THE STORY SO FAR
England, 1740s. Kitty Bell is left alone and penniless after the death of her parents. She travels to Highgate Village in London and finds work in a bakery run by Mrs Maitland and her son James. As time passes, she and James fall deeply in love. From her late father, a doctor, 19-year-old Kitty has inherited a passion for science and medicine. In her spare time, she studies these subjects to fulfil her ambition to be an apothecary. After helping an injured co-worker, she gains a reputation as a healer and treats the poor who cannot afford to pay a doctor. This makes her an enemy of Nathaniel Eliot, a jealous local physician. When an elderly woman dies after Kitty has given her a mild herbal drink, Eliot sees his chance. He goes to the authorities and accuses Kitty of causing the woman’s death. She is arrested and sent for trial.
Katherine Bell, you have been found guilty on the charge of manslaughter.’
As the verdict was read out, Mrs Maitland uttered a whimper of anguish. The judge shot a disapproving glance towards the sound, before looking again at Kitty.
‘You are to be transported to the American colonies for a period of 10 years.’
Slumped in his seat, James was heartbroken. He had done everything he could, hiring a lawyer and getting together character witnesses. The fatal flaw in Kitty’s case was that there was no one to challenge Eliot’s opinion, backed by some of his medical cronies, that it was Kitty’s ‘irresponsible physicking’ that had led to the woman’s
