Wives and Daughters Chapter 9 - The Widower and the Widow

In which Mrs. Kirkpatrick, a charming but financially modest schoolmistress, finds herself welcomed into the luxurious and ordered world of the Towers, observing the delicate balances of health, social expectation, and domestic management that govern Lady Cumnor’s household. Meanwhile, the attentive district doctor, Mr. Gibson, contemplates the practicalities and possibilities of companionship as he tends to Lady Cumnor’s health and quietly reflects upon Mrs. Kirkpatrick’s place within their shared acquaintance.