Simon blinked like he didn’t understand. “I don’t know,” he finally said.
John looked around the room and saw a basin of water and a towel. He got up and went to the basin, soaked the towel in water and took it back and placed in on Simon’s forehead.
“You came to see me?” Simon asked weakly.
“Your neighbor sent me a note that you were ill.”
“How kind.”
“And I’m here now. I’m going to make sure you get better.”
Simon didn’t answer, but closed his eyes and settled back into the bed, letting himself be cared for.
John administered to Simon for a while and then said, “I’m going to find your neighbor. I need to find the doctor that’s been treating you and get him to come back.”
Simon rocked his head back and forth like he was uncomfortable.
“I’ll be back as quickly as I can,” he said.
He got off the bed, threw some coal on the dying fire and rushed downstairs, stopping to light a lamp before leaving the house.
Number ten was just a few houses down the way and John knocked on the door. An elderly lady answered.
“May I help you?” she asked.
John introduced himself, explained his mission, and asked if Sir Casper was in.
“He is, Your Grace. Please come inside.”
The lady led the way inside to a sitting room with a comfortable fire.
“Please, Your Grace, Sir Casper will be right with you.
“Thank you.”
John looked around the room. It was well furnished and obviously the home of a gentleman. Presently, Sir Casper appeared. He was an elderly gentleman of good demeanor.
“Your Grace, thank you for coming so quickly.”
“Yes, I’ve just seen my brother and he is certainly not at all well. I was hoping you might call the doctor who has been attending to him. I will, of course, pay for his services and reimburse you for anything you have spent up to now.”
Sir Casper dismissed the offer with a wave. “It was nothing. I am happy to help however I can. Doctor Bartholomew does not live far. I shall have Margaret fetch him immediately.”
He left the room and returned almost instantly. “She’s been sent. I suggest we go to your brother; I’ve instructed the doctor to meet us there.”
“Sir Casper, there is no need for you to go with me. I shall stay with my brother as long as necessary. And thank you again for your assistance. And if you’re ever near Haverford, please be my guest.”
“Most cordial of you,” Sir Casper said.
“Good day, then,” John said, leaving the house and going directly back to Simon.
John went to Simon’s bedside. He was conscious but sweating profusely. John wet the towel with water again and put it on Simon’s forehead.
“You don’t have any staff to care for you?” John asked.
“I had to let them go. I couldn’t pay them anymore.”
“You have no one?” Simon shook his head. “When did you last eat or drink anything?”
“I don’t know.”
John was upset. “Simon, the doctor will be here presently and as soon as he arrives I’m going to make some tea and prepare you some food.”
Simon laughed gently. “You know how to cook?”
“Don’t you remember us making Mother breakfast together when she was ill?” Simon nodded. “You do have tea, no? And food?”
“Tea yes. Food… not so much.”
There was a knocking at the street door.
“That must be the doctor, I’ll be right back.”
John raced down the stairs and opened the door.
“The Duke of Lennox?” the man at the door asked.
“Yes. Doctor Bartholomew?”
“I am.”
“Please come in. And thank you for attending to my brother earlier.”
“How is he?”
“Very high fever, and in and out of consciousness.”
“Then I must see him immediately.”
John led the way up the stairs, and asked, “Do you have any idea what his illness might be?”
“I suspect scarlet fever. It’s been widely reported recently. But I’ll be able to tell more when I see him. Last time I was here the symptoms were inconclusive.”
They went into Simon’s bedroom and the doctor went immediately to John’s brother.
“Do you need me?” John asked. “I was going to make tea and fix him some food. Would you like tea?”
“Not for me. And please wait until I’ve examined him before you prepare food. Not sure he can eat much just yet or would be able to keep it down if he did. But he certainly needs lots of liquids. And most importantly, we need to get his fever down.”
“I’ll wait then.”
John stood at the side of the room and waited for the doctor to make his examination. Finally, Doctor Bartholomew turned to John and said, “See the red rash on his chest? It’s definitely scarlet fever. Just as I suspected.”
“What can be done for him?”
“I’ll drain some blood. That should help. And lots of liquids, and keep using the wet towel, to bring the fever down. And wait until he asks for food before you feed him.”
“And what about nursing? Should I hire a nurse?”
“If you like, but you can also attend to him. It’s up to you. There’s not much that can be done except for what I’ve told you.”
“How long will he take to heal?”
“Can’t say.” He stood up and came over to John and said quietly, “There is no guarantee he will even survive. This is a very dangerous disease. In fact, you might be in danger too.”
“Oh… what must I do to protect myself?”
“Burn all his clothing, sheets, anything that might be contaminated. And let me know if you feel any illness coming on.”
This frightened John and his first thought was for Elizabeth, Aunt Clarissa, and Miss Susan. What would they do if he died? But he shook off those thoughts and replied. “Yes, Doctor, I will dispose of the contamination.”
“Then I shall get to work with the bloodletting. And keep applying the wet towels.”
Simon was unconscious during the procedure, and John kept the towel wet. When the doctor had finished, he stood and disposed of the blood.
When he returned he said, “I must go. What we are looking for now is for his fever to break. If there are any changes, let me know. Here is my card where I can be reached. It’s just down the street and around the corner. And I should bill you where?”
“Haverford Estate, near Preston, Kent.”
“Sir,” the doctor said, touching his hat. And good evening.”
Chapter 20
Although Susan’s thoughts were with Simon and John, she felt it might be a good idea to go visit her parents while John was in London. There would be nothing more the two of them could do on the school planning until he returned, and there was nothing Susan or Clarissa could do to help John or Simon from Haverford.
“Can I go with you?” Elizabeth asked after Susan told her she was leaving.
Susan had never considered that but thought it might be a good idea. It was time for Elizabeth to begin going out in the world. She needed to widen her horizons and discover what lay outside of Haverford Estate.
“Let me speak to Aunt Clarissa about that. And if she agrees, then I agree.”
Elizabeth clapped. “Yes. Yes. I want to go. And will we see Miss Katherine as well?”
“I expect so. She lives nearby.”
After it was decided she could go, it was impossible to get Elizabeth to attend to her studies. All she could concentrate on was the adventure. Finally, Susan gave up and suggested they go for a walk by the lake.
It was a blustery early November day. Newly fallen leaves were scudding along the path and, even though it was cloudy, the sun would break through occasionally and send beams of light to enliven the landscape.
They came to the edge of the lake and starte
d walking around the perimeter. The margin of the lake was frozen but there was still open water in the middle where a spring fed the lake.
“Can I learn to swim?” Elizabeth asked.
“Of course, you can. But it would be a bit chilly at the moment.”
“I know that. I’m not silly.”
“Next summer. Maybe you could have lessons with Sara and Patrick. Would you like that?”
“Oh yes.”
Sara skipped on ahead and picked up a stick to poke at the ice. Susan caught up with her and they continued walking. A breeze was picking up and it was starting to get colder. Susan suggested they head back to the warm fire in the school room.
Elizabeth looked up at Susan and took her hand. “Did you know my mommy?” she asked.
Susan looked down at her.
“No. I never met her.”
“I think about what she must have been like.”
“You should talk to Aunt Clarissa about that. She knew her very well.”
“You know; I miss her even though I never knew her. Is that strange?”
“Not at all.”
“I think about you as my mommy sometimes.”
“Yes, dear. I know you do. And you know I love you. But your mommy should have a very special place in your heart just for her.”
“Cook said we’d have scones for tea today. Isn’t that nice?” And Elizabeth skipped on ahead.
* * *
Susan arranged for the carriage to take her and Elizabeth to her home and return to pick them up in three days. That seemed to be quite enough time to visit with her family and to have a good gossip with Katherine.
Susan had sent a note ahead announcing her visit, and she was surprised to find not only her mother and father but also her sister and brother’s families waiting for her as well.
“O-o-o, isn’t she adorable!” Mamma gushed, when she beheld Elizabeth, squeezing her little head between her hands and giving her face numerous kisses until Elizabeth wiggled free.
“Daughter, how be it wid ya?” Papa asked.
“Fine, Papa. And it’s so good to see all of you,” she said in greeting to her family.
First, all the news had to be shared. Louisa was expecting her first child and Jacob and his wife were expecting their second. Mamma presented Susan with a crocheted bed jacket she’d made. And Papa emptied his pipe, refilled it, and lit it up again. It was good to be home.
Louisa found a moment to take Susan aside from all the activity and asked, “I’ve heard some rumors about you and Katherine’s brother. Are they true?” she asked with a big grin.
“Depends on what you heard. Daniel and I have been seeing each other. And there is a mutual interest, but nothing is concluded.”
“Why not?” Louisa pushed.
“I don’t want to rush things. I’m very committed to being with Elizabeth for several years at least, and Daniel is constantly at sea. It’s difficult to see how things can develop much beyond us being friends at this stage.”
“Oh, Susan, but he’s so-o-o handsome and manly.”
“That’s true. But it doesn’t count for much when he’s never around.”
“Oh, but a beautiful sea captain…”
“Louisa, you have a fine husband. Now let go of your little fantasy.”
Louisa laughed. “I know.”
“And speaking of which, where is your husband? I want to find out what’s going on at my old school.”
“He’s talking to Papa.”
“I’ll let him be for now then. But I’ll corner him later,” Susan said.
Mamma clapped her hands and announced, “Lunch is ready. Everybody come and enjoy.
The rowdy group was soon surrounding the kitchen table where the food was laid out buffet style.
It didn’t take long after lunch for parlor games to start up. And both her mother and father looked very happy with the house filled with all the noise and laughter. However, Susan could see that Elizabeth was fading fast. Not only had she been subjected to a lot of new stimuli, but it was nearing her nap time as well, so Susan gathered her up into her arms, and took her upstairs to her old room and lay her down on her bed. But Elizabeth was already asleep before Susan could take her shoes off and pull the comforter up over her.
And to be honest, Susan was a bit exhausted as well. She lay down on the bed next to Elizabeth to close her eyes for just a moment before she went back downstairs. But she drifted off to sleep and didn’t awaken until Louisa shook her and whispered, “Here you are. We wondered what happened to you. Come back down, people are starting to leave and want to say good-bye.”
“Oh, my…” Susan said as she sat on the edge of the bed and shook off her sleepiness. “I’ll be right down. I just need to check on Elizabeth first.”
Louisa left and Susan, seeing that Elizabeth was still asleep, gave her a kiss on the cheek and went down to say good-bye.
* * *
Elizabeth slept that night in Susan’s bed and in the morning they awoke to a bright sunny day. The air was crisp and there was not a cloud in the sky. Susan decided she and Elizabeth would walk over to visit Katherine. Susan had dropped her a note from Haverford, saying they would be visiting, but had not mentioned bringing Elizabeth.
“Darling Susan,” Katherine greeted with open arms, after answering the front door. She looked down and saw Elizabeth. “And who do we have here? Miss Elizabeth, do you remember me?” Katherine asked as she knelt down to the girl’s height.
“You played with me at home. I remember. I’m not a dummy, you know.”
Katherine laughed. “You certainly are not.” Katherine stood up. “Come in, come in. O-o-o, there’s a chilly breeze,” she said as she rubbed her arms to warm them up.
Katherine led the way down the hall to the sitting room. “Tea?”
“That sounds lovely,” Susan said. “Would you like some?” she asked Elizabeth who nodded eagerly.
They followed Katherine into the kitchen.
“Any wedding news?” Susan asked.
“I have my dress,” Katherine said, with a twinkle in her eye. “You must see it.”
“Oh, yes.” Susan had been dying to ask the question but had waited as long as she could. “And have you heard from Daniel?” she asked shyly, not wanting to sound too eager.
“We have not. But he’s only been gone a couple of months. We usually don’t expect to hear from him that soon.”
“I see,” Susan said, disappointed.
Katherine cast her a glance. “You’re not used to it yet—the long waiting. But you will in time. I’m sorry. I know it’s difficult,” she said, sympathetically. Then she turned to Elizabeth who was looking bored and asked, “Do you like books with drawings?”
“Oh, yes.”
“We have one I think you’ll like. It’s got all the animals of India. Would you like to see it?”
“Yes, please,” Elizabeth beamed.
Katherine took her to the sitting room, got down the book from the bookshelf, and gave it to her. When she came back to the kitchen, she asked Susan, “How are you holding up over there in the big house?”
“It’s lovely. Aunt Clarissa is wonderful, and I adore teaching Elizabeth. But it gets a bit lonely sometimes. I don’t go out shopping like I used to, and I miss all my children from my old school, but the Duke and I are preparing for his new school and I am so looking forward to getting started with that.”
Katherine laughed. “And the guests from hell, did they finally leave?”
Susan laughed. “They did.” Then she told Katherine about the voracious Miss Fitz and how she tried to wrangle an invitation from the Duke to come back for a visit—alone.
“What a schemer. And is he interested in her? She certainly put everything up front with him—didn’t she?
“I have no idea. He was always very polite. But I couldn’t tell if he was interested or not.” Susan hesitated, but finally said, “But there’s something else...”
“Yes?” Katherine as
ked with peeked interest.
“It’s about Simon.”
“Simon? I thought he was out of your life for good.”
“It seems not. He’s very ill and John has gone to London to help him.”
Diaries of a Heartbroken Duchess: A Historical Regency Romance Collection Page 20