The Doctor's Daughter

This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design. On the eve of her seventeenth birthday, Ruth Brown lives quietly and lovingly at The Firs with her doctor father, tending his comforts while feeling acutely motherless, lonely, and unseen. Her days are filled with lessons, music, tea-making, and solitary evenings, yet she tries to remain cheerful, dutiful, and faithful, wondering whether she is truly making home happy. The arrival of Dr. Arthur Arundel, her father's new partner, begins to stir the stillness with the promise of companionship, and Ruth's hopes rise further when she learns that Mrs. Arundel is expected soon. Birthday gifts, a trip to Worcester, and her father's affectionate thoughtfulness bring Ruth real joy, but Dr. Brown is already making plans to invite his brother's children from India, believing young company may brighten the house. Ruth's visit to Mary Arundel opens a new world of friendship, and through Mary, Vincent, Norman, and others, she discovers both affection and a possible calling in nursing and care. As domestic tensions arise around Mala, the Indian ayah, Ruth and Morris answer with compassion. A cheerful outing to the hills, with children, animals, tea, and a glorious mountain view, crowns this tender story of loneliness giving way to purpose, service, and hope.