How to Heal the Marquess by Sally Forbes
Chapter Two
Daisy smiled up at the beautiful, cloudless sky as the carriage took her and her father to Bond Street. The doctor sat across from her, reading over some notes of his as they traveled, and Daisy was content to sit in the comfortable silence and enjoy the marvels of a new day. She could see birds flying close to the coach, seeming as curious and intrigued by the people and the moving carriages as she was by them. She could also smell the fresh, blooming flowers that littered the roadside everywhere, right up until they reached the heart of downtown London.
“I have always admired your love and zest for life, my dear,” her father said, so suddenly that he made her start.
Daisy looked at him with a bemused smile.
“It is a love you taught me, Father,” she said. “You taught me to love and appreciate life through all your devoted efforts to save the lives of your patients.”
The doctor blushed, smiling warmly at his daughter.
“Your mother would be so proud of you, Daisy,” he said.
Daisy nodded, her smile fading. She knew nothing of her mother, as the physician’s wife had passed shortly after she was born. But her father spoke of her often, and with such love and affection, Daisy knew her mother had been a wonderful woman. Daisy herself was named after her mother’s favorite flower, and, just as the thought recurred to her, they passed a beautiful row of daisy plants.
“I wonder how she would feel about me serving as your nurse,” she mused, more to herself than to her father.
The physician chuckled.
“That is precisely the reason she would be so proud of you,” he said. “She always did her best to help me, but her heart was so soft, she often could not tend to my sicklier patients without crying.”
Daisy nodded thoughtfully. She fully understood her late mother’s plight. She herself often struggled to control her emotions, especially once her father gave her a look that told her the patient would not survive. It was harder still when the sick or injured person was a child. But she had learned she could do the patients more pleasing if she turned her sadness into compassion and devoted herself as much as her father did to giving them the best care she possibly could.
“I cannot imagine anything in the world more fulfilling than what it is that we do, though,” she said.
Dr. Gibson nodded.
“I could not agree more, my dear,” he said.
When the carriage came to a stop on Bond Street, the doctor helped Daisy alight. She smoothed out the front of her plain blue dress and prepared to follow her father, but she saw him digging in his coin purse.
“Here, my dear,” he said, after another moment of digging. “I want you to have this.”
Daisy took the money from her father, feeling confused. He always gave her a small allowance for assisting him, but he had already done so that month. Plus, this was considerably more than he usually gave her.
“What is this for, Father?” she asked. “Do you need me to fetch you something while you shop for supplies?”
The doctor chuckled, giving her an affectionate smile.
“No, my dear,” he said. “I have been saving this for some time. I want you to spend some time shopping for a new dress today. You have more than earned it, and a young lady your age should be able to have nice things at least occasionally.” He paused and winked fondly. “Especially a young lady as wonderful as my daughter.”
Daisy looked at the money in her hands in surprise. It had been ages since she had bought a new dress. She was always so busy helping her father tend to the sick, and the dresses she did have always stayed well-mended, and they were plenty sufficient for the work she did with him. But as she stood with the money in her hands, she realized how much she would love to spend a little time shopping.
“Oh, Father,” she gushed, hugging her father tightly. “You are too good to me.”
The physician laughed at his daughter’s delight, returning her embrace.
“It is the other way around, my dear,” he said. “Now, go. Enjoy yourself and choose anything that pleases you. I shall be ready to go in about an hour. We shall meet back here when you have finished your shopping.”
Daisy released her father, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.
“An hour, it shall be,” she said.
Daisy and her father parted ways, and she wandered along the sidewalk, marveling at all the shops along Bond Street. It truly had been a long time since she had been shopping, and she realized she had forgotten many of the shop names. She could smell the aroma of sweet treats wafting from a nearby bakery, as well as perfume from a large store.
She continued along until she found the shop she sought: a linen draper. She practically skipped inside the door like a young girl, breathing in the scent of crisp, new fabric as the door closed behind her.
After checking the time on the tall clock standing behind the seamstress’s counter, Daisy set about her search for a new dress with great enthusiasm. She was mesmerized by all the rich and vibrant colors surrounding her. Saturated hues, both dark and light, and pale pastels hung and lay around her, and for a moment, she was breathless. And the many different trimmings the shop offered were nothing less than exquisite.
She did, indeed, wish very much to have a dress made. But she was uncertain as to whether she would have the time to return for the required fittings. Perhaps, instead, she had better choose one of the dresses that were premade. She could have the seamstress do a quick fitting right then and have some trimming of her choosing added to it. Then, she could return the following week to retrieve it while she and her father were in town.
Pleased with her decision, she continued to browse the shop. Time passed quickly as she mulled over the choices before her. At last, she decided on one in a deep red, which was her favorite color. She selected some simple lace trim and, as the seamstress did the quick fitting, she explained she wanted the lace around the high neck of the dress, as well as around the hem. The kind seamstress nodded with understanding, promising that the dress would be ready by the time Daisy returned for it.
A short time later, Daisy was dressed in her clothes again, daydreaming about the brand-new dress she would have in just a few days. She was so lost in thought, and she almost did not see the young woman walking hand in hand with a small child step out in front of her as she made her way to the door.
“Oh,” she said, smiling sweetly as she glanced at the woman. “Pardon me.”
The woman returned her smile.
“No, please, forgive me,” she said. “You may not remember me, but I could not let you leave the shop without saying hello.”
Daisy blinked, studying the woman’s face for a moment. Then, a flash of recognition crossed her mind.
“Lady Lucy?” she asked.
The woman giggled and nodded.
“I was,” she said. “I am now the Viscountess of Valensdale. And this,” she said, stooping down and picking up the small girl, holding her in her arms, “is my daughter, Rose.”
Daisy gasped, gently embracing Lady Valensdale and waving to the toddler.
“Hello, little Rose,” she said. Then, she looked at the young woman again. “It is so wonderful to see you.”
Lady Valensdale enthusiastically resumed the embrace. Even little Rose reached out with a tiny arm and patted Daisy on the back, making her laugh. When at last the two of them pulled away, the viscountess was looking at Daisy fondly.
“I have not forgotten what you did for me all those years ago,” she said. “I have since hoped for another opportunity to thank you. If not for you, I would have never lived to meet my husband or bear my sweet Rose here. The gratitude I have felt for you every day since I recovered is profound, and I am so glad to have this chance to tell you so.”
Daisy’s eyes filled with tears of joy. She looked at the smiling faces of the young woman who had nearly died of influenza and her sweet young daughter, and her heart filled with great pride. She was far too humble to take credit for something she knew would have never been possible if not for her father’s tutelage, but she was thrilled to see that someone who had been so close to death now had a rich, happy life because of the care she had helped to give.
“Oh, Lady Valensdale,” she said, smiling brightly at the viscountess and her daughter. “It was truly our pleasure. It is so good to see you doing so well.”
The viscountess looked at Daisy fondly.
“Please,” she said. “Call me Lucy. I owe you my life, after all, and I do hope we might become friends.”
Daisy’s heart pounded in her chest. It was a rarity among people of the gentry ever to consider befriending a physician and his child. But she nodded eagerly, her smile widening.
“I would like that very much, Lucy,” she said. “And, please, call me Daisy.”
“Dai-dee,” little Rose said, looking at Daisy thoughtfully.
The two women laughed.
A few minutes later, Daisy bid Lucy and little Rose farewell, leaving the shop and reaching the carriage just as her father was checking his pocket watch.
“There you are,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. “I trust your shopping kept you quite busy.”
Daisy nodded, grinning as her father helped her into the coach. On the short trip home, she told him all about her encounter with Lucy and her daughter and about the kind words the viscountess had said to her. The doctor listened, his own face brightening a bit as his daughter spoke.
“It is a good thing that we do for people,” he said. “I am so glad to hear Lady Lucy is faring well.”
Daisy nodded in agreement. Her father asked her about her dress, and she told him about the rich red colored one and how she would collect it when they next returned to town. She thought he looked as though he was having trouble staying awake as the coach turned into their small driveway, but she dismissed it as him simply being tired from their errands.
When they were once again inside their little townhouse, however, Daisy caught him rubbing his face. Now she could see it clearly, without the bright sunlight shining right on it, it seemed to sag, and he appeared not very well-groomed. When he caught her staring at him, he smiled sheepishly, but it was overshadowed by the dark circles and puffiness she could see very prominently beneath his eyes.
“Father,” she asked, her earlier excitement gone, replaced by concern and worry. “Are you feeling all right?”
The physician’s eyes widened as though surprised by his daughter’s question. But then, he gave her a wide, bright smile.
“Of course, darling,” he said, kissing her quickly on the cheek. “I am perfectly fine.”
Daisy nodded, giving her father a small smile in return. She wanted to believe him, and perhaps she would have. However, as he excused himself to his study and turned away from her, she was certain she saw his cheery expression fall.
She bade him a good afternoon and a ‘see-you-at-dinner,’ then went up to her room to look at some of the notes she had made about potions. But she could not concentrate on her research, despite her love for the work. She knew without a doubt that something was bothering her father. Surely, he had not fallen ill himself. Had he?
