Rose in the Brier

by Liz Rein

  “How convenient.” replied Cecilia.

  Pulling up a chair that had obviously been brought up for lunch she set it close to the bed parallel to his leg. Retrieving her bag from where John had set it on the floor Cecilia removed scissors and a probe. Using the scissors she cut the bandage wrapped around Sterling’s thigh. Gazing around the room she located a wastebasket and disposed of the soiled gauze. Leaning over the leg and using her probe she gently prodded the red stitches checking for any infection or excess swelling. After a few minutes she leaned back and exhaled releasing the air from her lungs that she had unconsciously held. She turned to Captain Fairchild with a smile and said “Everything looks fine, there's not too much swelling.”

  Satisfied with his progress she stood and moved the cart next to the bed so that Captain Fairchild would not have to be moved to partake in lunch. She then pulled her chair so that she was on the opposite side facing him for better conversation.

  Sterling did not know what to do with Ms. Wright now that he had her, his plan had not moved beyond seeing her again. Unsure of what to talk about he searched his mind for a topic that was appropriate but not as dull as the usual topics of conversation which was mainly focused on the weather. He decided that discussing the locals and the village was a safe bet, she did live in the area.

  “Have you lived in Blackbrier long?” he asked.

  “Yes, I was born here.”

  “That must mean that you know the locals well then.”

  “I am not aquainted with the gentry but I do know the villagers rather well.”

  “Perfect, I will be starting some improvements to the estate in the coming months and your knowledge should be invaluable.”

  “I am sure that the estate manager, Mr. Jefferson would know them as well I.”

  “Yes, but your probably know them better.”

  “Perhaps.”

  “This morning I met with Jefferson and what little of the property I saw I already have some improvements in mind.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yes, I noticed that one of the fields needs better drainage and I wanted to look into the new ways for harvesting that I had heard about.” Sterling reached up and rubbed his forehead, one of his headaches was coming on.

  Cecilia, a very perceptive person, did not miss the gesture. She also did not miss that he had barely eaten or that he must not have slept very much, he looked fatigued. He needed sleep the most but it seems that he was up early discussing agriculture with Mr. Jefferson.

  “My lord?”

  “Sterling” he insisted

  “Captain Fairchild.” She maintained. “You have a headache, you have not eaten and from the sounds and looks of you, you have not slept. You need to heal, it takes a lot of energy to recover from such a wound, especially after an operation. Discussing the fields is not resting.”

  “I am not-not eating to spite you. I have not had a large appetite for some time.” Not wanting her to think that he was ignoring her advice he hastened to explain that since his injury he had not been very hungry, causing him to lose weight. “Yes, I do have a headache, it seems like I have had a headache for one reason or another for months. It has nothing to do with my fall the other day and I am sure that it shall go away soon. Plus I did sleep last night and woke late this morning; I only just spoke to Jefferson.”

  Looking at him Cecilia thought that for a man who had slept so much he still looked tired. “I am going to leave and I want you to continue resting. If you cannot sleep just relax, no estate business. I understand that there is an extensive library downstairs.”

  “You will be return tomorrow, correct?”

  “Yes, I will be here tomorrow to check on your leg.”

  “And for lunch.”

  “Yes, and for lunch. Good day.” and with that she gathered her bag and departed.

  Sterling laid back into the pillows satisfied. He had not made a great showing today but he would see her tomorrow. What little he had seen of her intrigued him and he wanted to see more.

  ****

  Perplexed over Captain Fairchild’s continued lack of appetite, headaches and fatigue that he was experiencing, on the way home after lunch, Cecilia decided to consult her medical texts. She vaguely recalled an article about musket wounds and similar symptoms and she wanted to see if he was suffering from the same condition and if there was a cure. Focused, she exited the carriage without waiting for John to open the door and made a beeline to the library. She absently waved goodbye at John as she entered the house. John, used to her single minded concentration smiled to himself remembering the past when they used to make calls together.

  Cecilia quickly removed her bonnet and gloves, placed them on the sideboard in the hallway. Then she walked up to the bookshelves lining the library walls. She pulled down several texts and journals that she thought the article was in. Her arms full, she walked to her favorite chair which was situated in the corner and stacked the books on the floor. She toed off her slippers, curled up in the large, deep, leather wing backed chair and picked up the first book and began reading, quickly skimming the chapter headings in the table of contents.

  After several hours pouring over the articles she finally found the article she remembered. Written by a former field doctor, it described the symptoms of soldiers who were shot and the musket balls that had shattered, making it hard to remove all the pieces. The pieces caused what he called lead poisoning. Symptoms included; muscle weakness, lack of appetite, changes in sleeping patterns, headaches and weight loss. Sitting back in the chair Cecilia stared at the volumes lining the walls of the library and began thinking. Sterling said that he had been having headaches and no appetite but she wondered if the dramatic weight loss was also a result of the lead poisoning rather than his previous illness. He had not indicated restless sleeping but he may have attributed that to just being in the war.

  Deciding she needed a break while pondering, Cecilia got up and stretched her sore limbs then made her way to the kitchen to make some tea. Mary and Ella were in the kitchen preparing dinner. Mary was putting the finishing touches on a meat pie and Ella was lying on a soft blanket playing in the middle of the room with wooden blocks. Suddenly hungry as well as thirsty, Cecilia offered to help. Together they skinned and boiled some young potatoes from the garden and toasted some slices of bread as the meat pie cooked.

  Following dinner Cecilia scrubbed the dishes as Mary put Ella to bed. Finished, she returned to the library to search for something to help with the lead poisoning. She remembered years ago some women used a face power, the Venetian Ceruse, with lead in it to achieve a pale complexion. With constant use those women suffered from what the doctors believed was lead poisoning, showing symptoms of headaches and fatigue. She recalled reading a theory from a physician that women who used the powder and drank orange juice were not as affected by the damage the lead caused.

  She searched the medical journals for the article as Cecilia wondered to herself if the same treatment could help Captain Fairchild. Maybe now that the lead musket ball pieces were out of his leg his symptoms would decrease or even cease to exist. It was a farfetched correlation but anything as benign as orange juice was worth a try, even if it only helped minimally. Finding the article, a quick scan showed that she remembered correctly, although unproven, orange juice may help. Not foreseeing any adverse effects she decided to suggest the treatment to Captain Fairchild. Cecilia knew where she could get the fresh oranges; she just needed Captain Fairchild to request them from the orangery’s owner.

  The next afternoon, after a long night of more research Cecilia felt that she had all her ducks in a row and was prepared to speak with Captain Fairchild about his treatment. She was gathering her journals and notes when she heard the carriage pull up and she was reaching for her frock when John knocked on the door. Mary was the first one to reach it as she was in the salon, closer to the door. Opening the door she invited John in and Cecilia called out “I will be just one moment, John. I am gatheri
ng my things.”

  A few moments later she walked through the door carrying a satchel with her research as well as her medical bag. John immediately took both articles from her and Cecilia reach for her bonnet, hanging from the hook by the door. Slipping on the bonnet and tying the bow under her chin at a jaunty angle she smiled at John and said “I am ready to go.”

  The carriage ride was quick and Cecilia was eager to speak with Captain Fairchild. She felt the excitement that occurs when she knows she can help someone. This time she felt it even more so, deep down she knew that this was more. Not wanting to examine her feelings too closely, she stepped down from the carriage and pulled herself together.

  She did not need to knock on the door, when she reached the top step Garvis was at the door to greet her. “Milady” he greeted

  “Garvis” she returned ”I will show myself up to his lordship’s room, no need to escort me.” She then turned to John to collect her bags, John seeing her intent pulled the bags closer to himself and raised an eyebrow as if to say I don’t think so.

  Seeing the exchange Garvis smiled to himself and returned to supervising the staff.

  Entering the master suite Cecilia motioned John, who had followed her up the stairs, to put her bags down on the floor beside the bed. When he was finished he turned and left closing the door behind him. She approached the bed and asked “How are you this afternoon Captain Sterling?”

  “Good, the stitches itch a little bit though.”

  “That’s good it means that it is healing, knitting the skin back together.”

  Leaning down she unlatched her physician bag and pulled out her tools and supplies, with the same movements as the day before she quickly finished her exam then wrapped the leg in fresh bandages.

  Satisfied that the thigh was still healing properly she recovered his leg with the blankets and sat down in the club chair that she had moved closer to the bed the day before. “Before lunch arrives I wanted to discuss with you a thought I had.”

  At Captain Fairchild’s nod to go on Cecilia continued “Yesterday you mentioned that you have migraines and you had lost a good two stones since your injury. I think that the musket bullet pieces that I pulled from your leg have given you a case of lead poisoning. There are other symptoms than weight loss and fatigue including restless sleep and fatigue. Have you experienced any of those symptoms?”

  Ms. Wright’s questions gave Sterling pause, he had thought that his restless slumber for some time was an after effect of the war. He was so used to doing without sleep or sleeping lightly for the last two years that it did not occur to him that his patterns should have changed when he returned to England. And exhaustion was another after effect of war and not sleeping well.

  Happy to confirm her suspicions, but not the result on Captain Fairchild, she pulled out all the research from her satchel that she had collected and began explaining her findings. “I remembered reading an article from a field surgeon about soldiers with weight loss and fatigue. He thought that it was a result of lead poising. Then I read a text on lead poisoning that women contracted in the last century because of the lead in their face paint.” Cecilia pulled both articles from her papers and handed them to Sterling. ”That doctor noted a decrease in effect to women who drank orange juice regularly. I believe, if you drink orange juice you may see a faster improvement on your condition.” After speaking Cecilia sat in expectant silence as she watched Sterling peruse the texts she gave him.

  Sterling quickly skimmed through Cecilia’s findings and the laid the papers down on his lap. Turning to Cecilia he said “I trust that you will do what you think is best and I think that your proposal makes perfect sense and orange juice couldn't hurt. So... I guess the next step is to find an orange tree.”

  Cecilia let out the little breath she was holding in and smiled. Sterling for the first time experiencing the full force of that smile, resolved to make that smile appear as often as he could.

  “Squire Helm has an orangery but his wife doesn’t approve of me so I would not be able to get them for you but…” Cecilia trailed

  “If I were to personally ask for them they may be more forthwith” Sterling finished for her.

  “Yes.” she agreed.

  “I‘ll send Thomas around with a note. I shall probably have to dine with them one evening after I have healed. Something I would rather avoid if they are insufferable.”

  “They are not insufferable.”

  “They must be if they disapprove of you.”

  Cecilia was warmed by him sentiment and blushed at the off handed compliment. Both pleased with the outcome they settled into their lunch enjoying the hearty meal and good conversation.

  The next morning Sterling fished through the invitations that had been arriving at his door since he took up residence. It took no time at all to find a letter from Squire Helm and his lady wife inviting him to a country dinner at his convenience. He wrote a quick note apologizing that he could not attend anytime in the near future due to an injury but promised to contact them as soon as he was up and about.

  Calling John the footman, he had him deliver the note that morning. A few hours later he received a reply from Lady Helms promising to hold a special dinner in his honor as soon as he was healed from his ailment. He wrote back accepting her offer and stating that he should be well enough for polite company in a fortnight or so.

  ****

  Over the fortnight Sterling’s thigh healed fairly quickly under Cecilia’s watchful eye. She checked on him during lunch everyday making sure that he did not put any weight on it and remained in bed. The outside of the wound closed within a few days but Cecilia knew that the healing from the inside would take the most time. Even with his leg healing Sterling still suffered from fatigue and headaches. She hoped that once he starts the orange juice regimen his symptoms will disappear.

  Two weeks from the day that Sterling fell from his horse Cecilia gave her approval for Sterling to start moving around with the aid of crutches. She arrived for lunch that day with John the footman in tow carrying a set of wooden crutches. Anticipating moving around more Sterling eagerly prepared to stand up with the crutches under his arms. Cecilia seeing his eagerness cautioned Sterling about overdoing it calling Thomas into the room, Sterling swung his legs over the side of the bed and scooted to the edge. With Cecilia on one side and Thomas on the other, they maneuvered the crutches under his arms and with a count of three stood together. Cecilia was concerned about too much pressure on the leg as well as Sterling’s strength, the operation and the fortnight of bed rest and fatigue he was already suffering from made him weak. Wobbly, standing on his one good leg, Sterling smiled at Cecilia.” It is nice to be standing rather than laying in repose all day. Another few days on my back and I believe that a trip to Bedlam would be in order.” Sterling said looking down at her. “Now that I think of it this is the first time that we have stood eye to eye, so to speak.”

  Just then Sterling wavered, his balance tilting him wildly. Thomas caught him, settling Sterling back down on to the bed. “Not for long” he said ruefully.

  Cecilia smiled at Sterling without comment and took the crutches. Leaning them up against the wall Cecilia addressed both Sterling and Thomas. “You are only to use the crutches for a few minutes at a time, my lord.” She did not want him using the crutches more than a few hours a day and no more that ten minutes at a time. Sterling agreed to her dictates then said, ”I guess it is time to call upon the Helms.”

  Chapter Nine

  Sterling arrived at Squire Helm’s home in the Blackbrier Park carriage, he would have preferred to ride but he was under strict instructions from Cecilia not to strain his leg. He was greeted at the door by the butler who was waiting for him. When he entered the house he struggled to hand his hat and overcoat to a footman waiting, working with his crutches made it difficult. Free of his outer layers he followed the butler into the salon where Squire and Lady Helms waited for him.

  They were not alone, i
t seems that half the local gentry were waiting for his arrival. When the butler announced him he became the center of attention. Sterling could see that his presence in the neighborhood had kicked up a lot of speculation as he was given close scrutiny from one and all. He watched as their eyes went from his face to his scar to his crutches. From the shock on their faces he guessed that the news of his injury had not spread throughout the countryside as he thought.

  He pretended to not notice the attention as his host approached. Sterling’s first impression of the couple was that Squire Helms was the typical country squire with a bulging stomach and ruddy complexion, happy to live his life with the foxes and hounds. The only detraction from his estimation was the firm handshake and intelligence he found when their eyes met. Lady Helms was all that she seemed upon first impression, a local society matron whose position in society was all she lived for, the kind of ladies he had met all over London who lived for gossip.

  After a quick introduction Sterling said, “I must excuse myself, I did not mean to schedule our dinner during a supper party. If it is more convenient I can dine with you some other time.”

  Lady Helms tittered then said, “Don’t be silly Captain Fairchild, when you accepted our invitation I let my dearest friends know and they were so excited to meet you that they insisted that they come to dinner as well.”

  It looked to Sterling like she spread the news to everyone she had ever met, There was at least forty members of the local society present.

  “I hope you do not mind that our simple dinner had turned into a welcome party.” She continued.

  Seeing no other options Sterling gave Lady Helm a smile and said, “Of course not Lady Helms I would love the opportunity to meet all of my new neighbors.”

  “Then let me introduce you to the room.” Sterling followed his hosts around the room as he was introduced to everyone in the room. Lady Helms did so with an expression on her face like the cat who got the cream.