The smell of hundreds of trapped animals permeated her carriage as it inched through the Smithfield Market toward the hospital entrance. The noise was deafening, the bellowing of the cattle drowning out every other sound, including the rattle of carriage wheels and the cries of the farm workers who drove the unhappy beasts to market. After an eternity, her carriage finally rolled to a halt in front of the imposing North Gate of St. Bartholomew’s Hospital. The steps were let down and one of her dust-covered footmen handed her to the pavement. “Best have a care, my lady,” he shouted above the din. “It’s as dirty here as you can imagine.” “Thank you, Arthur,” she replied faintly. He shook his head, obviously unable to hear over the noise. She lifted her skirts and picked her way through the dirt, avoiding piles of manure and other debris from the market that didn’t bear looking at. What in God’s name had prompted her to wear a cream-colored Parisian walking dress to a hospital in the East End—especially one directly across from a cattle market?
What do You think about My Favorite Countess (2011)?
