“I see.”
When no one responded from inside the room, Athena said, “Open the door.”
“But—”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” She snatched the key from the clerk and thrust it into the lock. One second later she crossed the threshold and froze. The room was eerily dark with curtains still drawn. And there was a sound – a raspy sort of breathing coming from within the adjoining bedchamber. Leaping across the floor, Athena dashed to Robert’s side. “Bloody hell and a thousand damnations!”
“Athena, you shouldn’t—”
“Don’t you dare tell me what I should or should not do,” Athena snapped at her brother. Tears stung her eyes as her throat clogged with emotion. “Fetch the damn physician if you want to make yourself useful.”
“I merely wished to say that you probably shouldn’t get too close to him. He’s obviously deathly ill and I’d hate for you to—”
“Just go,” she sobbed as she pressed her palm to Robert’s scorching hot forehead. “Now!”
He was barely out the door before she’d located a handkerchief. After wetting it in the washbasin, she spread it across Robert’s brow. He groaned softly in response, drawing her attention to his chapped lips. Unsure of how to help him drink when he was lying down and barely lucid, she found another handkerchief and, after soaking it, attempted to squeeze the water into his mouth. He groaned again, though she wasn’t sure whether the sound he made was one of gratitude or irritation.
Tucking the covers around him, she made sure he was properly covered by his blanket, then went to open the window. The room was too stuffy. The sickly smell filling it would not improve anyone’s health. Of course, it was freezing outside, so she had to take care that letting a bit of crisp air inside did not make him worse.
Athena glanced at the fire burning in the grate, added a log, and turned to the clerk who still stood near the door. Uncertainty marred his features. “Some tea please, along with some honey and a bowl of hot soup, if you have it.”
“We have one with ox tail and one with chicken,” he said, shifting his feet. “Which would you prefer?”
“Bring up the chicken soup, please. Strained so the meat and vegetables are separate from the liquid.”
“I’ll see to it right away.” The clerk left.
Athena returned to Robert’s bedside, checked the compress and, finding it warm, went to soak it again in cool water before returning it to his forehead.
His eyes blinked in response to her touch. “Drink.”
She poured some water into a glass, did her best to raise him into more of a sitting position, and held the glass to his lips. With trembling hands, he clasped it, and drank. His eyes opened wider, into a squint. “Athena?”
“Yes, my love. I’m here.”
“Should be at church,” he told her hoarsely. “Must get married.”
“Hush now and rest. We’ll get married later.”
A wheezing snore was his only response. He’d already fallen back asleep. Athena lowered his head to the pillow and set the glass aside. Where was the blasted physician? She clamped her jaw tightly and fought the urge to cry, but in spite of her stalwart attempts, tears still rolled down her cheeks. Please, she prayed, don’t leave me now. She lay down next to Robert’s body and held on for all she was worth.
It felt like forever before Charles returned. He brought with him a man who introduced himself as Dr. Donovan. Athena stared at the much-too-young physician a moment before addressing her brother. “Where is Dr. Farendale?”
“Away for the next two weeks, according to his housekeeper.”
Athena’s heart sank. The Townsbridge family physician was a man she trusted implicitly. He’d cared for her every time she’d been sick, and she wanted him to care for Robert too. Despair swept through her. Dr. Donovan didn’t look like he was one day older than she, which to her frame of mind was cause for great alarm.
Additional tears pooled against her lashes. “It is imperative to me that Robert survives.”
“I know that,” Charles told her, his voice conveying a calm she could not comprehend at the moment. He glanced at the only option he’d brought. “Dr. Donovan cared for Lilly and Lucas earlier this year when they came down with a bout of chickenpox. He is a competent man. Please give him a chance.”
“Fine.” Athena looked at the youth who stood wavering near the door. It wasn’t as if she had much choice. “Please examine my fiancé and let me know what I am to do in order to help him recover.”
Dipping his head in acknowledgement, Dr. Donovan moved to the bed and sniffed the air. Athena sank onto a nearby chair with a bleak sigh. She’d have been better off trying to haul Robert to the nearest hospital. She watched with decreasing hope as Dr. Donovan went through the motion of checking Robert’s forehead, feeling his pulse, and listening to his breathing.
When he eventually straightened and took a step back from the bed, his expression was grim. “I believe his lordship has influenza.”
Athena had suspected as much, but having someone verify her opinion caused her insides to wilt in a way she’d never experienced before. The disease was too often deadly.
Still, the physician could be wrong, could he not? Perhaps all this was, was a serious cold. Unwilling to accept his prognosis, Athena asked him directly, “Do you even possess a university education?”
Dr. Donovan gave her a frank stare. “I studied medicine in Edinburgh for five years, during which I apprenticed under Sir Charles Bell.”
“Well then.” Athena gave the young physician a grudging frown. “How would you advise us to proceed?”
“Unfortunately, there is very little we can do besides make him comfortable, ensure he eats, drinks, and receives as much rest as possible. Sleep, sustenance, and keeping his temperature down are the only remedies. The rest will be up to him.”
Jaw tight, Athena clenched her fists and stood. She wanted to throw something at the useless fellow, scream and rail at him until she was hoarse.
“Athena,” Charles warned as if sensing her state of deteriorating calmness, “Dr. Donovan did have to leave a luncheon meeting in order to come here, and having Robert’s condition confirmed is surely of some use.”
She nodded, thanked the physician, and went to help the maid who’d just arrived with a tray filled exactly with what Athena had ordered. Finally, someone who knew how to step in and do what their profession demanded. Athena turned to her brother. “Please let the rest of our family know what is going on. Robert’s mother will need to be informed as well.”
“I’ll return to help as soon as it’s done, so I can be here to offer assistance.”
“No,” Athena told him. “You have children. Exposing you to this illness more than necessary would be reckless. I’ll send word if I need anything.”
“Are you sure?” Charles didn’t look remotely convinced.
“Dr. Donovan,” Athena said. “Would you please inform my brother that there is no reason for two of us to risk our health by remaining here?”
“Indeed, it would be prudent to minimize contact with the patient as much as possible,” he said.