CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Polidori and Hamilton stepped up through the gauntlet of valets and doormen and into the main lobby of Mivart’s Hotel. The doctor was resplendent in a dark blue frockcoat and vest, fitted chamois pantaloons, and polished knee-length Wellington boots. A sapphire pin secured his signature white silk cravat. The officer was equally splendid in his regimental dress uniform, his chest regaled with a silver Waterloo victory medal hanging from a crimson ribbon with blue trim. A bas-relief of the personified Victory was prominent from the medallion, seated on a plinth underscored by the word Waterloo. Polidori could not have been prouder to walk at his side.
Mary greeted them at the foot of the lobby stair, vibrant in a gown of coquelicot-colored gauze over a white satin slip,
