Ada & The Queen (The Woodhouse Series #3)

Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

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*Bethlem Royal Hospital, Beckenham/Woodhouse Residence, Belgravia*

This could be the stupidest thing I have ever done.

Theodore, Emerson and even Adler would hang me if they found out about this.

I stood outside the imposing facade of the most mysterious places known to the outside world.

Stories of this place were centred around the macabre and horrors. The people here were monsters and needed to be separated from society.

The reality was from it.

Bethlem Royal Hospital was very crudely also known as "Bedlam" - a place of chaos and crazies.

In reality, it was a place where people went when they were a danger to themselves. It was a place where they were safe and cared for - psychiatry had developed significantly from those days when the lunatics were seen as human defects.

I headed into the front entrance, greeting a woman at the front desk.

"No tours running today, I'm afraid..." A cockney woman spoke, not even looking at me and I frowned.

"Oh no...I'm not here for that..." I replied and she lifted her head, looking at me.

"Then why are you here?"

"I am here...to see a patient?"

"We are not taking visitors right now..." She said, looking back down to whatever it was she was doing and I frowned.

"I have been asked to go speak to this patient..." I emphasised and she pouted, looking back up at me.

"By who?"

"Dr Theodore Woodhouse..." It was out before I could get it back and I cursed myself internally.

I will suffer the consequences afterwards but I needed to get it in one way or another.

"Wait here..." The woman stood up and headed to the right where there were double wooden doors.

I sighed, calming my nerves.

I had to be confident about this if I was going to do it.

There was a scream from someone in the building and I gripped the strap of my satchel bag around me.

I had to be brave.

The woman returned with a tall man who was smiling. His face was long and he had long black sideburns that came down his jawline, stopping a few inches above his chin. His hairline was receding a little, and his dark hair was perfectly groomed. He wore a black suit with a white shirt and dark red cravat.

"I hear you are here in place of Dr Woodhouse?" The man said in a received pronunciation accent similar to my brothers. "Dr George Savage..." He replied, bowing his head a little.

"Dr Savage..." I said. "I am here for Dr Woodhouse. He has requested me to go speak to the man who was brought in for the attempted assassination of Her Majesty some time ago?"

"That can be arranged, but we need a name for the records?" He gestured to the woman who retrieved a large book and I nodded, walking over to the front desk to sign in.

I skimmed the names already present and it seems the last time Theodore and Adler were here was when the man was first brought in.

I quickly signed the ledger.