“Of course,” Lady Louise said, her gaze trained in his general direction without succeeding to look straight at him. It was to be expected. The lighting would be too low for her to distinguish between shapes with ease.
“I’ll take a turn of the room with my husband,” Lady Winterly said with a smile. She stood and smoothed out her skirts. “We haven’t done that since we were courting.”
“Indeed we have not,” Mr. Winterly said as he offered his wife his arm.
Marcus liked them both immensely, not only because they welcomed him without the judgment he always encountered in London but because they’d readily agreed to help Lady Louise, and in so doing, thwart a peer of the realm.
The pair moved off to the opposite side of the room, and Marcus took a seat on the sofa next to Lady Louise.
“I’ve explained the procedure to Mr. Winterly,” Marcus began. “He has agreed to assist.”
“That’s very good of him.”
Marcus nodded. He pressed his lips together, hesitating briefly before revealing the role Mr. Winterly would play. He took a deep breath. “Due to the pain you’ll experience, not briefly but for several minutes while I work, it will be difficult for you to sit still. This is to be expected. It’s instinctive to fight discomfort and to turn away from someone attempting to stick instruments in your eyes.”
“I know. I experienced the same when I had them couched. Mr. Pierson asked my father to hold my head still while he worked.”
“And that is what Mr. Winterly shall be doing, except for longer than what you’re used to.”
Lady Louise stiffened. “How much longer?”
“Three to five minutes.” He watched her throat work. “It is natural to be scared, but I can assure you, I know what I’m doing.”
“How many operations of this kind have you performed?”
“Ninety-four.”
“And they were all successful?” A crease appeared on her brow to convey her concern.
“No. I’ve had thirteen patients for whom the procedure did not work.”
“Because they were beyond your help?”
“For the most part, yes.” He’d not mention the one mistake he’d made as an inexperienced surgeon. It hadn’t been entirely his fault, though he knew he’d always blame himself for the poor woman who’d lost the use of one eye because of him. The experience had taught him to be overcautious, and as a result, none of the failed procedures since had been on account of him. “On one occasion, the patient found the pain too much to bear and quit the surgery half-way through.”
Dropping his gaze, Marcus saw how tightly Lady Louise clasped her hands. He automatically placed his own on top and smoothed his thumb over her rigid fingers. “I’m extremely careful and precise, but it’s delicate work which cannot be rushed. And while Redding does subscribe to the use of morphine when he operates, I’m wary of using it during an eye operation since it’s been found to shrink the pupil, which is the opposite of what we need.”
“I understand,” Lady Louise said. Her hands relaxed ever so slightly beneath his.
“Instead, I’ll be giving you a few drops of belladonna to dilate your pupils, which will give me a clearer view of the structure located behind your irises. This will help prevent complications.”
Lady Louise appeared to digest this information for a moment. Marcus withdrew his hand from hers and leaned back to add more respectable distance. He glanced toward the Winterlys, who’d stopped to admire the view of their torch-lit terrace from one of the windows. It troubled him that he liked touching Lady Louise as much as he did and that he now missed the feel of her skin against his.
Banishing the notion, he strove to maintain a solely professional relationship with the Earl of Grasmere’s daughter. Becoming involved with her in any other capacity would be untenable.
“I find your willingness to explain every detail of this procedure to me impressive,” Lady Louise told him.
“I have an obligation to do so. These are your eyes. You ought to know what I’m going to do to them and what you can expect.”
She responded with a disagreeing sniff. “Doctor Pierson never bothered to do so. Neither did the doctors I saw as a child. In fact, I’m not sure they were able - that they even understood the science well enough. Or maybe they simply believed me incapable of grasping it. I appreciate your taking the time to help me do so.”
Her words nearly crushed him, for they underscored the resistance he and Redding fought on a daily basis - the problem with physicians and surgeons believing themselves superior to others, of forcing procedures on patients based on the argument that they knew best.
“I think it’s vital that everyone has the chance to make an informed decision,” Marcus told her. “It’s the only way to ensure an open dialogue and, in so doing, to strive for innovation in the medical field and the best possible treatment for the patients.”
“It can’t be easy for you to go against the grain.”
“No worthwhile accomplishment is ever easy, my lady. But it helps that I’m not alone in my belief. Redding shares my view, as do several other surgeons, but changing entrenched opinions takes time.Now, if I may, I’d like to recommend you get a good night’s sleep so you’re well rested tomorrow.”
