I entered the room and was greeted with the tell-tale nudge of a demon. The stare grazed me and then left me as the doctor turned back to his papers. Great, I thought. My doctor was a demon. But on first glance he seemed sensible enough to be a doctor.

"Right. My name is Doctor Carwell. Mrs Albert Holben, I presume?"

"Yes!" I said a little overexcited. He rose to shake my hand and I reluctantly gave him my hand. He kissed it gently. At the gesture, I stared, taken aback.

"It's always a great honour to have a witch in my company." he smiled in a way that made me feel uneasy.

He was young. A dark moustache curved around his lips and his hair was neat to match his suit and crisp white shirt.

"Well, my husband works here. He recommended you to me. He didn't, however, mention that you were a demon."

"An American as well. By the accent I would say...Massachusetts. You're not a descendant of the Salem witches are you?"

"I'm from Cambridge in Massachusetts. And yes, I am." I raised my gaze to his eyes.

"Fascinating." his eyes glinted with interest.

"Well then, let's have a look at you."

He moved around the desk and I felt his nudging gaze on my stomach. Instinctively, I put a hand over it, shielding my children from his eyes.

He approached me, removing my hand and replacing it with his. He put a little pressure on my stomach from both sides and then asked me to follow him into another room, an operating theatre. As I entered, I saw a small crowd of men, maybe 12 of them, all huddled together. There were at least two pairs of eyes that were of demons and maybe 6 or 7 that belonged to vampires. They really did seem to like the blood and gore. But I couldn't make out the familiar tingle of witch's eyes. Then again I did not know any witches that had chosen to do medicine.

A shudder of fear overcame me. Was there something wrong? Would he operate on me? And where was Matthew?

Doctor Carwell asked me to lie on the wooden operating table on which evidently more than one person had died. He set up my legs carefully and then spread them apart, placing a hand on my abdomen.

"Right then, I want all of you to pay attention."...

The exam did not take longer than 10 minutes. The doctor explained his actions to the medical students that were eager to learn, while I lay still, trying not to squirm at the mixture of chills and nudges running over my skin. When I reentered Carwell's exam room, I felt a rush of relief flood me. It was over. Reluctantly, I took a seat in the leather chair opposite his desk, waiting for him to return to give me the prognosis.

Five minutes passed before he returned, having answered all the questions his students had asked.

"Alright, Mrs Holben. It seems everything is in order. I hope you didn't mind my pupils observing, they need experience."

"Oh no, thank you ever so much. It means a great amount to me that you bring me this news." I smiled.

"Grand. I shall see you soon then." "Indeed, my husband will see to the next appointment." I nodded acknowledgingly and left.

Outside stood Matthew, his face twisting when he saw me.

"Diana!" his voice was agitated. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me into another room which was empty.

"What on earth are you doing here?!" he exclaimed, the vein on his forehead pulsating at an alarming rate.

"I'm at the doctor's. I had an appointment."

"Yes but you were supposed to go with me! I had a patient to see to. You can't just take off!" he whispered loudly.

"Matthew, I'm a grown woman. I can walk through London alone." I tried to console him but it worked adversely.

"No, you can't. Not in 1891 London. There's a killer on the loose!" he looked genuinely frightened for me, placing a hand on my abdomen.

"Promise me. Promise me you will never leave the house without me." he pleaded and I reluctantly agreed. Why did he have to be so protective? I was a witch after all, I could protect myself more or less, couldn't I?...