ve seen you this head over heels before.”

Dr. Gray stared at Andrew, denial on the edge of his tongue, yet he also strangely wanted to hear more.

“And anyway,” Andrew added, “I don’t think she knows, not really. Not yet.”

“There’s nothing to know, because nothing would ever happen.”

“The one doesn’t necessarily preclude the other. And besides, why are you so sure of that? It’s not inconceivable—I mean, Adam Berwick’s only two years younger than us, and I’ve been told he’s sniffing around her often enough.”

Now Dr. Gray’s head was starting to hurt. “How on earth did we end up talking about this? Yes, she’s a very attractive young woman—a very attractive young widow. And I feel strangely responsible for her. I think that must be mixed up with the baby and the horror of all that, bearing witness and so utterly failing them both.”