“I think that would put Soothcoor’s mind at ease as well,” Cecilia said.
“Guess it was a good thing I got that plaguey influenza,” Charlie said.
“If you will excuse us,” James said, rising to his feet. “Lady Branstoke and I need to get heading north.”
Charlie hurriedly got to his feet. “Thank you for seeing us and looking into this matter.”
“No thanks are needed. Alastair is a good friend,” James said as he walked them to the door.
“And the best of brothers,” Charlie said. “The very best.”
“Excuse me, sir,”Mathers said after the door had closed behind the Honorable Mr. and Mrs. Sedgewick, “Dr. Nowlton has arrived. I have shown him to her ladyship’s drawing room.”
“Thank you, Mathers,” James said, while next to him Cecilia made a face. James laughed. “Enough of that. Would you rather I went on horseback without you?”
Cecilia squirmed. “No, I just feel it is much ado about nothing.”
“Perhaps, nonetheless, it will not hurt to see the doctor. You were gravely ill for almost two weeks, and you are carrying a child. As much as I like our village doctor, Dr. Patterson, a second opinion is not amiss.”
She bobbed her head like Rani might, causing her husband to laugh again. He placed his hand lightly on her back. “Come, let’s not keep Dr. Nowlton waiting any longer,” he said, guiding her up the stairs toward the small drawing room.
Dr. Nowlton rose as they entered. The first thing Cecilia noticed was he did not resemble his elder twin siblings, Lord Lancelot and Lady Guinevere Nowlton. While the twins were both red-haired with tall, commanding presences, Dr. Nowlton was of average height with unfashionably long brown hair and unusual, thick-lensed glasses. He had a reputation for being an astute and highly competent physician, but Cecilia could not believe how young he looked—like he should still be in school.
She discreetly cleared her throat from a threatened cough.
“Dr. Nowlton, thank you for coming on such short notice,” James said as they walked into the drawing room.
Dr. Nowlton nodded. “I was happy to. So, Lady Branstoke, tell me about this illness you suffered,” he said in a low-keyed, empathetic manner.
Cecilia smiled as she took a seat across from him. She coughed into her handkerchief.
“There was an influenza in the village near our estate, Summerworth Park, in Kent.” She frowned. “It seemed to burn through the area and affected women and children more than men.”
“We’ve had a similar illness in the city,” he acknowledged.
“We have just seen Mr. Sedgewick. He said he’d had the influenza.”
Dr. Nowlton nodded. “In your village, was the severity the same for all?”
“No. For some it did not go beyond sniffles, for others, it was quite severe,” she said.
“As it was for you,” interjected James.
She nodded. “I was among those more severely impacted. It descended into my chest, and I coughed heavily. I still cough at times. As I coughed so hard, we were worried about the baby.”
“That tisane Lady Aldrich recommended for you helped ease the cough and the light temperature you had,” James said.
“What was in the tisane?”
“Peppermint, yarrow, and elderberry,” James replied.
“Elderflower,” Cecilia corrected.
“Yes, my mistake,” James acknowledged, looking down at Cecilia. “Elderflower. Peppermint, yarrow, and elderflower. Sounds odious, but it helped her.”
Cecilia laughed. “The elderflower gave it a bit of sweetness.”
Dr. Nowlton nodded. “I’m familiar with that recipe.”
