Lady of Milkweed Manor Read Online Free PDF Page B

others.”
    “A married man, then?”
    She swallowed. “He is now.”
    “Miss Lamb. Charlotte. Have you considered-“
    “Mr. Taylor, excuse me, Dr. Taylor, I have already told you far more than I should. More than I’ve told anyone else.” She looked up at him, then back down at her hands. “You always did have that effect on me.”
    “Make you chatter on? I’d rather have had a different effect on young ladies in those days.”
    She smiled in spite of herself. “Then let us speak of it no more. Though I do appreciate your concern.”
    “Yes, well.” He cleared his throat. “We have an examination to conduct.”
    “Yes,” she murmured, feeling her heart begin pounding again.
    “Well, first of all, I need to ask you a few questions about your medical history and the like.”
    “All right.”
    “If I remember correctly, you were a most healthy girl. Any medical problems since? Illnesses, serious injury?”
    She shook her head.
    “And, since your … condition. Any pain, light-headedness, swelling of extremities?”
    She thought of her ankles, not as thin as they once were. “Nothing to speak of.”
    “You have been seen by another physician prior to coming here?”
    “Only one time.”
    “Dr. Webb, was it?”
     
    She shook her head again. “Father wouldn’t hear of me seeing anyone local. He was sure word would get out. I saw a surgeon, a Mr. Thompkins, when I was in Hertfordshire with my aunt.”
    “And how long ago was this?”
    “Three… nearly four months now. He was brought in only to confirm that I was indeed, well, as I am.”
    “Well, here we examine patients weekly once they’re as far along as you are.
    “I see.”
    “Now, I notice that you are showing surprisingly little for someone as progressed as you are.”
    “Which has been a blessing until now.”
    “Yes, I can understand that. But, have you had difficulty eating, keeping foods down?”
    “I haven’t much appetite lately, but I do try to eat.”
    “All right. Now I do need to do a physical exam. To start, I will auscultate you.”
    “Pardon me?”
    “Sorry. Listen to your heart.”
    He tapped the tall table. “Please, have a seat here.”
    She complied and sat as straight as she could, rearranging her skirts around her, self-conscious of her bulging middle, her plain dress, her hair escaping its practical pinning. She had a sudden flash of memory, of peering through the keyhole as a young girl and seeing Dr. Webb lying over her mother’s body, head on her chest. Charlotte had been quite shocked and had burst into the room, ready to defend her mother’s honor.
    “What are you doing?” she’d cried, her affront ringing in the room. Dr. Webb sat up quickly, stunned at her outburst. But mother only smiled gently. “It’s all right, my dear. Dr. Webb is only listening to my heart, to see if the old thing is still working.”
    Understanding dawned on the man’s kind face and he, too, smiled gently at her. “Come here, if you like, Charlotte. Would you like to listen to your mother’s heart?”
     
    She nodded, all seriousness, and walked to the bed. She sat beside Dr. Webb and laid her ear on her mother’s bosom.
    “A bit higher there. Do you hear it?”
    Charlotte had closed her eyes and listened, and there, a dull ta-toom, ta-toom, ta-toom. “I hear it!” she’d declared proudly, relieved in more ways than one.
    As delightful as the memory was, when Charlotte imagined Dr. Taylor pressing his head to her chest, her palms began sweating.
    From his case, he extracted a wooden tube, a device she had never seen before.
    “A physician friend of my wife’s made this. He’s still working to perfect the design. Still, it’s amazing how much better I can hear with this simple tube than I can with my ear alone.”
    He stepped closer and bent near. He looked into her face. “It also lends a bit of propriety, which patients seem to appreciate.” He lifted one side of his mouth in an awkward grin, then bent to