“That will keep it proper,” she said firmly. “I will wash the rest of him.”
That would work.
“If his fever keeps building, you must wet a sheet and lay it over him completely. Then rewet it as it dries.”
The lady’s eyes widened. “You think he is that ill? You think—” She cut off her words, her expression bleak.
Li-Na remembered that less than a year ago, the countess had lost her husband to a wasting disease. How terrifying this must be to her. Lord Daniel was her only advocate in a world that would not listen to a woman. If she’d been less tired, she would have minded her words. But she was exhausted, and the thought was spoken aloud.
“He will fight his illness as fiercely as he has fought for you. If I had someone like him, I would never have been chained in a ship and sent away from everything I ever knew.”
The lady’s gaze sharpened. “I wasn’t asking if he is a good man. I know he is. I want to know if he will d—” She couldn’t say the last word, but Li-Na knew the question. Would Lord Daniel die?
“My answer was to tell you to fight for him as fiercely as he fights for you. Keep him cool. Give him teas to settle his stomach. Do you know what kind?”
“The doctor will.”
That was good. She should go sleep now. She had done her best when she had no help, but now Lord Daniel’s people were with him. They would see to his care. She could retreat into the shadows and return to her tasks as normal.
Except she found she did not want to leave. She wanted to stand beside him and watch over his rest. She wanted to make sure he could drink the broth and keep it down. She wanted to be with him until he was strong again. This man who had shown her the stars and caused her to feel again had somehow become important to her.
She headed back to the bed. “I can stay—”
“Go,” the woman ordered in a tone that said she would not be crossed. “I will take care of him now.”
Li-Na nodded and retreated. It was the logical thing to do. She was exhausted and they were here to take over his care while she rested. And yet her feet were slow, and her heart pushed her to go back. It wasn’t possible. As soon as she crossed the threshold into the workroom, the countess firmly shut his lordship’s door and threw the lock. There was no choice now but to go to her bedroom and rest.
She resented every moment of it.
And when she slept, she dreamed of a night sky torn apart by storms.
She woke hours later to the sound of the countess’s voice. Li-Na heard anxiety in the words, then the impatient tones of a man who did not wish to be questioned. There were many such men in London, and she did not like the idea of such a man here. Especially if he oversaw Lord Daniel’s care.
Li-Na leapt to her feet—not even bothering with her shoes—and rushed into Lord Daniel’s room. Thankfully, the door had been unlocked while she rested, and she was able to push her way inside. What she saw stopped her cold.
The countess stood before a tall man with a large moustache and an irritated expression. In his hands, he held the implements for bleeding a patient. Over his shoulder stood the vicar, or so she assumed by his vestments. He held a Bible in one hand as he extended the other.
“Come away, my lady,” he said.
But the countess was shaking her head. “You will not bleed him,” she said firmly. “You did that to Peder and he got worse. Every time, he got worse.”
“I understand your concern,” said the doctor. “When a patient does not improve, one often wants to blame the treatment. But I promise you, this is for the best.”
Li-Na had heard of such a thing—bleeding a patient of his ill humors. It sounded ridiculous to her, but she was not a doctor and this was not her place. Even in China, she would not have been allowed to speak back to a man who gave medicines.
But one look at the doctor had her stomach turning with anger. His nose was in the air, he glared at the countess as she refused to allow him close to Lord Daniel, and he used his height to full advantage as he snapped out his words.
“You are being hysterical, my lady.” He turned and snapped his finger at the vicar. “Help me, here. Give her some laudanum.”
Li-Na did not know the medical customs of the English, but she would bet her life that this man was more interested in his authority than in healing his patient. And that was enough to get her to stand with the countess. But rather than argue directly with the man, she used strategies she had seen employed in the Lyon’s Den with unruly gentlemen. Beginning with an appeal to their vanity.
“Oh, my goodness,” she gasped. “You are a doctor!” She put all the admiration she could into her voice as he turned to look at her. “You are a learned and intelligent man, I can just tell,” she said, dropping into her Abacus Woman whisper. Then she let worship fill her expression.
“Who are you?” he said with only the barest softening in his tone.
“I am his lordship’s bookkeeper,” she said as she dropped her eyes in a modest display. “I will make sure you receive proper payment. Your opinion is most prized.” She smiled. “Come out into the grand hallway. I will get your money now.”
“I must administer the treatment,” he said firmly.
