Page 31 of Lord Trafford's Folly
He was in his forties, she estimated, and he was not in terrible condition, but neither was he in excellent shape. Although not seriously overweight, he had a rounded belly that spoke to rich meals and alcohol. His skin was pale in the dim morning light, which suggested a lack of exercise, and Audrey could hazard a guess that he suffered from gout, given his apparent habits.
The physician was mixing up powders at his desk. In a mortar, he created a paste and prepared bandages with the paste, placing them on a tray before returning to his patient’s side. Audrey’s stomach knotted with the knowledge of what the physician was doing.
“Butchers,” she mumbled, remaining in place to confirm her suspicions.
The physician laid out strips of bandages along Montague’s legs, focusing on his knees and ankles, thus confirming it was gout he was being treated for. Audrey grimaced in sympathy, all the while silently berating the bufflehead on the table forfollowing the quack doctor’s instructions without considering other options.
Montague’s face contorted as the compound seeped into his skin. And it was all the confirmation she needed. Shaking her head, Audrey lowered herself from the barrel and returned to Julius’s side, where he leaned against a wall in a nonchalant pose to watch the entrances to the alley.
“We can return home,” she murmured in a low voice.
Julius quirked a brown eyebrow in question, but obediently followed her to the end of the alley, where they would not be overheard. Pausing where they would not be seen, Julius spoke.
“What is it?”
“They will be some hours, so it is pointless hanging about.”
His expression was curious, and he waited for her to elaborate.
She shook her head in disgust. “That fool is being blistered for what appears to be gout.”
Julius appeared genuinely confused, and Audrey realized that the earl’s family had always been treated by her father, an intelligent physician who practiced common sense medicine. Not like the butcher whom Montague was paying to take care of him.
“Blistering is when the physician produces blisters across the patient’s skin over several hours to treat conditions such as fevers or gout. It is a long and painful procedure which will take up most of the day, by my estimation. The practice should be abandoned because it has never produced a positive result to my knowledge, but the physicians’ guild includes too many incompetents who follow whatever they deem to be accepted practice without question despite the empirical evidence. It is why Papa dug up articles of far more successful practices and conducted research of his own.”
Julius’s expression had turned to one of utter horror. “Egad! What would have happened to me if I had been forced to seek treatment for my knife wound?”
“If you summoned the wrong physician, of whom there are too many to count, bleeding or blistering for the fever despite your loss of blood. That president, Washington, over in America, was finished off by his physicians with a combination of both.”
“That is awful!”
Her stomach was still tight from what she had witnessed, as she nodded. Audrey wished she could intercede and lecture the patient on being educated about his own health instead of following some quack’s instruction without question. No person should relinquish autonomy over their physical form to engage in dangerous health practices without learning what was involved. There were innumerable drugs employed that were known to produce terrible side effects, even for conditions for which alternative treatments existed. The people of Stirling had been fortunate to have a responsible physician who cared for his patients.
“It is why I must publish my father’s research! He wished to educate ordinary people so they could make more informed decisions. If one loses one’s health, all else is meaningless, and there are far too many physicians who do not care about their patients. They wish to make coin without regard for the results. Their patients are people with families and obligations, people who need them, yet these quacks are willing to risk their patients’ health with nonsensical treatments.”
Julius was staring at her in amazement, and Audrey pulled a face. She had been ranting, but this was a subject near and dear to her. There were alternatives—herbalists, midwives, nurses. There were even good physicians, like her father, who were devoted to their solemn duty. Too often, patients accepted the word of the first quack they encountered and did not obtain asecond opinion, which was frustrating when Papa and she had to help a patient whose treatment had harmed them far more than the illness they were suffering.
“You are an exceptional woman of integrity, Audrey Gideon. I believe I would like to assist you with your crusade when this murder investigation is over. I have never committed to a cause the way you have.”
Audrey blushed, his praise washing over her to settle as a pleasant warmth in the region of her heart.
Heart? Lud!
Julius was stillbemused by the blaze in Audrey’s eyes and the passion of her convictions when they eventually reached the mews behind Aunty Gertrude’s townhouse. They had taken their time to ensure they were not followed.
She had been heat and power and determination. He had never seen anyone fire off with such an unbending commitment to their principles. It was not her high emotions; it was the logic of the ideas she had presented to him. She knew her subject, and he had been convinced. He would never seek treatment without employing his judgment and would seek a second opinion if he was in any doubt about the options offered.
It was clear why Lord Snarling had favored Dr. Gideon and his daughter for treating his family and staff, and Julius was coming to realize that he had been fortunate his father had protected him from the vagaries of accepted treatments throughout his life. The blistering sounded … well … dreadful. Perhaps even worse than the bloodletting. Minimally, just as torturous.
Once they were in the door, he did not hesitate. He clasped her by the wrist to stop her. She turned in question, looking up into his face with surprise, but she had sealed her fate in the alley behind the surgery.
Ever so slowly, giving her ample opportunity to pull away, he lowered his head as they stared deep into each other’s eyes until, after an infinite time, their lips met. Julius remained frozen, savoring the sensation of her plump lips against his as they breathed in unison.
Like tinder flaming, he raised his arms around her and kissed her properly. Her mouth was hot as he coaxed it open so that they might tangle their tongues in intimate contact. She tasted of honey and spearmint. Her inexperience aside, Audrey responded with a ravenous hunger, pressing herself against him as her hands found their way to comb through his hair. Their beavers fell to the ground, but neither of them paid any mind as flames kindled in his loins.
Julius drove her up against the wall of the mews, deepening their kiss even as he sought his sanity. She moaned and he growled with primal triumph as he ground his hips against hers, straying under her overcoat to clasp one of the round buttocks that had tormented and teased him this morning.
The disappointment was gutting when he felt her hands against his ribs, and she pressed him to move away. Stepping back, Julius panted as if he had run a mile at a full sprint. Audrey licked her swollen lips, her hungry gaze never looking away for even a moment until she swallowed.
