concerned, Mrs Mainwaring, there may be a serious sickness around but you are well served here for food and clean water.’ He smiled deprecatingly. ‘Of course, older doctors would think that a nonsense but I feel that cleanliness makes people much healthier and so they are able to fight off the sickness with more vigour.’
‘Come into the drawing room, Dr Stafford,’ Llinos said. ‘Have you had much experience with this sort of illness?’
‘If you mean do I know the symptoms of whooping cough, the answer is yes. I think I know something about the cause of such epidemics as well.’
‘Oh?’ Llinos looked at him, giving him her full attention. ‘Then you must be a very clever young man.’
He half smiled and Llinos knew why; he was only a year or two younger than she was.
‘The difficulty is that people are still drinking water from the canal,’ he said, rolling up his sleeves. ‘The same canal water that men urinate in on their way home from the beer houses.’ He looked at her. ‘I am too much of a gentleman to describe all the other unclean things that are added daily to the canal. My point is that people gather at the canal. They wash themselves and their utensils in the same water. They huddle there cheek by jowl to wash clothing and to gossip and so the sickness passes from one to the other.’
‘Not Eira though,’ Llinos said thoughtfully. ‘Still, I see you might have a point.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Now, Doctor, I want everyone in the household checked starting with my son. Then I’d like Eira to be examined. After that perhaps you will see the rest of my staff?’
His eyebrows lifted. ‘And you?’
‘All in good time,’ Llinos said firmly.
‘You’ve set me quite a task, Mrs Mainwaring. Please be sure your maid follows me with a bowl of hot water to wash my hands.’
Llinos was not as surprised as the doctor clearly expected her to be. ‘My husband is scrupulously clean; he too believes in the power of soap and water.’
‘Your husband is an American Indian gentleman I understand?’
‘That is correct,’ Llinos said dryly. It was clear that the doctor had been well informed about Llinos and her marriage to a foreigner.
‘May I?’ He examined Lloyd’s chest, peered into his mouth. ‘His throat seems a little red but that’s nothing to worry about at this stage.’ After a few moments, he straightened and smiled at Llinos.
‘I think you have a fine healthy son here. Nothing much the matter with him.’ Llinos sighed in relief. ‘Now, let us look at all the other occupants of Pottery House, shall we?’
Peter Stafford proved to be methodical and thorough. His examinations took the best part of the day.
‘I think you are all fit and healthy,’ he said. ‘All except Miss Eira. I think I had better take a look at her again before I leave.’
Eira’s condition had deteriorated over the past few hours, that much was clear even to Llinos’s untrained eye.
The doctor washed his hands and took so long about it that Llinos knew something was very wrong. Once outside the door, she looked the doctor in the eye.
‘Is it the whooping cough?’
‘I am afraid it is,’ he said. ‘I can only advise that you keep her isolated, give her plenty of water to drink, boiled water, if you please. She is a strong girl, she will probably get over this, given a week or so.’
‘Do you think anyone else is going to get sick, Doctor?’
‘I don’t know.’ He followed her downstairs, doing up his shirtsleeves. ‘But I will call again tomorrow and check you all again.’ At the door, he turned to her. ‘Remember, people do survive these sicknesses.’
She watched him walk to his horse and carriage before returning to the drawing room. If only Joe was here, he would cure Eira for certain. He knew more about medicine than any trained doctor.
Watt was waiting for her near the drawing room door: ‘I’ll look after Eira for you, Llinos,’ he said, ‘I’m a big strong man and
‘Come into the drawing room, Dr Stafford,’ Llinos said. ‘Have you had much experience with this sort of illness?’
‘If you mean do I know the symptoms of whooping cough, the answer is yes. I think I know something about the cause of such epidemics as well.’
‘Oh?’ Llinos looked at him, giving him her full attention. ‘Then you must be a very clever young man.’
He half smiled and Llinos knew why; he was only a year or two younger than she was.
‘The difficulty is that people are still drinking water from the canal,’ he said, rolling up his sleeves. ‘The same canal water that men urinate in on their way home from the beer houses.’ He looked at her. ‘I am too much of a gentleman to describe all the other unclean things that are added daily to the canal. My point is that people gather at the canal. They wash themselves and their utensils in the same water. They huddle there cheek by jowl to wash clothing and to gossip and so the sickness passes from one to the other.’
‘Not Eira though,’ Llinos said thoughtfully. ‘Still, I see you might have a point.’ She took a deep breath. ‘Now, Doctor, I want everyone in the household checked starting with my son. Then I’d like Eira to be examined. After that perhaps you will see the rest of my staff?’
His eyebrows lifted. ‘And you?’
‘All in good time,’ Llinos said firmly.
‘You’ve set me quite a task, Mrs Mainwaring. Please be sure your maid follows me with a bowl of hot water to wash my hands.’
Llinos was not as surprised as the doctor clearly expected her to be. ‘My husband is scrupulously clean; he too believes in the power of soap and water.’
‘Your husband is an American Indian gentleman I understand?’
‘That is correct,’ Llinos said dryly. It was clear that the doctor had been well informed about Llinos and her marriage to a foreigner.
‘May I?’ He examined Lloyd’s chest, peered into his mouth. ‘His throat seems a little red but that’s nothing to worry about at this stage.’ After a few moments, he straightened and smiled at Llinos.
‘I think you have a fine healthy son here. Nothing much the matter with him.’ Llinos sighed in relief. ‘Now, let us look at all the other occupants of Pottery House, shall we?’
Peter Stafford proved to be methodical and thorough. His examinations took the best part of the day.
‘I think you are all fit and healthy,’ he said. ‘All except Miss Eira. I think I had better take a look at her again before I leave.’
Eira’s condition had deteriorated over the past few hours, that much was clear even to Llinos’s untrained eye.
The doctor washed his hands and took so long about it that Llinos knew something was very wrong. Once outside the door, she looked the doctor in the eye.
‘Is it the whooping cough?’
‘I am afraid it is,’ he said. ‘I can only advise that you keep her isolated, give her plenty of water to drink, boiled water, if you please. She is a strong girl, she will probably get over this, given a week or so.’
‘Do you think anyone else is going to get sick, Doctor?’
‘I don’t know.’ He followed her downstairs, doing up his shirtsleeves. ‘But I will call again tomorrow and check you all again.’ At the door, he turned to her. ‘Remember, people do survive these sicknesses.’
She watched him walk to his horse and carriage before returning to the drawing room. If only Joe was here, he would cure Eira for certain. He knew more about medicine than any trained doctor.
Watt was waiting for her near the drawing room door: ‘I’ll look after Eira for you, Llinos,’ he said, ‘I’m a big strong man and
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