THE BEAUTY DOCTOR: A NOVEL

Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard

Audiobook narrator: Lisa Bozek

A Bone-Chilling Mystery-Suspense-Thriller Set in the Edwardian Era

Finalist, Eric Hoffer Book Award

“Beauty is power,” Dr. Rome told her. “And with enough power, one can achieve anything.”

Straightening noses, trimming eyelids, lifting jowls . . . In the year 1907, his revolutionary beauty surgery is considered daring, perhaps dangerous. Still, women want what Dr. Rome promises. Neither is his young assistant Abigail Platford immune to Dr. Rome’s persuasive charm.

Abigail once dreamed of becoming a doctor, though of a much different sort. That dream ended with her father’s tragic death from a medical error for which she holds herself responsible. Dr. Rome, who proudly displays his medical degree from Johns Hopkins, seems to believe in her. If he were willing to act as her mentor, might there still be a chance to realize her dream of someday becoming a doctor serving New York City’s poor?

But something feels terribly wrong, as though an insidious evil is closing in. Broken promises, lies, and intrigues abound. The powerful are threatening to destroy the weak, and a doctor’s sacred duty hangs in the balance. Abigail no longer knows who to believe; but with Dr. Rome now her mentor and her lover, she desperately wants to trust him.

Even when she discovers that one of their patients has mysteriously disappeared.

From bestselling author Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard, a suspenseful work of historical fiction grounded in the social and moral issues of the Edwardian era in America. Second Edition with Author’s Preface.

Excerpt:

In a panic, she ran downstairs to retrieve the stethoscope and a thermometer. When she returned to the twins’ room, wishing not to wake them yet, she started with the stethoscope. First, Melilla’s lungs. Abigail found her breathing somewhat labored, with congestion mainly in the right lung. Next, she listened to her heart; it was beating much faster than it should. Checking Valencia, she discovered nothing out of the ordinary. The stronger twin was, so far, holding her own.

Armed with this new information, Abigail went downstairs again, this time to Franklin’s private office. From his bookcase, she selected a volume on infectious diseases. Since she wasn’t certain of a diagnosis, it seemed prudent to assume the worst. She looked up pneumonia and skimmed the entire chapter before sitting at Franklin’s desk to jot down some essential notes.

“Milk punch to stimulate the heart … quinine, two grains every four hours in a tablespoon of brandy … opium for pain and to calm the cough … linseed poultice covered with oiled silk over the affected lung …”

When finished, she went into the operating room to search the medicine cabinet for the items she would need. Everything was there except milk for the punch and silk for the poultice, both easily obtainable from Prudence.

She put the items into a large bag and headed for the sickroom. The distressing sound of Melilla’s coughing met her at the door. The girls were awake now and sitting up in bed.

“All right, the doctor is in!” she announced, sounding as cheerful as she could.

“Miss Abby!” Valencia squealed. Melilla tried to speak, but the effort only made her cough again. She held a napkin to her mouth, and when she lowered it, Abigail saw a glob of thick, green mucus.

While taking their temperatures, Abigail did her best to make light of their condition. She even joked about how lazy they’d become, lounging around in bed all day. But it was impossible to remain jovial when she saw Melilla’s temperature—102º.

She immediately went to work, following the instructions she had written about the punch and the medicines and the poultice. Prudence brought milk and a piece of silk. After laboring for an hour in preparation of the various remedies, she administered them in the prescribed doses to Melilla, knowing that Valencia would benefit as well through the conjoined twins’ shared circulatory system.

As expected, the opium made them both very sleepy. As soon as they had drifted off, and knowing that nothing further needed to be done for several hours, Abigail tiptoed from the room and shut the door behind her.

“Can I get you some tea, Miss Platford? Or something to eat?” Prudence offered, appearing in the kitchen doorway.

“I’m fine, thank you. But could you manage here by yourself for a little while?”

“Oh yes, ma’am. I’m all rested up now.”

“Please look in on them every fifteen minutes. I’ll be back in about an hour. There are a couple of things I need to take care of right away.”

Wearily, Abigail again descended the wooden staircase to the office. Her plan was to see if Mrs. Krueger would look after Shaena overnight. A lot to ask of a neighbor, but the elderly widow didn’t seem to mind having company. Actually, Shaena was the one most likely to object. She loved that big, soft feather bed, and Mrs. Krueger had only a tiny cot in her spare room.

And there was something else Abigail must do at the apartment. Retrieve the card from the drawer of her night table.

The one with Detective Baldwin’s number.

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Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard is the author of bestselling historical novels. Her 2023 release, Sisters of Castle Leod, is an Amazon Kindle #1 Bestseller (Historical Biographical Fiction, Historical Literary Fiction), winner of the 2023 Maxy Award for Historical and Adventure Fiction, and an Editors’ Choice of the Historical Novel Society. Her biographical novel Temptation Rag (2018) was hailed by Publishers Weekly as a “resonant novel . . . about the birth and demise of ragtime . . . in which romance and creative passions abound.” Elizabeth’s 2017 historical mystery-suspense-thriller, The Beauty Doctor, was a finalist for the prestigious Eric Hoffer Book Award. The book’s re-release (Jan. 4, 2024) features a stunning new cover and an Author Preface with insights into social and moral issues of the Edwardian era that frame this shocking fictional story set in the early days of cosmetic surgery. Before becoming a full-time author, Elizabeth was executive editor of an international aesthetic surgery journal, and senior consultant to the National Cosmetic Network in conjunction with Johns Hopkins University’s plastic surgery educational program. Learn more about Elizabeth and her books at http://www.EHBernard.com.

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