He was standing at the front desk, just like the bellboy had sad, impatiently tapping his foot, a black bag held in his left hand, and a grumpy, ruffled expression on his face, as if he’d been thrown out of bed at three in the morning—which, if I knew Mr Ambrose, he had.
‘Dr Ross!’ Rushing towards him, I extended my hand. ‘I’m so glad you’ve come.’
‘That makes one of us,’ he grumbled, eying me through heavy-lidded eyes. ‘I had a bearded giant with a sabre pounding on my door this morning and threatening to decapitate me if I didn’t drop everything and come attend to a special patient halfway across the country, so I hope whoever it is, they’re at death’s door, Miss, or I shall be doubling my fee.’
I attempted a smile. It didn’t quite work. ‘You’ll pardon me if I don’t share that hope, Dr Ross. It’s my little sister.’
The disgruntled look instantly disappeared from the doctor’s face and in that moment I knew that Mr Ambrose and his not-so-merry-men had done as he’d promised. They’d found me a real doctor. One who cared about his patients.
‘Where is she?’
&nb
sp; ‘Upstairs.’
Without wasting another word, Dr Ross swept up the stairs. I followed right on his heels. We had just turned around a corner and were heading towards Ella’s room when a maid rushed out of the door, her face as pale as a ghost. She caught sight of me.
‘Oh, Miss! I swear, it wasn’t my fault, Miss! I just came in to see if she wanted anything, and I found her like that!’
My heart froze. ‘Like what?’
The maid didn’t answer. She just raised one trembling hand and pointed through the open doorway. Pushing past the doctor, I rushed forward into the room and found Ella lying on the floor, halfway between the window and the bed. She wasn’t moving.
Disorderly Orders
‘Ella!’
Was that my voice screaming? It sounded so distant. Like a stranger from a foreign land.
‘Out of the way! Let me check!’
Someone pushed past me. Who…? Of course. The doctor. He knelt by Ella’s side, feeling her pulse.
‘She’s alive! Help me get her onto the bed!’
Some part of me, the part that refused to faint when proper ladies should be out cold on the floor having smelling salts waved under their delicate noses, rushed forward and grabbed Ella’s feet. But most of me just watched, detached, as my body went through the motions.
‘Good! Now, on three. One, two…three!’
With the maid looking on anxiously from the doorway, we lifted Ella onto the bed. Was she breathing? Oh my God, please let her be breathing! Let her be alive!
‘Help me turn her onto her back. Good! Now give me that pillow over there. We have to get her legs up, improve the circulation.’
Without thinking, I followed the doctor’s instructions.
Thank God he’s here! Thank God I have someone capable who knows what to do!
‘Well done. Now, open her dress!’
My hands froze.
Scratch that! I got an old lecher!
Hands on hips I sent him a fiery glare. ‘Doctor! This is my sister! You can’t seriously think I would let—’
‘—me open the corset so she can breathe easier?’ he cut in. ‘Yes, I think that. In fact I think it would be a really good idea to do it right now.’
Oh.