Page 35 of A Devilish Element
The other woman stiffened. “Are ya sure? Doctor Bell said—.”
Eliza glanced again at the label. “Kunckel pills won’t do a thing for toothache, they’re meant for gout and apoplexy, colic even, and I’d question their efficacy even for those. No, they aren’t the thing. But see here, I have the preparation I promised all mixed. It’s only in need of a container.” She turned about to seek a vessel amongst the range of glassware.
“Will this do?” Mrs Honeyfield passed her a small square jar with a cork stopper.
“Oh, yes. Very nicely. Thank you. Here you go. Just rub it on the affected area, and it should alleviate the pain. Although if it’s truly bad, you might consider having it pulled. Did Doctor Bell say anything about that?”
“He said his lordship’s valet’s tha one to ask if ah wants it pullin’.”
Eliza gave her an encouraging smile. Was it any wonder that so few made it to adulthood, considering the many shortcomings of the country’s physicians? God forbid they get their hands dirty, or lowered themselves to mix their own medicines. If they did, they might have a better understanding of the worth of each of the ingredients they prescribed, although being fair to Bell, he’d displayed surprising competence.
Enough to possibly forgive him the leeches.
“Use the remedy, Mrs Honeyfield. It’s a recipe that’s been in my family for generations, and I promise you, Wakefields, to a woman, all die with a full set of teeth still in their mouths. If there’s no improvement in a day or so, then you’d best consult with Lord Linfield’s valet and have the tooth pulled. I know it’s unpleasant to contemplate, but think of the relief.”
“Ah’ll do that, Miss. Thank you.”
~?~
Eliza allowed herself a smile once Mrs Honeyfield had gone. She stared at the spot on the floor where she’d knelt but a few minutes ago and sucked Jem’s… done that, to Jem. The taste of him was still on her lips, and she didn’t regret it one bit. She quickly returned the items she’d used back to their proper places, no sense in inviting Bell’s wrath unnecessarily. He never needed to know that she’d even been here.
Only once she was done did she venture back into the anatomy room. Jem was not where she’d left him. She tried the nearest of the doors they’d noted earlier but found only a cupboard. “Jem?” she called, keeping her voice low.
He emerged, not from one of the remaining two doors, but from behind a section of the wainscotting. “You can’t tell, can you?” he said, delighting over how seamlessly the door blended with its surroundings. “Those two are cupboards.” He waved a hand at the nearest two doors. “The third is Bell’s emergency exit. It leads onto the terrace. But this, this I confess I stumbled on entirely accidentally. Rested my hand right on the handle when I was trying to keep tabs on your conversation with Mrs Honeyfield. I’m surprised you didn’t hear my call of surprise, for it knocked me right off balance.”
She shook her head, not having heard a thing.
“Where does it lead?” she asked. Jem showed her the catch and opened it up again so that she could peer into the space beyond.
“I didn’t venture far, there’s a spiral stair ahead, but beyond that…”
“I wonder if it’s the same—” She shut her mouth abruptly.
“Oh, don’t stop, I’m sure you were about to say something devilishly enlightening.”
Eliza stepped into the hidden passage. It was rather less dusty than the one she’d explored the previous night. “I’m not altogether sure I should say.”
Jem drew his lips into a pout. “Considering the exchange we shared only a short while ago; I can’t see what would prompt you to hold your tongue now.”
“Very well, this isn’t the first concealed passageway I’ve stumbled on. There’s one that runs between my chamber and the library, but there was also a stair that I didn’t venture to the bottom of. It’s quite possible that it’s one and the same with the one you’ve just found.”
Jem’s expression grew ponderous. “So, what you’re saying is that the place is riddled with secret passages. Passages that one might use to move about unseen—”
“You ought really to wait for an invitation.”
He laughed. “Actually, I was thinking of Lady Cedarton’s apparition, and how such an array of secret corridors might facilitate in creating such a visitation.”
Eliza waded a little further into the gloom. “Ah, yes, that is a possibility. Especially if there is an exit close to where Jane sighted the ghost. We ought to look, don’t you think?”
He stepped into the corridor beside her. “Agreed, and if we do it from the inside, then no one will ask why we’re patting down walls and bookcases.”
“Or volunteer to assist when they might be the person behind it all. Do you think that’s what’s happening, Jem? Did someone set out to scare Jane half out of her wits deliberately? What in heavens for?”
“I don’t know,” he said, but after a long enough pause to make her think that he had a range of thoughts on the subject, possibly even suspicions. “The stair is straight ahead following the corridor. Will you manage, or should we seek out a candle first?”
“I shall manage.” Bits of light seeped in through gaps, and after a few moments her eyes began accustomed to the gloom. Progress was nevertheless slow. They frequently bumped against one another, and the stair Jem had discovered proved to be further along than she’d initially supposed. Their direction of travel was difficult to discern, though they must be within the wreckage of the Lady’s Tower. When they eventually found the stair and climbed it, Eliza recognised the turn she’d taken towards the library the night before. “There are no more branches. This leads directly to my chamber.”
“Perhaps there are other passages, and not all of them link up,” Jem suggested.
