Read Online Not Always a Saint by Mary Jo Putney - Free Book Online Page A

him.
    â€œOh, Lester!” the cook exclaimed as she wiped flour from her hands. “Have you fallen over your feet again?”
    Daniel covered the length of the kitchen in half a dozen strides before Mrs. Simond even finished speaking. Lester was sprawled on his side at the base of the stairs, his right arm twisted awkwardly and blood seeping from a cut on his forehead.
    â€œDon’t try to move yet.” Daniel knelt by the young man and ran experienced fingers over his skull. “Do you think you broke anything? Your head? Bones?”
    The questions helped Lester focus. “I’ll have some bloody big bruises, sir, but otherwise . . .” He started to push himself to a sitting position and gave a cry of agony when he moved his right arm.
    â€œYour right shoulder?” Daniel asked.
    â€œY-yes.” Lester’s face was pale. “Banged it into the wall when I fell.”
    Daniel guessed a broken or dislocated shoulder. “Let me help you up so I can examine it. I’m a surgeon, and I’ll try not to make it feel worse than it already does.”
    He slid one arm around the young man’s waist and hauled him to his feet. Suzie had pulled a solid wooden chair near so Daniel settled Lester into it. The forehead laceration mostly stopped bleeding after it was washed clean. “Mrs. Simond, do you have some salve for minor kitchen injuries?”
    â€œI’ll get it, my lord.” Suzie scampered to a cabinet and brought back a small jar.
    Daniel applied the ointment to the young man’s forehead. Now for the arm. “Lester, I’ll have to cut your coat off so I can take a closer look at your shoulder.”
    â€œDon’t cut the coat!” Lester looked horrified. “It’s new and Mrs. Stratton’ll make me pay for another one!”
    Daniel doubted that Kirkland would require that, but maybe the housekeeper would. “Then I’ll take it off very carefully.”
    As Suzie swept up the broken china, Mrs. Simond returned to her kneading, but both kept a worried eye on the medical drama. Talking to distract Lester from his pain, Daniel remarked, “I see there’s no railing on that staircase. I’ll talk to Kirkland about having one installed.”
    Having peeled the coat off Lester’s left arm, Daniel eased the other sleeve down the right arm. Lester gasped involuntarily before biting down on the sound.
    As Daniel removed the footman’s shirt, he continued, “Very useful things, railings. At my Bristol infirmary, I’ve treated any number of people who fell down steps. I can fix a broken arm, but a broken neck is quite another matter. Luckily, your neck is in fine shape and your head doesn’t seem to have any serious damage. As for your shoulder . . .”
    Lester’s shoulder looked square, not round, a clear indicator of dislocation. The young man moaned as Daniel gently examined the damaged joint. A simple dislocation with no apparent damage to the humerus. The sooner the bone was back in its socket, the better. “You’re fortunate. Your arm isn’t broken, but the bone was knocked out of the shoulder socket. I’ll move it back into place. This will hurt, but it will only take a couple of minutes and then the worst of the pain will go away. You’ll have to lie down.”
    He took off his own expensively tailored coat and spread it on the floor. Suzie said, horrified, “Oh, don’t do that, sir! I’ll get a blanket from the laundry room.”
    â€œThat will be more comfortable for Lester.” Daniel tossed his coat over a chair. “While you’re in the laundry, could you find a piece of fabric that will do for a sling?”
    â€œYes, sir.” She darted off.
    â€œMrs. Simond, is there some brandy I could give Lester to help him relax?” Daniel asked.
    The cook nodded toward the adjoining pantry. “The locked cabinet in there.” She tossed him a ring