“Is this…Mathilda?”
The young girl nodded. “She’s been sneezing and struggling to breathe for a few days now. My older brother, Edward, claims that she’s only fit for soup.” Tears welled up in her eyes. “He’s hateful. I’ve had Mathilda ever since she hatched as a chick. I would never cook her and eat her.”
Matthew was smirking. “What do you think, Lily? Can you cure thisfowldisease?”
She wanted to groan, and he winked at her. Truth to tell, she knew very little about chickens—but she was not about to let this young girl cry over her pet. She knew how easy it was to form attachments, poultry or not. “I will try.”
She knelt beside the chicken. “Can you hold her and bring her out where there is more light?”
Verity nodded. “Yes, I will.” She lifted the hen into her arms, and the animal sneezed. The ailment was clearly lung related.
Verity brought the chicken out of the stall, holding it in her arms. Lily decided the best course of action was to give the animal clean water, good food, and to keep it isolated from the other animals.
When they reached the edge of the barn, Verity stopped and held up the chicken. “There. Do you want a closer look?”
Not exactly, Lily thought, but didn’t say so. Still, she examined the hen closely, trying to determine if anything was out of the ordinary.
The hen’s feet were normal, and she saw nothing unusual about the feathers. There was a slight discharge from the chicken’s nostrils and it sneezed yet again. Rather like a cold, Lily thought.
But she knew that diseases in animals could spread rapidly and there were no known cures for these ailments.
“How long has she been like this?” she asked Verity.
“About a week. She isn’t eating or drinking the way she should.” Verity appeared troubled. “I don’t know what to do.”
“I’ll need to do some reading. But in the meantime, be sure that she is kept away from other animals. Her drinking water should be completely pure, and she must be kept in a clean area.” Lily thought a moment about the chicken sneezing and added, “We can make a solution of salt water and wash her nostrils with it. It may help.”
“Thank you, Lady Lily.” Verity bobbed a curtsy. “I will do as you say.” She hurried back to the barn with the hen.
Once the young woman was gone, Matthew touched the small of Lily’s back. “That meant a great deal to her.”
“I don’t know anything about chickens.”
“Perhaps not. But you do know about kindness. And for her, it was enough.”
One week later
“Lily! She’s here!” Iris burst through the bedroom door, not even bothering to knock.
Lily was startled at her mother’s intrusion and asked, “Who is here?”
“It’s Rose and Iain.” The happiness glowed upon her mother’s face, and she seized Lily by the hand. “You must come and see them.”
Lily followed her mother down the stairs and was delighted to see that her mother was right. Her sister and her husband hadwritten of their plans to visit Penford a few weeks ago, and both had just arrived. Calvert escorted them into the drawing room where her grandmother was waiting.
“Isn’t it wonderful?” Iris exclaimed. The joy on her face made it impossible not to smile. Lily hurried forward and embraced her sister. “It’s so good to see you, Rose.” Then she hugged her brother-in-law. “And you, Iain.”
He returned the embrace. “It’s good to see all of you again.” The Irishman was tall, with striking dark hair and deep blue eyes. “And Lady Wolcroft, you’re looking very fine indeed.”
“Just so.” Mildred nodded regally. “I am glad you have come to visit, though it must have been a long journey.”
Though Iain smiled warmly, there was a trace of worry on his face toward his wife. Rose leaned upon her cane as he helped her into a chair.
“How long will you stay with us before you have to return to Ireland?” Lily asked, pulling up a chair beside her sister. It was then that she noticed Rose’s pale complexion. Was it her imagination, or did her sister seem pale and sickly? Iain rested his hands upon his wife’s shoulders, idly stroking a lock of her hair.
“I am not certain,” Rose said. “Perhaps a few weeks.” She exchanged a look with her husband, but Iain was having none of it.
“Possibly until the spring,” he contradicted. “I would prefer that Rose stays at Penford where she can rest and recover.”
