Page 23 of How Not to Marry a Duke

“Enough!” Mrs. Taylor stepped forward, then lowered her voice. “Please allow the lady to try. For me.” She smoothed her husband’s hair back from his forehead. The simple act of affection seemed to have an effect. After several heartbeats, he finally nodded his assent and lay back down.

“Go on,” he said. “I won’t have a moment’s peace until you are allowed to try.”

Adeline bent forward and lowered her head to his chest. “Take a deep breath.”

He inhaled once before he began coughing.

“Like I thought. You have much mucus in your chest. The cough will not subside until we treat it.” She glanced at Mrs. Taylor. “Please put on the kettle for some medicinal tea.” The woman hurried to do her bidding.

Hasmik removed a glass jar containing a thick syrup from Adeline’s medicine bag. Adeline often prepared the syrup, made from lemon, honey, and horehound leaves and flowers. Horehound was a bitter herb that acted as an irritant to cause coughing and loosen the mucus and phlegm in the chest. The mixture was boiled until it thickened, then cooled. She had also brought along the ingredients to prepare a fresh mustard plaster.

She poured a good amount of the syrup into a cup and handed it to Mr. Taylor. “Drink. It will allow you to cough up the phlegm in your chest.”

He took a tentative sip, then wrinkled his nose. “It’s bitter.”

“The honey helps with the bitterness of the horehound. You must drink all of it,” Adeline instructed.

Under the watchful eyes of Mrs. Taylor, he drank. Meanwhile, Adeline worked on the mustard plaster, a thick paste of mustard powder, flour, and water. She spread a good amount on a cotton cloth and folded it in half. Just as the plaster was ready, the syrup worked, and Mr. Taylor coughed up a large amount of phlegm.

Adeline placed an ear to his chest once more. “Good. You sound a bit better already.”

Hasmik handed him a cup of medicinal thyme tea. “This will soothe your throat.” He grumbled his thanks.

He offered no protest when Adeline pressed the cloth with the mustard powder to his chest. “Mrs. Taylor, I will leave the mustard powder with you. Never apply it directly to the skin but spread it on a cloth and press it against his chest. Along with the syrup and the thyme tea, it will bring him relief.”

“See? No leeches,” Mrs. Taylor said.

“His recovery will take time.” Adeline didn’t want either to believe the cure would work overnight. “Coughs are stubborn and tend to linger.”

Mrs. Taylor took her husband’s hand. “We do not expect a miracle.”

Adeline touched her patient’s shoulder. “I will return daily to check on you.”

Hasmik helped Adeline gather her medicine bag and they stepped outside. It was late afternoon. They had much more work to do at her own cottage before the sun went down.

“He still mistrusts us,” Adeline said.

“Fool. He’ll think differently when he coughs less,” Hasmik said. “You have a special touch with those in need.”

Another patient came to mind. A swath of tawny hair and green eyes. She needed to visit the duke to change his bandage. Her stomach tumbled wildly at the idea of continuing to touch him, to treat him. Goodness, what had she been thinking to accept his proposition?

It was simple. Edwin had left her little choice.

“My lady!”

Adeline halted to see Mrs. Taylor hurrying down the path to catch up with them.

“I want to thank you.” Mrs. Taylor’s cheeks were flushed. “The truth is that the people in the village are wary about an earl’s sister who claims to be a healer. I shall tell them you are not to be mistrusted, my lady, but to be embraced.”

…

“You have a visitor, Your Grace.”

Warwick set down the wrench and looked up from where he knelt on the floor. The high-pressure steam engine he’d been tweaking for hours had been close to the desired modification. His butler knew he hated distractions.

“It is still too early for Lady Adeline to visit to change my bandages. Tell me it isn’t the local vicar.” He was in no condition or mood to entertain visitors, especially a religious man who would most likely invite him to attend his weekly sermons or participate in local events.

“No, Your Grace,” Nelson said.