Ashley gave her a grim smile. “That won’t be necessary.”
A quick perusal of the stillroom left Ashley frustrated and hurrying back upstairs after raiding the liquor stock in the cellar. “For a furnished rental house, there is woefully little in the stillroom,” she said, putting the bottles of gin and whiskey on the bedside table. “I hope the cook is careful with her knives because I didn’t find so much as sticking plaster.” She pulled paper from her desk and sat down to make a list of things she’d need to buy. A moment later she slapped her palms on the desk in frustration. “We can’t leave him here alone,” she said, “and I can’t go to the shops on my own.” She blew a puff of air to dislodge a loose strand of hair that had fallen into her eyes. “I am so sorry, Sally. I need you to go on this errand for me instead of getting your afternoon off. I promise to make it up to you another time.”
Sally paused in the act of sorting Ravencroft’s clothes into a basket separate from Ashley’s dirty laundry. “I don’t mind, miss. This is the most interesting day I’ve had in years.”
Ashley began writing. “You shouldn’t need to go far. We passed an apothecary before we got to Mr. Jamuna’s bakery, and the linen drapers is just a little bit further past the butcher shop.” A few moments later she showed the list to Sally. “For the moldy bread, I mean it should have green or white fuzz, not just be stale. The fuzzier, the better.”
Sally’s eyebrows rose but she nodded.
“We can’t use Aunt Eunice’s sheets for bandages, so get plain sheets from the linen draper, or better yet, just lengths of muslin. The apothecary might try to talk you into buying a fancy marble mortar and pestle. A simple oak one will do. They should have the arnica, yarrow, and other herbs in stock.” Ashley tapped the quill between her fingers. “The only shop I’m not sure about is where to buy the whiskey and gin to replace Uncle Edward’s stock. I don’t want him to worry that I’ve suddenly begun tippling heavily.”
“Or that the staff is drinking it.” They shared a quick grin. “Don’t worry, miss. I know where to buy the liquor. My papa used to enjoy a nip before bed every night.”
Ashley patted Sally’s shoulder in relief. “Get two bottles each of whiskey and gin.”
Sally made note of the labels on the liquor bottles, and peered at the shopping list in her hand. “Is laudanum on the list? He’s going to be right sore when he wakes up.”
“That’s what the whiskey is for. There is a bottle of laudanum in the stillroom, but I don’t want to dose him with it unless he’s awake enough to say that’s what he prefers.” After having laudanum forced on her, Ashley couldn’t bring herself to give it to anyone who hadn’t first requested it.
While Sally studied the list, Ashley dug into her trunk to retrieve the miser’s purse that had belonged to her father. Uncle Edward granted her a generous allowance for pin money, but the amount she had left for the month wasn’t enough to purchase all the items on the shopping list. Fortunately she ‘d saved much of her salary from the academy. While most of it was invested, she kept emergency funds on hand, stashed in her father’s purse and a few other hiding spots. She counted out the coins that she thought Sally would need, added a few more just in case, and poured them into the coin purse from her reticule, save for one.
“This should be enough to buy everything on the list,” she said, handing the purse to Sally. She held up the extra coin. “Buy yourself a treat. Some ribbon for your own bonnet, or perhaps a pastry while you’re in the bakery. Whatever catches your fancy.”
Sally opened her mouth to protest, shut it, and slipped the coin and purse into her apron pocket. “Thank you, miss.”
Ashley pulled her sewing kit from the mending basket and set it on the bedside table. Sally took one look at Ravencroft’s bloody forearm Ashley lifted out from under the blanket, turned pale, and barely bobbed a curtsy before running from the room.
“It appears she’s squeamish,” Ashley said to Ravencroft.
He didn’t reply.
It was just as well he was still unconscious for this step. It would hurt like the devil. She made sure she had everything handy that she expected to need, then unwrapped the bloody makeshift bandage. Her own stomach twisted at the sight of the injured flesh.
The slash went nearly from his elbow to his wrist on the underside, as if his arm had been raised when it was cut. She washed her hands with gin, then held his arm over the basin and let the alcohol dribble into the wound and surrounding flesh. Half the bottle was empty before she was satisfied the dirt had rinsed away, and she started stitching.
The cut was long but didn’t appear to be deep. With any luck, no tendons or other important flesh had been permanently damaged.
Sally returned just as Ashley cut the thread on the last stitch. “Here you go, mi—”
Ashley caught her and the large shopping basket before the maid crumpled to the floor, and helped her sit beside the bed, her back against the bedpost. “Take deep breaths.”
“I’m right sorry, miss.”
“Clearly there’s a good reason you chose to work as a maid rather than assistant to a surgeon.”
Sally gave her a sheepish grin.
“Stay there until you no longer feel lightheaded.” Turning her writing desk into a stillroom worktable, Ashley unpacked the basket. She melted beeswax and mixed together a small batch of medicinal ointment. The bread would take more time to prepare so she set it aside.
From her seat on the floor, Sally ripped muslin into lengths for bandages.
Ashley sprinkled basilicum and yarrow powder over Ravencroft’s stitches, noting the bleeding had stopped. How much blood had he lost? His cravat and the towel had been soaked. She spread a thick layer of the healing ointment on a piece of muslin as a wound dressing, then wrapped muslin strips around Ravencroft’s arm. She sat on the edge of the bed, holding his hand to make sure his fingers stayed warm. If they turned cold or changed color, the bandage was too tight.
She wished his fingers would curl around hers. That he would speak to her so she could hear his rumbling, resonant voice. Open his eyes so she could see the flecks of amber and moss green. But he was going to be in a lot of pain when he woke up; he was better off if he stayed unconscious awhile longer.
He suddenly groaned and sat up, his left hand to his mouth, his breath coming in harsh pants. His eyes opened, revealing a mix of panic and confusion as he locked gazes with her. She grabbed the basin and guided him to it, and listened helplessly as he violently lost everything he’d recently had to eat or drink.
At the sound of Ravencroft heaving, Sally rushed to the window and threw it open, leaned out so far Ashley feared she would fall, and vomited.
