Books by Jennifer Delamere

London Beginnings
The Captain’s Daughter
The Heart’s Appeal

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 LONDON BEGINNINGS • BOOK 2

The
HE A R T’S
APPE A L
J E NN I F E R D E L A M E R E J

5
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of © 2018 by Jennifer Harrington

Published by Bethany House Publishers

11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com

Bethany House Publishers is a division of

Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Printed in the United States of America

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in

a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example,
electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the
publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Delamere, Jennifer, author.
Title: The heart’s appeal / Jennifer Delamere.
Description: Minneapolis, Minnesota : Bethany House, a division of Baker
Publishing Group, [2018] | Series: London beginnings ; Book 2
Identifiers: LCCN 2017038828| ISBN 9780764219214 (trade paper) | ISBN
9780764231452 (hardcover)
Subjects: LCSH: Man-woman relationships—Fiction. | London (England)—
Fiction. | GSAFD: Love stories. | Christian fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3604.E4225 H43 2018 | DDC 813/.6—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017038828

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.

This is a work of historical reconstruction; the appearances of certain historical

figures are therefore inevitable. All other characters, however, are products of
the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead,
is coincidental.

Cover design by Koechel Peterson & Associates, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota/

Jon Godfredson

Author is represented by the BookEnds Literary Agency, LLC.

18 19 20 21 22 23 24   7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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 O magnify the Lord with me,
and let us exalt his name together.
—Psalm 34:3

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 In memory of my aunt,
Margaret DeBolt Edwards,
a lovely and feisty woman in her own right

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 CH APTER

J
February 1881

ulia Ber nay was going to be l ate . If there was

one thing she hated, it was not being punctual. It showed a lack
of respect and, if she were honest—which she always was—it
made her look bad. She was on her way to a lecture by Dr. Anna
Stahl, a physician from America, and she was determined to make
a good first impression. After months of toiling away at Queen’s
College on Harley Street, this was her first real opportunity to
interact with London’s medical professionals.
Julia had been in London for nearly a year, but the official
start to her medical studies had yet to actually begin. She’d
come with high hopes of beginning her training right away, only
to discover—after failing London University’s matriculation
exam—that her schooling thus far in life had not been enough.
The laws for licensing physicians required that she pass the exam
before any course she took at the London School of Medicine for
Women could count toward a medical degree.

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 The Heart’s Appeal

Queen’s College was primarily a school for training govern-

esses, but it also offered the courses needed by women seeking
to qualify for a higher education in medicine. Although Julia
had given herself fully to her studies over these past months,
she was anxious to get beyond standard academic courses and
begin training in medicine. Having obtained special permission
to attend Dr. Stahl’s lecture, she was not going to miss it.
Unfortunately, her plan to take the Metropolitan Underground
Railway to her destination had turned out to be a mistake. All
around her, the platform was crowded with passengers who had
watched three trains come and go because the third-class car-
riages were too packed to accommodate even one more person.
Julia had bought a third-class ticket to save money, taking the
reasonable view that the train would get there at the same time,
regardless of which carriage she was in. She hadn’t realized that
during this time of day, train after train would pass by without
her being able to board. Meanwhile, the first-class carriages were
only half full.
Now she was in a dilemma, for money and time were both com-
modities she could not afford to waste. The news she’d received
from her benefactor just this week proved that. Mrs. Staunton’s
letter had sorrowfully informed her that due to a bank failure in
Bristol, she could no longer pay for Julia’s training. While Julia
grieved for the Stauntons as they struggled to reorganize their af-
fairs, this had placed her in an awkward position. She had enough
to live on for several more months, because Mrs. Staunton had
refused to take back any money already given. Julia could complete
her preparation for the matriculation examination, which would
allow her to begin studies at the London School of Medicine for
Women in October. If she was very frugal, she might even be
able to make the money stretch for her first term. But then what?
Should she even begin school with no clear means of continuing?

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 Jennifer Delamere

Perhaps she should consider moving in with the Morans. Her

sister Rosalyn and her husband, Nate Moran, were away from
London most of the year, traveling on tour with the opera com-
pany, but Nate’s family lived in a large house with room to accom-
modate boarders. It would be cheaper than the lodgings she had
now, if farther removed from the school. It was something she
would ask about when Rosalyn and Nate came home for Easter.
All of this assumed she could even pass the matriculation exam.
She was still behind in Latin, which was a critical component
of the test. With no extra money for a tutor, passing it seemed
more daunting than ever.
She might have to consider going back to nursing, but having
come this far, nursing could never give her the satisfaction that it
had in the past. She would have neither the time nor the money
for medical school. She would earn a scant ten pounds per year.
Nurses were boarded together in sparse lodgings at the hospital
and worked all hours of the day and night. Her goal of becoming
a doctor and a medical missionary would be set aside, and Julia
could not believe God would allow these dreams to be lost forever.
“Sufficient unto the day,” she reminded herself as she watched
yet another train pass her by. “The morrow will take care of itself.”
She took a deep breath and prayed that the next train would
come quickly.

Michael Stephenson stood with his sister Corinna at the en-

trance to the Underground station while Miss Laura Maynard,
the third member of their party, bought a nosegay from a flower
girl. He watched as Laura studied the selections in the small,
battered flower cart and made her choice, then handed over a few
coins to the girl. The flower girl received the coins with a smile
and even gave Laura a little curtsy.

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 The Heart’s Appeal

Laura held the flowers to her nose and breathed in apprecia-

tively. She was a pretty blonde, slender and charming in an ethereal
kind of way. Her light blue cape showed her complexion to ad-
vantage, especially with the cart of colorful blooms as a backdrop.
The hothouse flowers made a bright contrast to the drab February
day. Admiring Laura’s beauty and poise, Michael decided he was
reasonably content with the idea that she could one day be his wife.
Feeling a nudge in his ribs, he turned to see his sister looking
at him expectantly. He realized she’d been speaking to him. “I’m
sorry, what were you saying?”
Corinna’s gaze traveled pointedly to Laura before settling back
on Michael. “I was reminding you about Lady Amberley’s annual
ball in July.”
“As you have every day since you received the invitation.”
Getting invited to this ball was the social prize Corinna had
spent years striving for. This year it had been granted at last,
probably because of Laura’s influence. Corinna was bursting with
pride and had immediately begun her plans for the event, although
it was still months away.
She poked him again. “I was saying that the ball has gained
a reputation for being the night when the most fashionable alli-
ances are announced.”
“Ah yes, right.” It was no surprise that Corinna would refer
to an engagement as an alliance. He also knew full well what his
sister was hinting at. She’d been doing everything in her power
to promote a match between Michael and Laura, who was the
youngest daughter of the late Viscount Delaford. Such an alliance
would go a long way toward regaining the social standing the
Stephenson family had lost. Truth be told, Michael was commit-
ted to the plan as well. The ball was nearly five months away, but
he expected to have gained approval for Laura’s hand long before
that. Even so, he couldn’t resist teasing his sister and keeping her

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 Jennifer Delamere

in suspense. He patted her arm. “I suspect this year’s ball will

exceed all expectations.”
“Oh?” Corinna’s eager expression showed that she’d taken the
bait.
“Yes, indeed. I heard the old Duke of Norlington’s grand-
daughter plans to announce her engagement to that wildly radical
member of Parliament, Mr. John Waverly.”
Corinna’s eyes narrowed. “You know that’s not what I was
referring to.”
Still amused by his sister’s social machinations, Michael de-
cided to play the devil’s advocate. “But, Corinna, I’ve only known
Miss Maynard a few weeks. Not to mention that she’s just come
out of mourning for her father.”
“That’s precisely the point—she is out of mourning. There is no
time to waste, as she will have plenty of suitors. And the new viscount
is much more amenable to the idea of your union with his sister.”
This was true. Laura’s father, the old viscount, would have
been dead set against the idea of his daughter marrying into the
Stephenson family after the way Michael’s father had dragged
it into financial and social ruin. Laura’s brother, however, viewed
things differently. He saw Michael’s trajectory to success, both in
prosperity and respectability. Being a young man, he did not have
the same memories of the past as his father, nor did he put much
weight on them. He was anxious only to get his sister settled in
a good marriage.
“Besides,” Corinna continued, “you’ve already spent more time
with Miss Maynard than I did with David before we were married.”
This remark sobered Michael. Corinna’s marriage had been
one of convenience, and in thirteen years it had not evolved much
beyond that—at least on Corinna’s part. A flicker of doubt played
at the edges of Michael’s mind. Would his marriage end up the
same? He pushed the thought aside. He might not actually be in

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 The Heart’s Appeal

love with Laura, but there was nothing displeasing about her. Why
shouldn’t they be happy together? Besides, he could not forget that
Corinna had married a wealthy man as much for his sake as for hers.
Still mulling these things over, he gave a murmur of acquiescence.
This was not enough for his sister. She gave Michael a third,
sharper poke in the ribs. “Michael Stephenson, I absolutely forbid
you to even think about marrying Laura Maynard.”
Michael started back in surprise. “And why is that?”
Her expression softened to a smirk. “Because you never do
anything until someone expressly tells you not to.”
He couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

If the next train was full, Julia would be forced to slip into one
of the second-class carriages—or even one of the first-class car-
riages if necessary. And really, what would be the harm in that?
She wouldn’t be taking a seat from anyone. Besides, was she not
a child of God, intent on giving her life to His purposes? Wasn’t
everyone equal in His sight? The constant harping on class dis-
tinctions might constitute the very fiber of her homeland’s psyche,
but in Julia’s view, it was something that ought to be changed.
If she could get onto one of the other carriages, she did not think
anyone would stop her for looking out of place. She’d worn her
best day gown for this event. The clerk at the secondhand shop
had assured her it was only a year old, not so far out of the cur-
rent fashions. Everyone waiting for the more expensive carriages
appeared to be upper-middle class at best. The very rich people
traveled in their personal carriages and would never be caught on
the Underground. The designation first class was a bit of a misnomer.
The shriek of a train whistle filled the air once more. Overhead,
the large globes of the gas lamps swayed as the train pulled into
the station.

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 Jennifer Delamere

A collective groan filled the air when those on the platform

saw, as Julia did, that this train was also filled to bursting.
This was it, then. Julia had worked hard to get permission to
attend this lecture, and she wasn’t going to miss it. She began
to press her way through the crowd, needing to move swiftly
but not draw attention. The third-class carriages were located
at the front of the train, closest to the smoke belching from the
engine. The first-class carriages were in the center, followed by the
second-class section at the end. Julia sent a quick glance toward
the station guard. He was conversing with the train conductor
over some issue with the engine car, but another guard was eying
her from across the platform. Had he seen her standing with the
third-class passengers earlier?
Julia paused, trying to look as though she’d been standing
here all along. Two women stood nearby. The first was a bru-
nette, tall and striking, if not classically pretty. She stood an inch
or so taller than Julia, who at five feet seven inches, considered
herself above average height. The other woman was petite, with
pale blond hair and a fur-trimmed cape. Her hair was delicately
curled into an intricate bun, visible beneath a hat that perfectly
complemented her clothes and was set on her head at precisely
the most flattering angle.
They were too busy chatting to notice Julia. She overheard
enough of their conversation to know they were on a shopping
trip. Perhaps they were housewives with husbands who were
prosperous merchants or businessmen in the financial district of
London called the City. The blonde was detailing three different
kinds of gloves she needed to buy. It was more than Julia could
imagine buying in a year. Perhaps, Julia thought wryly, if she
couldn’t pass for one of these ladies, she might be mistaken for a
maid who’d been brought along to carry packages.
Whatever issue the officials had been discussing seemed to

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 The Heart’s Appeal

have gotten resolved. A platform attendant was now urging people

into the carriages and closing the doors after them. Julia didn’t
have time to reach the second-class section at the back. A sur-
reptitious glance toward the other guard showed he was heading
in her direction.
A gentleman who had been standing near the two ladies spoke
to them, moving them forward with a polite sweep of his arm.
The three of them boarded together, and Julia followed, just mak-
ing it onto the carriage before the platform attendant closed the
doors. With a sigh of relief, she found an empty seat away from
the window. Within moments, the train was in motion, hurtling
into the tunnel.
Julia had ridden the Underground a few times since arriving in
London, but she always found the experience disconcerting. She
could not get used to the smoky darkness and the knowledge that
the train was shooting at breakneck speed through a tight space.
At least this compartment was more spacious than in third class.
In addition to being farther away from the smoke, the carriage
had proper lighting, and the seats had cushions. There were two
other men already in the carriage. Both were absorbed in reading
their newspapers and barely looked up as Julia and the others
got on board. As no one had challenged her right to be here, she
settled back in her seat, confident now that she would arrive at
the lecture hall on time.
The gentleman had taken a seat across the aisle from the two
women, and they were now engaged in casual small talk. Julia
guessed he was just a few years older than she was, or perhaps
nearing thirty. He was tall and broad shouldered, with dark hair
trimmed neatly at the sideburns. Wearing a perfectly pressed dark
suit, he projected an air of affluence and confidence.
Julia opened her copy of The Lancet medical journal, planning
to make the best use of the travel time by reading. But her atten-

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 Jennifer Delamere

tion kept straying to the gentleman and the two ladies he was
traveling with, trying to guess their connection. She revised her
earlier guess about the women, deciding the tall one must be the
man’s sister. Their interactions had a comfortable familiarity, and
there was a certain family resemblance in height and hair color.
The blonde, on the other hand, kept throwing sly glances in his
direction, as though to check whether he was paying attention to
her. Julia guessed she was not married and had her eye on him.
She wondered if this man was the sort who would find such
a woman attractive. He was handsome—even Julia, who paid
little attention to these things, could see that. But he did not
appear vain or frivolous, as the blonde did. There was a hard-set
edge to his mouth. Julia saw determination in him, the kind of
man who would be serious about whatever he made up his mind
to accomplish.
“Are you sure you won’t stop with us at Selfridges for coffee
before going on to Gray’s Inn?” the blonde asked him. “It would
be so nice to have you join us.”
“Only on the condition that I be allowed to escape before you
two set about your shopping,” he returned with a smile. It seemed
a genuine, warm smile. So warm, in fact, that Julia’s estimation
of him went down several notches. Perhaps he was the type to
have his head turned by such a woman after all. She supposed
she ought to have known. Handsome men always seemed drawn
to beautiful women.
Why should you care? Julia chided herself. Today she was going
to attend an important medical lecture, and in a few years’ time
she would be on her way to Africa and a life of service as a medical
missionary. She had better ways to occupy her thoughts than to
wonder at the private lives of privileged Londoners.
She was just about to suppress her little smile at her own fool-
ishness when the man turned his head and caught her looking at

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 The Heart’s Appeal

him. He must have thought her smile was aimed at him, for his
eyebrows lifted and he tipped his chin in acknowledgment. She
detected an amused gleam in his eye, as though he were used to
having unknown ladies smile at him on the train. She bristled. She
was most definitely not that sort of person. How dare he think so!
His eye traveled from her face to take in the rest of her. Julia
knew he must be appraising her, noticing the secondhand clothes,
the unstylish hat, and gloves that were worn though still present-
able. For the first time in her life, she felt an embarrassed self-
consciousness. How had he been able to do that with one look?
Was her face growing warm? No. She could not be blushing.
Julia Bernay never blushed. That was for hapless females like the
blonde sitting in front of her. She quickly averted her gaze, lifting
her copy of The Lancet and making a point of reading it. That
would show him the kind of serious woman she was.
Neither of the women had noticed this little interchange.
The brunette said, “You know we would never subject you to
something so incredibly tedious as shopping.” She spoke with a
sarcastic air. “Although you might consider finding a valet who
can be a little more creative in your choice of clothing.”
The man shrugged. “What would be the point? There’s no
need to be creative in my profession.”
Julia lowered her journal just enough to peek over the top and
risk another glance at him. What was his profession? The blonde
had mentioned Gray’s Inn. He must be a barrister. This was
easy to believe. It took no trouble at all to imagine him standing
in a courtroom, addressing a jury. He had the kind of presence
that turned heads and garnered attention. What would he look
like in a barrister’s wig and robe? She was sure he would be very
imposing.
The train pulled into the next station. Julia could see the plat-
form here was crowded, too. While most of the people vied for

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 Jennifer Delamere

the third-class compartments, a dapper man in a fur-collared coat

and diamond-patterned cravat strode into the first-class carriage.
From the corner of her eye, she saw him send a curious glance
her way. She tried to project the casual air of someone who rode
in first-class carriages every day, but she needn’t have bothered.
His gaze traveled quickly over her and settled for a much longer
moment on the blonde before he took a seat.
The barrister took a cigarette holder from his pocket and
opened it. Julia found this disappointing. She’d read some reports
indicating there could be adverse effects to smoking, even though
equally as many doctors touted its health benefits.
“Michael, will you hand me a cigarette?” the brunette asked.
He looked at her askance. “Now, Corinna, I don’t think David
will appreciate me leading his wife astray.”
“Then don’t think of me as David’s wife,” she snapped. She
held out her hand. “Remember that I am also your sister.”
With a sardonic smile, he replied, “Well, since you put it that
way . . .”
He rose and stepped into the aisle to give her a cigarette.
At that moment, the train, which up to this point had been rat-
tling and shaking in normal fashion, suddenly came to a screech-
ing halt. It careened sharply to the left, its right side lifting as
though loosed from the tracks, forcing Julia and the other pas-
sengers to grab hold of their seats to keep from being pitched to
the floor. The man Julia knew only as Michael was thrown hard
to the left, crashing backward into the carriage window. He tried
to right himself, stunned, before he seemed to lose consciousness.
As he fell to the floor, his head and neck scraped the jagged glass
still attached to the frame. The rest of the glass fell with him,
scattering across the floor and mingling with the blood flowing
from his head.

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 CH APTER

T her e wa s a momen t of eer ie si lence . Like

Julia, the others were stupefied, trying to come to grips with
what had just happened. Finally, the quiet was broken by
groans and movement as people struggled to right themselves.
One of the gentlemen moaned, “I think my arm is broken!” The
carriage was still tilted to the left. Julia guessed the train had
derailed during its sudden, violent attempt to stop.
“Oh no! Oh no!” cried the blonde, her voice high-pitched and
frenzied, as she stared at Michael bleeding on the floor. Julia
stumbled forward to reach him, alarmed at the quantity of blood
spurting from below his chin. One of the other men crouched
beside him, pulling out a handkerchief and vainly attempting to
staunch the flow of blood.
“You won’t stop it that way,” Julia said, tugging off her gloves
and shrugging out of her coat for ease of movement. “Step aside.
I’m a nurse.”
“A nurse?” He looked at her in surprise, but Julia wasn’t about

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 Jennifer Delamere

to waste time on explanations. The jagged window glass had sliced

deeply into Michael’s neck and cut an important blood vessel.
“Do you want him to bleed to death?”
Her bold words so stunned the man that Julia was able to move
him out of the way. She took hold of Michael’s head. With her
other hand, she pinched the cut together and pressed hard, using
all her might to force the artery against the vertebral column in
his neck. Blood spattered on her hands and gown as she struggled
to find the right hold.
“Is he dead?” cried the blond woman, wringing her hands.
“Not yet,” Julia answered tersely. She had faced emergencies
before, but this was serious enough to unsettle even her. She
fought to maintain her own composure as she worked to stem
the flow of blood.
Michael’s sister looked just as panicked, but she was not cower-
ing as the other woman was. She nearly slipped on the glass and
blood as she dropped down beside Julia. “What are you doing?
You’re strangling him!”
“No, I’m keeping him from bleeding to death. We must keep
pressure on the wound until we can get a doctor.” She met the
woman’s gaze, willing her to believe what she was saying. “You
must trust me on this, or he will die.”
It was a shocking thing to say, but Julia had to make her un-
derstand. To her credit, this woman—Corinna, Michael had
called her—immediately grew calm. Julia saw her take several
deep breaths to steady herself. Corinna nodded. “What do we
do next?”
Julia could hear the commotion outside the carriage. “What’s
happening? How far are we from the next station? We have to
find a doctor right away.”
The young man who had entered the carriage at the last stop
poked his head through the broken window. His gloved hands

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 The Heart’s Appeal

and heavy coat protected him as he leaned out, assessing the

situation. “There is a narrow pathway between the train and the
tunnel wall. I see lights coming this direction. Men with lanterns,
I believe. We must be closer to the station we just left. That’s the
direction they’re coming from.”
“Let’s hope there is a medic among them,” Julia said.
“We are not going to wait for them to come to us!” Corinna
exclaimed. “We are taking my brother out of this carriage right
now.”
“No! We can’t move him. The pressure has to remain constant.
In this situation, the blood will not coagulate on its own. The
artery must be forcibly closed.”
“You will not move?” It was a command as well as a question.
Julia could see Corinna was torn between her desire to re-
main with her brother and the need to find help. “I’m staying
right here,” Julia confirmed. She wasn’t leaving until she knew
Michael was safe.
This was enough for Corinna to make up her mind. “I will
find a doctor.” She rose to her feet and took hold of the other
woman’s arm. “Laura, come with me.”
Laura was crying, frozen with fear, staring at Michael.
Corinna gave her a tug. “Come along,” she directed again, and
finally got the woman moving.
“I’ll go with you,” the man at the window offered. “Other people
have already left their carriages. It’s a crush out there now, and
you’ll need some muscle to get anywhere.”
Just getting out of the carriage proved to be the first hurdle.
Because of the slant of the train, they could only get the door open
about a foot before it was stopped by the narrow ledge running
the length of the tunnel. But it was enough to allow the young
man to squeeze through and scramble up to the ledge. He turned
and offered his hand to help Laura and Corinna up and out.

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 Jennifer Delamere

“I’m coming with you,” another of the men declared. He was

cradling his left arm in his right. “I need help.”
It was clear he was in pain. Julia wanted to help, but she could
not let go of Michael. But the injured man wasn’t waiting for her
response. He was already offering his good arm to the other man
to help him out of the train.
The man who had initially tried to stop the bleeding made
no effort to leave. “I’ll stay with you until the doctor arrives,” he
told Julia.
“Thank you, Mr. . . . ?”
“Carter.”
“Can you tell me if the ladies are making progress?” On the floor
with Michael, Julia could not see what was going on in the tunnel.
Mr. Carter looked out the broken window. “There are a great
many people, but that chap is helping the ladies push their way
forward.” He turned back to Julia. “If you need me to help, to
do anything . . .”
“That’s very good of you.” In truth, Julia’s hands were tiring
already. “It’s imperative that we keep the pressure on this artery
hard and constant. Do you think you can help me with that?”
He knelt beside her. “Just tell me what to do.”
He was a large man, with beefy hands well-suited to provide
the continuous, strong pressure needed, and he was willing to
follow her directions exactly. But even after he was set and she
felt confident enough to release her hold, she kept her hands
hovering close by, ready to act if Mr. Carter’s grip should loosen.
There was still some blood escaping from the wound, but it was
no longer at dangerous levels.
Miraculously, the lanterns in the carriage were still lit, but they
flickered as though they might go out at any time. Julia prayed
they would stay on.
Once she was confident that Mr. Carter was keeping hold of

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 The Heart’s Appeal

the wound, Julia examined Michael further. He had other cuts on

his head and face, but those appeared largely superficial. Open-
ing his coat, she searched his pockets and found a handkerchief.
She pulled it out and used it to wipe the blood from the minor
wounds. His dark brown hair was thick but felt silky between her
fingers as she pushed it back from his face. A short, faded scar
ran along one cheekbone, most of it covered by his side-whiskers.
She did a simple review of the rest of his body. His bulk filled
much of the aisle. Just a few minutes ago, he’d been so strong and
vigorous. Two fingers on his right hand appeared to be sprained
or broken. She took out her own handkerchief and wrapped the
fingers together as best she could to keep them from further
injury. Then she carefully straightened one leg that had bent at
an odd angle during his fall. That knee would likely cause him
some pain later.
“Your medical knowledge seems quite advanced for a nurse,”
Mr. Carter said.
“I am also in training to be a doctor.”
In the past, Julia had found this pronouncement often drew
skepticism. However, Mr. Carter only looked impressed. “Are
you really? How astonishing.”
The lights finally went out.
Outside, people were still streaming past the carriage, desper-
ate to escape the darkness. Long minutes went by before Julia
heard shouting of a different kind. Officials from the Under-
ground had arrived.
“Stay calm, everyone! Stay calm!” an official shouted over the
din. “You are in no immediate danger! Let us through! We must
evacuate the injured!”
“In here! He’s in here!” Corinna stumbled into the carriage,
followed by several men. “I’ve brought the doctor! How is my
brother?”

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 Jennifer Delamere

Julia winced at the bright light of the lanterns carried by two

of the men. “We’ve kept the bleeding at bay.” She spoke not only
to Corinna but to the doctor, who knelt beside her and inspected
the situation.
“You did the right thing, sir,” the doctor said to Mr. Carter.
“This young lady here showed me what to do,” Mr. Carter
replied. “She’s studying to be a doctor.”
“Are you?” The doctor gave Julia a brief, appreciative glance.
“This was a good test for you, then.”
Corinna looked at Julia with stunned disbelief. “You’re study-
ing to be a doctor?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The doctor opened his bag. “I’ve brought clamps to hold the
wound shut until we can get him to surgery.”
It was difficult for Julia to relinquish charge of her patient. She
stayed close, watching as the doctor and an assistant worked to
stabilize the wound.
Corinna, too, hovered nearby, her eyes never leaving her brother.
“He’s going to be all right,” Julia assured her. “We stemmed
the loss of blood before any real damage was done.”
Julia saw Corinna’s lower lip quiver. She knew how relief, when
it came, could cause a wall of stoicism to crumble. But Corinna
was holding herself firm, if just barely.
“We can move him now,” the doctor announced. “Let’s get
him on the stretcher.”
Julia retrieved her coat as the men began moving Michael onto
a stretcher that had been passed in through the broken window.
“I’m coming with you.”
“No!” Corinna exclaimed—rather too vehemently, Julia
thought. “He’s in the doctor’s care now. There is no need for you
to come along.” It seemed a rough dismissal after all Julia had
done. But then Corinna added in a gentler voice, “Thank you.

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 The Heart’s Appeal

There are . . . no words.” Her voice was raspy, betraying the emo-
tion behind her terse but clearly heartfelt thanks.
It didn’t lessen Julia’s desire to accompany them, but she
couldn’t go against the wishes of the wounded man’s sister. “You
are most welcome. I thank God I was here to help.”
Corinna’s mouth tightened, but she did not reply. Their atten-
tion was drawn back to Michael as the men passed the stretcher
through the window to the waiting men outside.
The doctor and his assistant helped Corinna out of the carriage,
and they hurried to follow the men carrying Michael. Julia could
only watch, assured that at least Michael was under medical care
now, as men with lamps led the way for the stretcher bearers. It
wasn’t long before they were far up the tunnel and out of sight.
“Shall we get out of here?” Mr. Carter suggested. He was hold-
ing the last of the lanterns the men had brought with them.
“Yes, I just need to find my things.” Julia returned to her seat
to collect her reticule and the journal she’d been reading. As she
did, her gaze was caught by something on the floor of the car-
riage. She picked it up. It was a calling card that read: Michael
Stephenson, Barrister-at-Law, Gray’s Inn Buildings, London. It was
stained with blood, but Julia wiped it as dry as she could and put
it in her reticule.
Mr. Carter struggled to get his girth through the narrow open-
ing of the door, but eventually he made it. He helped Julia up to
the walkway.
The tunnel was empty of passengers by now. A crew of railway
men had arrived and were beginning to assess how to get the
train onto the tracks and moving again. Julia heard a commo-
tion coming from one of the carriages at the front of the train. A
workman was shouting to his fellows, “There’s a woman in here!”
Julia and Mr. Carter got to him at the same time as several of
the men from the railway.

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 Jennifer Delamere

“She’s unconscious and hurt, too, I think,” said the workman.

“I’ll need help to get her out.”
They followed him into the carriage, which was no easy task.
It was crunched from the impact, and the plain wooden seats
were broken and jagged with boards sticking out at odd angles.
A woman was trapped under one of the fallen beams.
Working together, three men lifted the beam while a fourth
wrapped his arms underneath the woman’s. She regained con-
sciousness and began to moan in pain as he dragged her out from
under the wreckage.
Once the woman was free, Julia inspected her leg. It had been
badly mangled by the weight of the board. The shinbone had
broken through the skin. The woman was half-delirious, her face
contorted and her eyes wide and white with terror. Julia kept up
a continuous stream of comforting words as she devised a splint
and got the leg set so that the woman could be safely moved. Two
men carried her out under Julia’s direction, while Mr. Carter led
the way with the lamp.
The station was in an uproar, packed with people who’d been
stranded by the shutdown. The streets outside were also in confu-
sion, but station officials had been able to commandeer a wagon to
take injured passengers to the hospital. They helped the woman
into the wagon, but Julia declined to go herself.
Mr. Carter also refused any help, insisting he had no injuries
aside from some bruises. “Can I help you home?” he asked Julia
after the wagon had gone. “I don’t think we’ll find a cab, but I
can walk you there.”
“Thank you, but I’ll be fine. I’m sure you’re anxious to get
home.”
“I am, rather,” he admitted. “If my wife has heard of the ac-
cident, she might worry herself to death before I can assure her
I’m all right.”

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 The Heart’s Appeal

“You must tell her you were a hero today,” Julia said. “I’m grate-
ful for all the help you gave me.”
“You are the hero,” he insisted. “We’re lucky you were here,
miss.” He tipped his hat and said good-bye, then set off through
the crowd.
It was late afternoon now, the sun nearly setting. Exhausted,
Julia sat on a bench, gathering her strength for the walk home.
She looked down at her gown, which was torn and spattered
with dirt and blood. There would be no salvaging it. Unable to
spare any money to replace it, Julia would have to make do with
the few plain skirts she owned. But she could not feel any regret
over the loss—nothing was as important as the knowledge that
she’d saved a man’s life.
She pulled the bloodstained calling card from her reticule and
looked down at it, rereading the words printed on it. Michael
Stephenson, Barrister-at-Law. Would she ever see him again?
Yes.
By now, the doctors would have sutured the artery shut and
tended to his other wounds as well. Julia knew she had done the
right thing by staying behind, which had enabled her to offer
critical aid to the other passenger. But this did not lessen her
disappointment that she hadn’t been able to accompany Michael
to the hospital and perhaps even watch the surgery. Tomorrow
she would go and visit him. Even though she had confidence in
the doctors, she still wanted to see for herself that he was safe and
on the road to recovery. Her heart would not rest easy until then.

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 CH APTER

M ichael wasn’t entir ely sur e h  ow he came

to consciousness. Through the haze he sensed a rus-
tling, as if someone were moving nearby. But even
that whisper of sound made his head throb. Keeping his eyes
closed, he inhaled. In that moment, he knew where he was. He
had stayed the night at his sister and brother-in-law’s house before,
and their sheets had an unmistakable scent of lavender and lye.
His nose itched, finally forcing him to move. He reached up
with his right hand to scratch the itch, but somehow knocked
himself in the face instead. Letting out a grunt of pain, he opened
his eyes to discover that his hand was swathed in bandages, his
third and fourth fingers held straight by a splint. He stared at
them, his brain unable to decipher what his eyes were taking in.
“Oh ho, you’re awake,” said a cheerful voice.
Not entirely sure if he could move, and not much willing to
attempt it, Michael tipped his head ever so slightly toward the

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 The Heart’s Appeal

voice, just enough to see his brother-in-law standing to the right

of the bed.
With a thumb and forefinger from each hand tucked into his
waistcoat pockets, David beamed genially at Michael. He always
had the air of a kindly uncle, even though he was only ten years
older. “How are you feeling?”
Michael grimaced. Everything hurt. “Like I’ve been trampled
by a horse.”
“Horsepower is more accurate,” David replied with a smile.
Now it came back to him. He’d been in the train. Standing up
to give Corinna a cigarette. At the memory of his sister, he moved
sharply, despite the pain it caused, trying to sit up. “Corinna! Is
she all right?”
David placed a gentle hand on his chest, coaxing him back
down. “Don’t fret yourself. She and Miss Maynard came out
unscathed, although you are very much the worse for wear.”
“You don’t have to tell me.” Michael relaxed back into the pil-
lows, relieved to know his sister was safe.
David went to the door and opened it, murmuring a few words
to a servant who had apparently been standing vigil in the hallway.
“What . . . happened, exactly?” Michael asked, once David had
returned to the bedside. His few memories of the event were split
into unintelligible fragments.
“You don’t remember anything?” David pulled a narrow
wooden chair close to the bed and sat down. The chair squeaked
as he leaned forward, his face level with Michael’s.
Michael started to shake his head but was stopped by a sudden
sharp pain to his neck. “No,” he murmured instead. “The last
thing I remember was standing up to hand Corinna—”
He stopped midsentence, aware of his promise not to tell David
about her smoking.
“You were handing her a cigarette,” David supplied. He held up

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 Jennifer Delamere

a hand to stop Michael from protesting. “I know all about it. She
thinks I don’t, and that’s a fiction I indulge her. I’m not thrilled
that she has acquired this habit, but after thirteen years of mar-
riage, I know where it is best not to challenge her.” He gave a smile
and a dismissive shrug. “Do you remember anything after that?”
Michael closed his eyes, dredging up what memories he could.
“A sensation like a hundred knives being thrust into me.”
He reached up again, this time with his left hand, which was
uninjured. His neck was swathed in bandages as thoroughly as
his right hand was. For that matter, so was his head.
“You look like you’ve been through a battle rather than a rail-
way accident,” David remarked, tilting his head to observe him
critically. “Quite appalling, actually.”
“Good to know,” Michael returned dryly. He tried to give a
facetious grin, but even that hurt too much.
“So that’s all you remember?”
“At that point, I mercifully blacked out from the pain. Did
Corinna give you any details?”
“Oh yes. She filled me in thoroughly. There was a collision in
the tunnel. The train ahead of yours had stopped, and the driver
hadn’t had time to set the warning signal in the passage. The con-
ductor of your train applied the brakes as hard as he could. In the
process, the train derailed and threw you against the window.”
“Was anyone else hurt?”
“There were other injuries, to be sure, but yours took the prize.”
This did not reassure Michael the way David had clearly in-
tended. “There was another woman in our carriage—do you know
what happened to her?”
“Indeed I do. She tended to your wounds. You would have
bled to death, except that she knew how to close up your artery.”
Michael might have thought David’s statement an exaggera-
tion, but the searing pain in his neck seemed to corroborate it.

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 The Heart’s Appeal

“She was reading a medical journal. Is she a nurse? Is that how

she knew what to do?”
“Corinna asked her the same thing. The woman said that not
only was she a nurse, but she’s also in training to become a doctor!”
The tone of David’s voice showed how perfectly aware he was
of the irony of the situation. There was only one place in En-
gland where women could be trained as doctors, and Michael
was working for a client who was trying to put it out of business.
The powerful Earl of Westbridge was suing one of the lecturers
at the school for libel. There were more factors in the case, but
the earl’s goal was to shut the place down entirely. This was the
most important lawsuit Michael had ever worked on, and win-
ning it would be a major advancement in his career.
Michael swallowed, licking his dry lips. “You’re saying the
woman who helped me is a student at the London School of
Medicine for Women?”
“That appears to be the case.”
“Did Corinna get the woman’s name or any other information
about her?”
“I don’t believe so. She was focused on getting you out of dan-
ger. As soon as you’d gotten through surgery, she insisted on
bringing you here. Since then, our own Dr. Hartman has been
tending to you. He was quite impressed with the emergency care
that young lady gave you. She probably saved your life.”
David launched into a further description of the scene. Michael
would never have believed any of it, were it not for the very real
evidence of his wounds.
That he had been unconscious through it all, his body car-
ried by strangers through the chaos of the station, was the most
unsettling part. He disliked not being in control of any situa-
tion, much less having his fate determined by others. At least
Corinna had been there, watching out for him. He was grateful

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 Jennifer Delamere

for that. As for the woman who had been so fortuitously in the
carriage with them—and who was also a student at the medical
school—Michael couldn’t help but think this was a joke foisted
upon him by the fates.
“Where is Corinna?”
“She was lying down, but I’ve sent the footman to tell her
you’ve come ’round.”
The bright sunlight visible through the windows indicated it
was around midday. Michael had never known Corinna to be the
sort of person to take naps. “Is she unwell?”
“Oh, she’s quite well. But Dr. Hartman says that, given her
condition, we cannot be too careful.”
Condition? Now Michael did sit up, and he didn’t care what it
cost him to do so. Had she received some sort of injury after all?
He turned to look at his brother-in-law, but David had a broad
smile on his face.
“David, what are you talking about?”
“Ah, here she is now,” David said, as the door opened and
Corinna walked in. “We can tell you together.” He took Corinna’s
hand and drew her to Michael’s side. “When the doctor was
checking her over, he made a most excellent discovery. There will
be a new addition to this home come July.”
There was no mistaking what he meant. Michael immediately
turned his gaze to Corinna. Now that he was looking for it, he
saw that her midsection was wider, not her usual slim figure.
His gaze lifted to her face, expecting to see joy there—or at
least pride. Instead, she looked more pinched and drawn than
he could ever remember.
“Is everything all right?” he asked anxiously. “Is there anything
we should be worried about?”
“Nothing like that,” Corinna returned. “I’m fine.”
“No, indeed,” said David. “Your sister is as healthy as a horse.”

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 The Heart’s Appeal

Corinna shot him a sour glance. “What a terrible analogy.”

“I’m sorry, my love.” David gave her hand a kiss. “You know I
couldn’t think any more highly of you—especially now.”
Corinna tensed, but she made an effort to smile. “We are very
happy, of course,” she said to Michael. “But how are you?” Pulling
out of David’s grasp, she sat in the chair by Michael’s bed. She
laid a hand on his forehead, as though he were suffering from
fever and not a cracked skull.
“I won’t deny I feel pretty beat up at the moment.”
“Dr. Hartman said you would pull out of it, but you still had
us very concerned. And of course, Miss Maynard has been posi-
tively beside herself with worry. The sight of you on the floor of
the carriage, with all that blood . . . I believe she was only half a
step away from hysteria.”
Michael was trying to take in this information, but he was still
thinking about Corinna’s news. He realized something that at
least partially explained her lack of enthusiasm. “Did David say
the baby was due in July?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“So Lady Amberley’s ball . . .”
He knew immediately from her expression that this was the
answer. Her eyes had a gleam of suppressed tears. “I will not be
attending.”
Michael felt the disappointment behind her words. The invita-
tion to this event was a prize Corinna had coveted for years. And
now she would not be able to go. He bet that Corinna had suspected
before the accident that she was pregnant but had been denying
it to herself, unable to come to terms with it for this very reason.
David gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I’ve told her there’s
always next year. They’re bound to invite us again. And of course,
attendance at a mere party does not compare with the joys of
starting a family.”

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 Jennifer Delamere

Poor David. He meant well, but those were not the words to
console Corinna. Michael could only hope she would feel differ-
ently once she became a mother.
Corinna stood up. “I will go and get some hot broth made up
for you. Dr. Hartman said you should try to eat something once
you came around. I’ll also dispatch a note to bring him here—I
know he’ll want to see you.”
“Thank you, Corinna. For everything.” He did his best to give
her some solace with those few words. He could see her absorb
his meaning and give a small nod of acknowledgment. Then she
hurriedly left the room.
“I will admit this is a surprise,” Michael said once Corinna had
gone. After thirteen years, it had looked as though the Barkers
were destined to remain childless.
“It was long odds,” David admitted. “Corinna doesn’t allow me
to . . . be as affectionate to her as often as I might like.”
Michael gasped, then coughed to cover it. The last thing he
wanted to know about was the particulars of his sister’s private
life.
David didn’t notice; he was too buoyed by happiness. “Midsum-
mer seems the perfect time of year for a baby’s arrival.”
“Corinna seems less than excited at the prospect,” Michael said.
“Do you suppose there is more to it than her disappointment at
missing the Amberleys’ ball?”
“I expect that’s just a bit of trepidation about childbirth.
Women don’t have it easy in that regard, do they? But with all
the advances in medicine, I told her there’s nothing to worry
about. We’ll make sure she has the very best doctor.”
The very best doctor.
Michael realized he hadn’t asked Corinna for more details
about the woman who’d helped him on the train. He would do
that as soon as he could. After all, she had saved his life. But he

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 The Heart’s Appeal

had to admit he’d been intrigued by her even before the accident.
She’d had an air of confidence and independence that Michael
found refreshing. Her unadorned clothing had only accentuated,
rather than minimized, how attractive she was. Who was she,
and what would make her want to delve into such a formidable
field as medicine? Despite all that was going on with the lawsuit
against the medical college, if Michael could see this woman
again, he wanted very much to do so.

Julia sat reading the newspaper in the spacious parlor of the

town home that served as housing for the students at Queen’s
College.
In another part of the room, four students sat studying to-
gether, throwing out questions and answers from their textbook
on natural science. Julia barely noticed them. She leaned over the
newspaper spread out before her on the table, carefully scanning
each column.
There was a long article describing the accident on the Under-
ground and its aftermath, but there was no further information
about those who’d been taken to the hospital.
She sighed, pushing away the paper and leaning back in her
chair. Lisette Blanco sailed through the door, moving quickly as
she always did. Half French and half Spanish, and only five feet
tall, Lisette was a continual blur of energy. She made a beeline for
Julia’s table and plopped into the chair opposite her. Frowning,
she pointed at the newspaper. “Latine legitur, non quidem hodie.”
Julia looked at her askance, still wrapped up in her concerns
over Michael Stephenson and in no mood to translate Latin.
Her withering look did nothing to daunt Lisette, who assumed
Julia had not understood her. “I said, ‘Shouldn’t you be working
on noun declensions rather than reading the newspaper?’”

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 Jennifer Delamere

“I’m trying to find information about the man I helped after

the accident on the Underground yesterday.”
Lisette’s disapproval was wiped away by eager interest. “You
were there? You must tell me what happened!”
In her excitement, Lisette spoke loudly enough to catch the
attention of the other students in the parlor. They stopped their
conversation and looked at Julia with curiosity.
Julia told them what had happened on the Underground. One
of the students looked shocked when Julia spoke of taking the
first-class carriage without a proper ticket. Lisette, however, never
batted an eyelash. In fact, she gave an approving nod. When Julia
told them about the accident and what she’d done to save Michael,
Lisette shouted, “Bravo! Now I understand why you expected to
read about it in the paper. You saved that man’s life!”
“I’m not interested in personal acclaim. I just want to know
what happened to him.” She picked up Michael Stephenson’s
card, which was lying on the table. “I have his card, at least. He’s
a barrister at Gray’s Inn. I’m thinking of making inquiries there.”
“A barrister?” Lisette plucked the card from Julia’s hand. Her
eyebrows flew up as she read it. She extended the card with a
look of revulsion, as though it were one of the more foul-smelling
specimens they’d been studying in natural sciences. “This is the
man whose life you saved yesterday?”
It came out like an accusation. “Yes,” Julia replied, startled
at Lisette’s tone. She didn’t point out the obvious splotches of
blood on the card.
Lisette dropped the card on the table in disgust. “Do you real-
ize this man is one of the prosecutors in Dr. Tierney’s libel suit?”
Julia’s mouth dropped open in surprise. She knew about the
lawsuit, of course. One of the lecturers at the medical school, Dr.
Tierney, had spoken at a public rally to repeal the Contagious
Diseases Acts. This law directed policemen to arrest prostitutes in

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 The Heart’s Appeal

ports and army towns and force them to be checked for venereal
disease. If the women were found to have any diseases, they were
to be placed in a locked hospital until cured. The purpose of the
acts was to prevent the weakening of the armed forces through
the spread of venereal disease, but in reality they placed terrible
burdens on women. Dr. Tierney had stated at the rally that the
reason the Earl of Westbridge was so adamant in support of the
acts was because his own son had died of syphilis contracted while
serving in the army. The earl vehemently denied this claim and
brought libel charges against Dr. Tierney and the medical college.
The amount he was seeking in damages would ruin the school.
Julia picked up the card and scanned it again. She raised her
eyes back to Lisette. “I thought the prosecuting attorney was a
Mr. Tamblin.”
“Mr. Stephenson shares law chambers with Mr. Tamblin and is
assisting him. He interviewed several of us who were at the rally.”
“He interviewed you?”
“Oh yes. Asked all sorts of questions about what exactly Dr.
Tierney said.” Lisette pulled open her reticule and withdrew a
card from it. “He even left his address in case we should think
of more information to bring to him! Such conceit these men
have.” She brandished the card. It was identical to the one Julia
had—minus the bloodstains. “All that money and trouble they’re
costing the school, trying to keep women from practicing medi-
cine. I wonder what he thinks now—if they even told him it
was a female medical student who helped him.” Her eyes lit up
with amused excitement. “We ought to go to his chambers and
confront him about it—we and all of the medical students!”
“I don’t think he’s there. I went to the hospital this morning,
but they told me he’d already been discharged and that his sister
took him to her house. I have no idea where she lives.”
Colleen Branaugh, another of their fellow boarders, said, “I

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 Jennifer Delamere

daresay it wouldn’t be difficult to find her address. She’s married

to Mr. David Barker, one of the wealthiest men in Kensington.
Although it’s ‘new money,’ which is supposed to make it somehow
less real.”
“Money is money,” another of the women chimed in, to which
everyone nodded their heads in agreement.
“And how do you know so much about Mr. Stephenson’s sis-
ter?” Lisette inquired.
“Mr. Stephenson interviewed me, too,” Colleen admitted. “And
I was struck by how handsome and personable he was, despite
the fact that he’s working on this lawsuit. After all, barristers
can’t always pick their clients, can they? So naturally I wanted
to find out more about him.”
“Naturally,” Lisette repeated with caustic flair. “Colleen Bran­
augh, why are you searching for a husband? Would you give up
a life you can build for yourself?”
“I enjoy reading the society pages, that’s all,” Colleen replied
defensively. “I see no harm in that.”
“How can we find out their address in Kensington?” Julia said.
If there was a way to find Michael Stephenson, she was not going
to pass up the opportunity to see him.

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