“Why not?” She stopped and faced him. “Since we are so far advanced above all other creatures, why have we not discovered our own inner workings? Why must people die of consumption, small pox, or scarlet fever?” She pointed at him, her voice rising. “Men of learning should know this by now. Maybe if women had been able to have the same educational opportunities, we all could live longer lives today.”
Her chest rose with her quick breaths. A few people in the room had turned to look at them. Normally, that would concern him, but her obvious distress had him searching for ways to soothe her. The problem was, she wasn’t like Elsbeth or even his aunt. In unchartered waters, he chose a more forthright path than normal. “Has the medical field failed you that you feel so strongly about this?”
She snorted. “Failed would be a kind way of expressing it. They were utterly useless.” She threw both hands up before dropping them to her sides. “No, actually, they were a hindrance.” Suddenly, her shoulders slumped and air whistled through her lips in one long exhale. “Your library would have been far more help than they were. At least I might have applied some of its knowledge to some success.”
She’d obviously lost someone dear to her. Lady Beaumont’s comment at Vauxhall came back to him.I’m afraid we are far too close for most families to understand, but with the death of our sister, all formality was lost.The pieces fell into place and understanding flooded him. Gentling his tone like he would with a nervous horse, he put his conclusion into words. “You cared for your sister before she passed.”
She nodded. “I did. I was the only one who had caught and survived scarlet fever, so I nursed her.” She lifted her gaze to meet his. “And Bea survived. But then she couldn’t seem to gain her strength back. She couldn’t walk very far without having to stop to catch her breath, and she said she had pain in her chest.” Lady Joanna’s hand came up to cover her own chest as if from memory. “Eventually, she stopped trying to leave her bed unassisted. That’s when I noticed that her body would jerk on its own.”
Even as he listened, he wished they were in his library, a particular book coming to mind where he was certain he’d read of a similar malady. “Those are very specific symptoms and yet the physicians had no suggestion for treatment?”
Her brows lowered. “Oh yes, they had plenty of suggestions. They thought to bleed her, which I refused to allow. They said it was consumption, which it clearly wasn’t, so they felt there was no hope. One suggested fresh country air, another no outside air at all. And one…” Her hands tightened in her skirts. “One suggested it was hysteria and that she be put in an asylum.”
Despite not knowing Lady Joanna’s sister, even he was appalled at that last course of action. “That man should not be called upon as a physician.”
Her hands relaxed. “That was my thought as well. But as you can see, they were of no use, except to exhaust me. I had to fight them and reason with my family.”
“But if the physicians, learned men who have focused on curing the human body could not aid your sister, why do you think you could have?” Maybe if he pointed out the obvious, the sense of guilt he felt emanating from her would dissipate. It was also a logical question, which he’d found her quite adept at.
She snorted. “Because I’m a woman, that’s why. I have common sense, something these supposed learned men have no experience using in combination with their knowledge. If I could have just found one that would converse with me as an equal, the two of us could have surely found a cure, but as they were judgmental and pompous, I had to find the information myself.” She shook her head, the sorrow in her eyes too vivid to look upon. “I ran out of time.”
An unfamiliar feeling crept up his spine. Those physicians sounded a bit like him. Could simple attitudes and beliefs have determined whether a young woman lived or died? The responsibility of that deduction left him grateful he’d never taken an interest in the application of medicine.
She continued, oblivious to his self-reflection. “All the while, Bea was content, happy with the time she had. She told me her time after the fever was blessed, because without me tending to her, she would have never had it.”
The relationship between the Mabry sisters awed him. He felt the loss of his older sister more keenly. Could they have had a similar relationship? “She sounds like she was a special kind of person.”
“She was. She was the heart of our family.” A bittersweet smile formed before she straightened as if recalling where they were and what they’d been conversing about before. “But back to your point. So I do know what it means to apply knowledge in concrete ways.”
He gave nod to accept her assertion as he gestured back to the swan, which was currently in motion. “As do I, though there is much I haven’t tried, such as mechanical silver swans.”
She gave him a mischievous grin. “And the waltz.”
He found himself chuckling at that. “Yes, and the waltz. Though I have read about it.”
“And was reading about how to ride a horse as satisfying as actually learning how to do it yourself?”
“Yes.”
Her eyes widened. “Yes? How can that be?”
“Let’s just say that I took my fair share of falls.” He grimaced both at the memory of the falls and the old stableman who had taught him at his own insistence. “Reading about it was less painful.”
Her soft laughter filled his ears, generating a sense of pleasure that he’d been able to bring her mood around. A sudden idea took root, and instead of debating the positives and negatives of it, he trusted his instinct. “Teach me to waltz.”
“What?” She looked askance at him.
“Teach me to waltz. Elsbeth’s ball is coming in less than a fortnight, and I’m sure the guests will expect me to know how. Since you have obviously been through the pains of learning it, I think you would be an apt teacher. I assure you, I will review all I’ve read about it.”
She cocked her head and smirked at him. “You want me to teach you how to waltz.”
He shrugged. “You were the one who pointed out that it is knowledge I have not applied yet. And you must admit that it would look poorly upon my family if I haven’t mastered this new dance.”
“And what of Elsbeth? She would need to know how to as well as I’m sure there will be many suitors there who would ask her.”
He hadn’t thought of that, but it would be appropriate. “Then perhaps your cousin, Lord Mabry could join us, and we can learn together.”
“Oh, I know Teddy would be happy to. After all, I do believe Elsbeth will be much lighter on her feet than I was.” She paused as she contemplated his suggestion.
