Mary Elizabeth Braddon - Lost for Love

EXCERPT: In all things that he did, Flora's well-being was the doctor's paramount consideration. He brought pleasant people to his house; men of professional standing, and their wives. He sought to win friends for her, and the gentle charm of her manner endeared her to the people he brought about her, almost in spite of herself. To know her was to love her.
To Cuthbert Ollivant's small circle of intimates Flora was known only as his ward.