Page 83 of The Earl's Bluestocking Bride
Kate headed straight over, dragged a drawer out, and pulled out the first nightgown she laid eyes on. She held it up. “Is this all right?”
“Perfect,” Amelia told her. “Bring it here.”
Together, they managed to get Lady Drake into the nightgown and into bed.
“Can you sit with her and remove her hairpins?” Amelia asked Kate. “She might not notice if they’re uncomfortable now, but she certainly will later.”
Kate nodded. “Of course.”
While she did that, Amelia rang for a maid. “When they get here, I want you to ask for cold water and a cloth. Put it on her forehead and refresh the cloth whenever it warms.”
“I understand.”
After a brief hesitation, Amelia left them. She knew Kate would take care of her mother. It was just hard for her to leave when Lady Drake had gone downhill so quickly. She’dbeen fine when they were planning the ball only hours earlier.
She knocked on Andrew’s door.
“Come in,” he called.
She opened the door and stepped through. He lay on the bed, propped up against a pile of pillows, his feet crossed at the ankles.
“Is something the matter?” he asked, reading her expression.
“Your mother has taken ill.” She clasped her hands behind her back, hoping he wouldn’t notice how nervous she was. “I think you should call for a doctor.”
He slid off the bed and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s that serious?”
“According to Kate, she’s vomited at least once. Her head appears to be troubling her, and she’s overly warm.” She’d summed up the situation as succinctly as she could in the hope that he’d come to the same conclusion that she had.
After a moment, he nodded. “You’re right. I’ll have Boden send word to our usual physician. I’ll be there momentarily.”
Amelia returned to Lady Drake’s chambers. Kate sat beside Brigid, mopping her forehead with a wet cloth.
“She’s shivering,” Kate said quietly. “Ought we to be concerned? I don’t want to make her too cold.”
Amelia bit her lip. “Your brother is calling for a doctor. I think that the cool cloth is fine because her temperature is high, but they’ll know better than I do.”
There was a chair in front of the dressing table, so Amelia dragged it over beside the bed and sat. She watched Lady Drake carefully, looking for any changes that could be cause to worry.
A few minutes later, Andrew joined them, standing near her shoulder. “Dr. Tanner will be here soon. I offered him a bonus to ensure it.”
“That was clever.”
“Is there anything else we can do for her in the meantime?”
He sounded frustrated, and she understood. It was difficult to sit around and do nothing when Lady Drake was obviously unwell.
“I don’t know.” She wished she had another answer for him.
A while later, Boden let them know the doctor had arrived, and Andrew went to meet him. Their greetings must have been swift, since he returned scarcely a minute after leaving.
Dr. Tanner rounded the bed to the side opposite Kate and bent over Lady Drake. He was a tall, lean figure with salt-and-pepper hair and kind eyes. He pressed his hand to Lady Drake’s forehead and then to the side of her neck. Ducking closer, he examined the insides of her ears and lifted one of her eyelids.
“Hmm.”
“What is it?” Andrew demanded.
“Difficult to say,” the doctor replied, unhurried. “I can see why you sent for me, but I don’t believe that Lady Drake is in immediate danger. Let her sleep through the night and try to feed her broth in the morning. As long as she remains abed, I imagine she will heal in a couple of days.”
