Again, Melissa’s gut clenched.
“And so you have come here for what?” she asked, wishing to hear him say it, not because she wished to gloat, but because she couldn’t truly believe it until she had heard it from his lips.
“My cousin claims to have seen every reputable doctor in London,” Mr Spurnrose explained, and the way his jaw clenched suggested that he was already struggling to speak, likely due to the fact of whom he was speaking to.
Melissa held her breath, trying not to react to the clear contempt she still felt coming off the man. His even being there to ask for her help was a step forward and one she would not push away simply because she disliked how he had treated her beforehand. If she wished for the world to change, she could not do anything that might prevent it.
“But they have all given the same diagnosis,” Mr Spurnrose continued, and it took all Melissa had in her not to interrupt him as he added, “We fear that he does not have long left unless …”
He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, a hint of suspicion in his gaze. Melissa’s hands tightened into fists, and she had to shove them into the folds of her skirt to hide the fact.
“Unless what, Mr Spurnrose?”
Flit gave a renewed growl as though he too was intrigued by the way this conversation was going and also a little annoyed at the fact Mr Spurnrose was speaking as though she was going to magic up some miracle cure for something every other doctor had been unable to fix since the beginning of time.
“Unless you might have something in your little bag of trickery that might be able to help him?” Mr Spurnrose said, the corner of his lips twitching upwards in an awkward half-smile that suggested he was quite embarrassed at having said the words.
Melissa thought he should have been ashamed of himself, to be quite so foolish as to think that her herbal mixtures and remedies were witchcraft simply because the general population did not use them, thanks to men like Doctor Wallis who would prefer more manageable means of healing people to keep the profit for themselves.
It was more than a little infuriating, but again, Melissa reminded herself of what the true focus should be right now, which was helping Lord Spurnrose.
Does he really deserve it after last night?Melissa thought though she quickly forced it away again, reminding herself that she was not God and did not have the right to decide who should be healed or when. She was merely an instrument of said healing.
“Mr Spurnrose, I am quite certain I will be able to help your cousin in some way or other, but there are two things I require first, Melissa announced. She pushed herself to stand up straight and tall, and although Mr Spurnrose was still somewhat taller than her, she was confident that she had his attention.
“My cousin requires urgent help, Lady Belmont. What are your requests?” Mr Spurnrose said, his voice quite impatient. Melissa’s entire body tensed, but she forced herself to remain professional.
“First of all I wish for you to relinquish this notion of witchery and dark magic,” she said, her tone hissing slightly as she could not entirely hide her annoyance. “There is no such thing. Medicine and healing is a science and nothing more.”
Mr Spurnrose looked as though he was going to protest. Melissa steeled herself for it, almost entirely certain that he would not be able to help himself. But instead, he sucked in a deep breath and sighed, shaking his head.
“I shall try,” he said, and though it annoyed Melissa slightly, she knew that for now, at least, it would have to be enough. It was something she could work with, better than his utter disregard for her methods in the past. “What is your second request?”
This time it was Melissa’s turn to suck in a deep breath. Preparing herself for what came next, she said carefully, “If I am to help Lord Spurnrose, I must know exactly what ails him. He cannot beat around the bush any further and only tell me lies and half-truths.”
Mr Spurnrose almost looked relieved at this request as though she had been about to suggest he needed to make a sacrifice to some unholy god or something else sinister.
The gentleman glanced down at his hands and how they clasped together, fidgeting slightly, suggesting he was still wildly uncomfortable in her presence. No doubt he was also unsure how much he should tell her.
When he continued to hesitate, Melissa said, “Mr Spurnrose, I cannot heal if I do not know what I am attempting to heal.”
The man’s gaze shot to hers then, and it was clear he had seen the sense in her words. Though his jaw was still clenched and his shoulders tensed to the point he looked quite uncomfortable, he finally said, “Lord Spurnrose’s doctors diagnosed him with consumption four months ago.”
Melissa could not help herself. The laughter burst from her so violently that it was painful. All she could do to stop it was slam a hand over her mouth and her other to her stomach to ease the discomfort in her diaphragm.
Mr Spurnrose’s expression suggested how disgruntled her reaction had made him. He practically bared his teeth at her and hissed, “Lady Belmont, consumption is a very serious matter, and I do not take kindly to your laughing at my cousin’s predicament.”
Melissa thought that was perhaps the politest she had ever heard him speak towards her, and she found it quite ironic, to say the least.
“Forgive me, Mr Spurnrose. I did not mean to laugh at something so serious, but you see, you and your cousin have been led astray,” Melissa explained, remembering the letter she had found the night before. “You see, your cousin is not going to die, at least not of the illness he suffers with as the doctors have suggested.”
“Excuse me?” A mixture of confusion and perhaps even a little anger spread across Mr Spurnrose’s face. “Lady Belmont, are you so confident in your … your practise that you believe you can cure consumption without even trying? I know I am here out of desperation, but even I know that …”
Melissa knew well what he was thinking, that nobody with consumption could be cured. And he would not be wrong. She knew it as well as he did.
“Mr Spurnrose, consumption, as of yet, has no cure,” Melissa admitted with a deep sigh. She saw the way that his face fell, saw the glint of hope leave his gaze. And for a second, she thought of not finishing what she had been about to say.
Am I sure of this?Melissa thought. She rehashed all the information she had picked up from Lord Spurnrose over the last several days, from conversing with him and watching him very closely whenever his attention was elsewhere. Not only that but the fact that though his symptoms were indeed growing worse, they seemed to get better here and there, and he did not appear to her as though he would be confined to his deathbed before long.
