As the Sparks Fly Upward (13 page)

“Dr. Teague, I believe.”

“Yes, and this is my associate, Mr. Colin Winslow.”

“You gentlemen are welcome to my home. I am glad you could come so quickly.”

“We came as soon as we got your message. I assumed it was important. What can we help you with?”

“Gentlemen, would you sit down?” Withington waited until the two were seated and the servant left before he said, “I have
one son, gentlemen. Leslie is nineteen years old, and he has been ill for over a month. I fear he's growing steadily worse.”

“What has been done, my lord?”

“I have had him examined by five physicians, but none seem able to help him.” Worry lines appeared in Withington's face and he seemed less assured. “No physician has been able to find what is the cause or the cure for my boy. I have a brother, Sir Winfred Farley. I believe you know him, Dr. Teague.”

“I do indeed, sir. I attended his son in his sickness.”

“That is what my brother tells me. He spoke so highly of you and Mr. Winslow that I sent for you at once. I fear I have wasted time with other physicians. They talk a great deal, saying things that no man could understand unless he has studied the medicine for a lifetime!” Withington said with frustration.

“I fear my profession hides behind difficult sentences and obscurities in language,” Dr. Teague agreed. “I assure you I will tell you nothing but the simplest truth.”

“That is what I have been told by my brother.”

“What are your son's symptoms, my lord?”

The three men talked about the young man's symptoms and finally Lord Withington said, “I am anxious for you to see my boy. It seems almost hopeless. Day by day he loses strength and weight. My wife and I are terribly afraid.”

“That is natural, sir,” Teague said gently. He could be a harsh man at times, but toward those who were suffering or had a family member in danger he could be kind and patient. His voice became softer as he said, “I think it might be best that we see the young man before we make any decisions.”

“Would you like for me to write down what I have told you, Dr. Teague?”

“Oh, no. My assistant here will remember every word you have said.”

Lord Withington set his gaze on Colin. “That is a fine and unique gift for a physician.”

“I trust that we will be able to help your son,” Colin said quickly. He felt an instant liking for the man. He had known other powerful men of influence who were arrogant, but he saw little conceit in this man. “We will do the very best we can, sir,” he added quietly.

“Leslie is probably asleep at the moment, but I would like for you to meet the rest of my family.”

Lord Withington spoke to the servant, saying, “Ask my wife and daughter to come in, Wilkins.”

Colin was studying Lord Withington's face and there he saw pain, fear, and helplessness.
No matter how powerful a man is,
he thought,
when death faces him or someone he loves, he is the same as the poorest peasant in England.
He and Teague rose as two women entered the room.

“This is my wife, Lady Withington, and this is my daughter, Lady Benton. This is Dr. Teague and his associate, Mr. Winslow.”

Lady Withington was in her early forties. She was an attractive woman with a wealth of brown hair and warm brown eyes. At the moment he could see fear in them, but Colin also saw an attractive, gentle spirit.

“I welcome you, gentlemen, and I hope you will be able to help my son.”

Lady Benton was a young woman, Colin saw, no more than twenty-five. There was much of her father in her and little of her mother. She stepped forward and extended her hand. Dr. Teague took it at once, bending over it with a polite kiss.

“I am so happy you are here, Dr. Teague. We are very worried about Leslie.”

Colin did not expect her to speak to him since he was a mere assistant, but Lady Benton came at once and extended her hand. Colin followed Dr. Teague's example. He bent over it awkwardly and touched the back of her hand with his lips. When he straightened up, he saw that she was watching him in a strange manner.

There was something different about this woman. Her eyes were dark, and her skin was flawless. There was an exotic richness in her lips that most women did not have. Her figure was clearly discernible in the orchid-colored dress she wore. “We welcome both of you, and I pray you will be able to help my poor brother.”

At that moment refreshments were brought in, and they all sat down while a serving maid passed around the drinks and a platter of bread and cold meats. “I thought you would be hungry after your long journey,” Lady Withington said.

As they ate, Lord Withington said, “I must warn you, I have had a difference of opinion with medical men who may give you some problems.”

“I am used to that,” Teague smiled. “No doubt it was with Dr. Perry.”

“You were expecting it, then?”

“We have crossed swords before. Our methods differ completely.”

Colin did not join in the talk, but he listened avidly.

“Well, I am glad to hear that, because their methods were of absolutely no help! But I would not want to cause problems in your professional life.”

“We are healers,” Teague said. He took a bite of bread. After chewing and swallowing, he said, “We will do what we must for our patients, and the college must do as it pleases.”

Lady Withington's voice was laced with fear. “I beg you, sir, save my son. You were able to save our nephew Simon, and I pray that you will have that same success with Leslie.”

“Mother, I am sure these gentlemen will do everything in their power,” Lady Benton said. Colin saw her eyes fixed on him rather than Teague, which disturbed him. After all, Teague was the physician.

Finally, Lord Withington said, “Wilkins tells me that my son is still sleeping, and you must be tired. Wilkins, show these gentlemen to their rooms.”

Lady Benton smiled. “Before you take a rest, Mr. Winslow, I would like to hear more of your treatment of my cousin Simon.”

The invitation was more of a command, and after the others had left the room, Colin stood before Lady Benton awkwardly. He'd had little experience with women, and this was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He knew that she was married to a nobleman, for she bore the title “Lady Benton.”

“Come, it's so beautiful outside. I love this time of the year. Let me show you my roses.”

“Certainly, Lady Benton.”

Colin followed her outside through an intricate aisle of hedges until they came to a beautiful rose garden. He stopped and exclaimed, “I've never seen such colors in flowers!”

“My mother is a great lover of flowers, much more than I. I just enjoy them, but she adores them. Shall we sit?”

Colin waited until Lady Benton seated herself on the stone bench, then seated himself beside her. It was a small bench, barely wide enough for the two of them. Colin was intensely aware of the pressure of her arm against his. She turned to face him, and a smile crept across her lips. “I am surprised to see you are so young. No one told me this.”

“Yes, my lady, I am nineteen.”

“And yet Dr. Teague places such trust in you. I can see it in the way he spoke of you.”

“I have been very fortunate, my lady, to study under Dr. Teague.”

“Tell me about yourself.”

“Myself? Why, there is not much to tell.”

“Oh, come now! A handsome young physician such as yourself, you must have a great deal to say.”

Colin was awkwardly speechless for a moment, for there was a lingering smile on Lady Benton's lips that was reflected in her eyes. At her insistence, he told her a little of his life.
When he was finished, he noticed she was watching him in a peculiar way.

“Most of the doctors I've known have been older men. That's why I was surprised to meet a young handsome doctor such as yourself—”

“My lady, I am not a physician.”

Lady Benton only smiled. There was a sensuous turn to her mouth that fascinated Colin, and at the same time made him very nervous.

“Mr. Winslow, the physician has such an intimate relationship with his patients. I suppose you grow accustomed to such intimacy with your female patients.” She laughed because she saw Colin's face redden. “Well, I did not think there was a man in England with a blush left in him! I like you for it, sir! I would guess that some of your female patients must have shown you signs of their favor.”

Colin could not think of a single word to reply. She saw his awkwardness. Suddenly she reached over and covered his hand with hers. “I like you, Mr. Winslow! It's refreshing to find a truly innocent man in our country. You must tell me more about yourself; I am fascinated.”

Colin stuttered a little, then asked a question that had been on his mind. “Is your husband here, my lady?”

“Oh, no. I lost my husband over a year ago. He was Aaron Caldwell, the Right Honorable Viscount Benton. He died in a riding accident.”

“I'm very sorry for your loss, my lady.”

“Thank you, Mr. Winslow. It was a hard loss, but time does heal all wounds. One must go on with life.” She smiled and said, “Now, tell me of some of your victories in your practice.”

When Colin entered his room he found Dr. Teague waiting for him. “Do I have the wrong room, Dr. Teague?”

“No, this is your room. I wanted to get a report of your meeting with Lady Benton.”

“Why, she merely wanted to discuss possible treatments for her brother.”

Teague had piercing eyes. Right now those eyes seemed to pin Colin to a board, as he himself had pinned butterflies and other insects.

“That is the first lie you have ever told me, Colin Winslow. I am sorry to see such dishonesty in you.”

Colin dropped his head. “I—I don't know what else to say, Doctor. It's true, now that I think about it, that Lady Benton never asked about treatments during our conversation. I don't know why.”

“Well,
I
do.” Teague said abruptly. “I am not a man of God, but I remember a sermon I heard when I was younger. It stayed in my mind all these years. It is very simple. I don't know where it is in the English Bible, but it says, ‘Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.'”

Colin straightened and moved his head slightly from side to side. “Yes, Dr. Teague, that's in the book of First Corinthians. But, sir, a woman like that wouldn't be interested in any man without a title.”

Teague laughed rather harshly. “So you think all that women are interested in is titles? You are wrong—dead wrong! Some of them are interested in what a man brings to the bed with him.”

Colin was accustomed to Teague's rough speech, but this still shocked him. “You can't possibly mean she has any immoral interest in me?”

“You are the brightest boy I have ever seen—and yet the densest in some ways! You know all the cures that go back two hundred years, but you can't see when a woman wants you.” He shook his head and said, “Listen to this, my boy. Money, power, and women—these are the snares that destroy a man.”

“They will not destroy me, sir!”

Teague threw up his hands. Clearly, Colin was blind to the danger he was in. “You did not hear a word I said!” he said with disgust.
“‘Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.'
Just watch out for that woman. I've seen her kind before.”

“Yes, sir,” Colin replied neatly. After Teague left he shook his head.
Teague is not often wrong, but he has to be wrong about this.
He looked about the room and studied the expensive furniture, the hangings on the wall . . . but his mind kept going back to when Lady Benton put her hands around his. He had seen something in her eyes that somehow drew him. He shrugged his shoulders in a motion of impatience.

“I would like to see the record of what the physicians have done for your son, Lord Withington,” Teague said.

“Of course. I insisted that they write them all down.” He moved over across the room, opened the desk drawer, and pulled out a stack of papers.

“Here it is, Dr. Teague.” Teague took the papers and Colin stood close beside him. The two men read through the documents. Instead of replying to Teague, Sir William asked abruptly, “What do you think, Mr. Winslow?”

Colin was surprised, for he had expected Dr. Teague to deal with Withington. He said briefly, “I think you can guess my thoughts, my lord.”

“Just tell me, what do you see, Mr. Winslow?” Lord Withington demanded.

“I am sorry, Sir William, but what I see here is not the kind of medicine that Dr. Teague has taught me to practice.”

“What do you mean?”

“They bled the young man four times, and once only two days between.”

Lord Withington stared at Colin. “Isn't that common practice?”

“It is common practice and the old authorities all agree with it, but I see no value in it.”

“Dr. Perry told me it was to bleed out the bad blood.”

Colin could not help smiling. He did not know it, but he looked very young standing before the nobleman. “Bad blood, sir? No one has ever proved that there is such thing as bad blood. And if it did exist, how would anyone know that the blood bled out or taken by leeches was bad and not good?”

Lord Withington stared at the two men, then fixed his eyes on Teague. “Do you agree with this?”

“I do, sir.”

“And look at this, my lord,” Colin said. “Purging! I have never
seen
such purging!”

“But I understood that was common also.”

“It is common because physicians know of nothing else to do. Galen, the old master, said that bleeding and purging are good for men, so we do it, even if we do not understand why.”

“You amaze me, Mr. Winslow.” Lord Withington laughed shortly and shot a direct glance at Colin. “Dr. Perry said you were a rebel.”