Chapter Eleven
Lady Catherine was in a temper. Her servants did their best to avoid her at times such as these, but it was not always possible.
She swept into the drawing room, frowning, and summoned Mrs. Cheshire, her housekeeper, at once.
“Dust!” her ladyship proclaimed. “How is dust permitted in the drawing room?”
Mrs. Cheshire saw no dust whatsoever, but long experience had taught her how to deal with Lady Catherine on days such as this one. “I will have it taken care of at once, your ladyship,” she said, promptly.
“And have the entire house cleaned, top to bottom!” her ladyship ordered.
“Of course, your ladyship,” Mrs. Cheshire said. She curtsied and departed to go downstairs, where she ordered all the maids to rush around the house waving dustcloths with great energy.
Mrs. Jenkinson received word of the mistress’ tantrum from Mrs. Cheshire, and she went at once to Anne’s room to warn her of her mother’s mood. Anne went at once to find Georgiana. “Tread carefully, Georgiana; Mother is having one of her fits.”
“Fits?”
“She is upset about something and is taking it out on the servants. We had best just stay out of the way.”
“What could she possibly be upset about?”
Anne shrugged. “It could be anything; we will find out soon enough.”
***
Oddly enough, it was Mr. Collins who provided the answer. He came to visit his patroness and Mrs. Jenkinson suggested that they all go downstairs as well, so as to make at least an attempt to deflect her ladyship’s temper from the poor clergyman.
Georgiana wrinkled her nose. “Who better to bear her tempers than her parson?”
But Anne agreed with Mrs. Jenkinson, and so down they went.
Mr. Collins rose as they entered the room. “Good morning, Miss de Bourgh, Miss Darcy. I was just commiserating with her ladyship on the unfortunate demise of Dr. Fleming.”
“Demise?” Anne and Georgiana chorused together in disbelief.
“Yes; can you believe it?” Lady Catherine burst out. “I have been inconsolable since I first learnt it this morning! What are we to do now for poor Anne?”
“Ah,” Mr. Collins said, looking quite smug. “Here I may be of service to your ladyship.”
“Whatever can you mean?”
“Why, I happen to know that Dr. Fleming was planning on taking on a partner, and that partner has already taken up residence in Dr. Fleming’s house.”
“What? But he never spoke to me about a partner! It is altogether impossible!” Lady Catherine declared.
“When he was here, he did say something about visiting colleagues; perhaps that is when he took on the partner,” Georgiana said. She was ignored.
Anne ventured, “Do we know anything about the new doctor, Mr. Collins?”
“Very little; only that he is unmarried, young, saddened by the death of Dr. Fleming, but very willing to take on the practice. His name is Addison. I went to visit him as soon as I heard of his arrival, and he was busy reviewing his predecessor’s notes.”
“Very commendable, I am sure,” Lady Catherine said, impatiently. “But he should have presented himself to me immediately upon his arrival! I cannot like this situation, not in the least.”
At that moment, Fenworth announced the arrival of Dr. Addison.
Lady Catherine looked momentarily chagrined, but at once wiped the look off her face. The ladies all rose as the young doctor entered the room.
He bowed, and Mr. Collins performed the introductions.
“I apologise for my delay in coming to you, Lady Catherine,” he said, quite cheerfully. “I felt it necessary to first acquaint myself with your daughter’s situation by reading through my predecessor’s notes on her treatments before presuming to come to you.”
Lady Catherine could think of no immediate reply, so she simply inclined her head.
He continued, “Might I make a quick examination of the patient so that I can assess her current state of health?”
Lady Catherine assented, and so once again, the procession went upstairs: Mrs. Jenkinson, Anne, Georgiana, and the doctor. But this doctor was young and spry, and it was accomplished a good deal more quickly.
Anne lay down upon the bed and the doctor went through all the usual examinations. Finally, he declared, “I see nothing wrong with you that a bit more exercise, air and nutrition would not cure.”
Anne sat up in surprise. “You are not going to bleed me?”
He looked surprised. “Heavens, no! Has that ever done you a bit of good?”
“No, for I am always pale and tired when it is over.”
“Of course you are; blood belongs inside the body, not outside,” the doctor said firmly.
Georgiana chuckled at that; when the doctor looked over at her, she flushed and said. “I apologise; I was just thinking of something our cousin Richard Fitzwilliam once said.”
Anne said, “What did he say? I hardly ever see him, you know.”
“He is a Colonel in the Army,” Georgiana explained to the doctor. “He once said that he had seen a good many men die from losing too much blood, but he had never seen anyone die from losing too little.”
Dr. Addison burst out laughing. “Good man!” he said. “My feelings precisely.”
“My mother will not be happy if there is nothing done for me, though,” Anne said, softly. “She expects bleeding or medicine or something.”
“Ah, I suspected as much, and I have just the thing,” the doctor said. He reached into his bag and pulled out a bottle of little brown pellets. “You are to take one of these with every meal; three times a day, mind you, with plenty of food!”
“What is it?” Mrs. Jenkinson leaned forward, peering through her spectacles at the bottle.
“This is Triticum,” the doctor said, solemnly. “It is a new medicine, imported to us from India, and known to be highly effective.”
“Oh, my,” Mrs. Jenkinson said, deeply impressed.
“Three times a day,” the doctor said again.
“Breakfast, luncheon and dinner. In addition, you are to walk as far as you can every day. Exercise and fresh air are required for the Triticum to do its job properly. Mrs. Jenkinson, I rely upon your good sense to make certain that my prescriptions are carried out to the letter.”
“You may depend upon me, Doctor,” Mrs. Jenkinson said, nodding her head vigorously.
“And you, Miss Darcy, may help your cousin get her exercise. There is nothing so beneficial as exercise, and young ladies get far too little of it, sitting about with their embroidery and whatnot.”
“Yes, Doctor,” Georgiana said, obediently.
He gave her the quickest wink, so quick that no one else saw it, and then he went downstairs to confer with Lady Catherine.
***
Dear Brother,
The best thing in the world happened today!
Well, I suppose it did not start off as very good, for we learnt that Anne’s old doctor had died, and a new one had already come to take his place.
Aunt Catherine was in quite a state upon learning that the old doctor was gone, and in even more of a state that the new doctor had not yet presented himself to her.
At that very moment, the new doctor came in to introduce himself!
He asked if he might examine Anne, and so upstairs we went, Mrs. Jenkinson, Anne, the doctor and I.
He did not bleed her; no, he said that blood was best left inside the body, not outside.
He said there is nothing whatever wrong with her, only that she must eat more and get a good deal of exercise!
Which, of course, is what I have been saying all along!
Then Anne said that her mother would not be happy if there was not something done, at least some medicine for her to take, and so he promptly reached into his bag and took out a bottle of little brown pills.
He pronounced this to be a special medicine imported from India, and everyone was very impressed.
The bottle now has a place of honour on the dining room table, and she very solemnly takes one at every meal. And because she has been instructed to eat three times a day, she is actually doing so, and not missing luncheon, as she used to.
Mrs. Jenkinson is taking this all very seriously, and plans to write down how much exercise her charge gets every day, so that she might present this to the doctor when next he comes.
I am glad I decided to come to Rosings; it is not the most exciting place in the world, but I believe I have been able to contribute to Anne’s comfort, and that makes it all worthwhile.
Your loving sister,
Georgiana