Nurse No Evil （First Person） #3
It was a relief to know he did not expect me to spy on his officer, and that he trusted my judgement.
“We are supposed to pretend gentlewomen do not make bargains, but let us be clear. As a lady, my so-called reputation would take a beating were I known to be employed or making quid pro quo bargains with generals, and the stink would attach to my sisters. This is between the two of us! I will care for your colonel. When I am done, I expect you to find me a husband. My requirements are not stringent. I need an honourable man, with a reasonable situation, who will treat me well. Anything beyond that is neither needed nor expected.”
He showed the confidence that probably raised him to the rank in the first place. “The most difficult part of that job will be sorting the wheat from the chaff. The task shall not be onerous. You have your bargain.”
With that, I tacitly relinquished my toehold on the gentry, and I really would not miss it.
The idea of being an officer’s wife had never occurred to me as a reasonable prospect, but after my experience, I suspected an officer was likely to be the only man who would ever be able to talk to me intelligently again.
I tried to imagine explaining what I had done during my time in the hospital to some bumbling gentleman like Mr Bingley, and almost laughed aloud at the absurdity of the idea.
Even my brother or father would never be told what went on here, which was for the best. The only people who had the slightest chance of comprehending me were soldiers and other nurses.
Our business complete, the general waved me off and the maid who had been patiently waiting led me out. Se indicated the footmen would take me where I needed to go, and joined me in the coach.
“I will need to get my trunk.”
“We already have it, Miss Lucas. The coach is ready for you at your pleasure, but you are awaited at the end, so I would ask that we leave reasonably soon.”
I did my best not to snort. The general had asked for the favour, but since my trunk was already loaded, he knew the answer before he started. I reckoned that was why he was a general, and I was not—aside from my lack of male equipage.
The footmen led the two of us over to what was absolutely the finest coach I had ever seen.
Apparently, whoever I was going to do this favour for was sufficiently funded for the project.
Having nothing more to do, I allowed the footmen to hand me in.
I started to nod a goodbye to the maid, but she simply climbed in beside me.
That seemed odd after my experience of previous years, but if I planned to at least pretend to be a gentlewoman, I guessed I would have to accustom myself to their ways.
“I apologise, miss. I never introduced myself. I am Miss Charlotte Lucas.”
The maid seemed surprised that anybody would talk to her with anything other than instructions, but eventually worked her way into answering. “I am Selina Blackmore, ma’am. I am to act as your lady’s maid.”
I did not particularly like the sound of that, but I imagined I could eventually learn to live with the luxury. Whoever owned this coach was from the first circles, and unlikely to allow someone under his care to suffer any type of deprivation.
“It is nice to meet you, Miss Blackmore. I have never had a lady’s maid, so your duties should not be too onerous. Have you any idea how long our journey is?”
“The coachman told me around four hours.”
I looked around the coach and paid attention to the style of world we seemed to be moving into.
The coach had two coachmen, one more than needed.
Two footmen stood on the back, both conspicuously armed.
Two outriders travelled back and forth on the road before and behind the coach, as if I were someone important.
It all seemed silly. A post coach would have served, but whoever I worked for would consider that beneath him, and the extra people travelling with me needed employment as badly as I did. I was not one to complain.
Half an hour into the journey, I lay down to rest, and suggested the maid do the same.
I had learned over the past year to rest when it was available, as there was never any way to know when you might need it.
I missed most of the trip and had no idea where we were going, or even in which direction.
Selina woke me from a restless sleep to indicate we were half an hour from our destination for the evening. My employer was to meet us there, and word was he awaited us already.
Selina felt duty-bound to try to make less of a mess of my hair and clothing.
I was mostly indifferent to such things so long as they were reasonably clean, but she was not to be deterred.
Even working in a moving coach, with nothing but a small mirror, the young woman performed miracles.
By the end of the trip, I almost looked like a real woman.
We soon pulled into an unfamiliar coaching inn. Footmen pulled down the step and opened the door, and I stared in shock into the face of the very last man in the world I expected to see.