Page 69 of An Arranged Marriage with a Mad Marquess
This was a mistake,Patrina thought with a rush of anxiety.Curse it, Clayton was right. I should have tried to talk him out of coming here.
Agatha laid a hand on Neil’s forearm and leaned forward to whisper something in his ear. Neil nodded, clearing his throat.
“You are right,” Patrina heard him say, above the genteel chatter and clink of cutlery. “Perhaps I do need a moment.”
He half rose to his feet, and things seemed to unfold very slowly.
Patrina saw Neil jerk forward as his knees buckled, and his eyes rolled back in his head. Before she could let out a cry of alarm, he sagged backwards, limp.
He knocked against the table as he fell, jerking at the tablecloth and spilling a tureen of soup. There was a flurry of alarmed cries, and people rose to their feet.
Agatha was the one who caught Neil. She managed to lower him to the ground, carefully.
“Send for the physician,” Clayton announced, voice cutting through the melee with an air of authority. Patrina saw one of the footmen rushing to obey, not even stopping to clarify.
People crowded around Neil, who lay twitching on the ground, face slack and unconscious. Patrina could not even get close to him, until Agatha spoke up.
“Pray, stand back, all of you!” she exclaimed, her tone tinged with exasperation. “Allow me a moment to gather my thoughts, if you please. Let the family have their due time with him!”
Emma pushed through the crowd and dropped to her knees behind her son, Cynthia right behind her. Patrina crouched down beside him, heart thudding.
“This is a worse turn than before,” Harry was saying to no one in particular.
Agatha was kneeling beside Neil, watching him with a frown.
“This fits are odd,” she murmured. “I’ve seen them before, but not in that condition. They were muscle contractions, brought on by a child who accidentally ate…” she trailed off, sitting up. “Is there any medication he takes to manage the fits?”
Patrina cleared her throat, trying to force down the panic. “Yes. He takes a herbal infusion, and there are some drops, for an emergency.”
“I have them here,” Harry said, voice shaking, kneeling down beside her. He opened the bag, showing Agatha the medications. In the background, Lady Ashworth was firmly ushering away the other guests out of the dining room.
Clayton and Thomasin stood quite still. They said nothing, and their faces were blank.
“We should give him his infusion,” Emma said, cradling Neil’s head. Her face was twisted with panic, and she smoothed back Neil’s hair from his forehead in a constant, soothing motion. “His infusions help with the fits.”
“Do they?” Patrina found herself saying. “I don’t know of an occasion where the infusion or the drops have eased one of Neil’s fits or prevented them.”
Emma frowned. “Why would the physician have prescribed them if they did not work? Pray, Patrina, now is not the time for yourchanges. I know you want to make your mark as Lady Morendale, butnotat the expense of my son’s health, please!”
“May I see the medication?” Agatha interrupted, glancing uneasily between Patrina and Emma.
Harry wordlessly handed over the tub of herbs, and the dropper and bottle.
“What ingredients are in these?” Agatha asked, frowning.
The others glanced around at each other, and it struck Patrina that she had simply no idea what might be in the medications.
“Camphor,” Cynthia spoke up in the ensuing silence. “That’s what Mr. Blackburn said. Camphor, mercury of course, a little opium to manage the pain, and willow bark. Of course, none of us know what those ingredients do, but I’m sure the physician knows what he’s doing.”
“You would be surprised,” Agatha muttered. She undid the lid of the tub and sniffed carefully. Her frown increased. She even pinched a bit of the dried herbs, rubbing her fingers together and breathing deeply. “Did the physician mention any of a particular herb? I cannot recall the Latin name, but it’s poisonous in large enough doses and brings on strong fits and muscle contractions.”
“I’ve never heard of such a herb,” Emma answered crisply, drawing herself up straight. “And if it is so dangerous, I amsurethat Mr. Blackburn would not have prescribed it. Really, Miss Simms, whatareyou talking about? Lady Ashworth, could you please ask your cousin to let the experts take charge? Has the physician been sent for? I really think…”
Patrina stopped listening. Neil was still unconscious, but he was breathing evenly and seemed to be in good hands.
Clayton and Thomasin had disappeared. She peered around the room, finally catching a glimpse of the edge of Thomasin’s skirts disappearing into a narrow side door. Climbing to her feet, she followed them without another word.
She heard Thomasin and Clayton before she saw them.
