“I need no such—” Again, the lord’s words were stopped as he was wracked by heaving coughs.
Daisy well knew he must have a doctor. Taking in water of any sort was damaging to the lungs. She understood that the mechanisms in fresh and seawater were thought to be different, though she had no idea why or what the proposed remedies might be.
A voice behind her startled her. “Dalton,” Lord Burke said, “What on earth has happened? We saw you from the cliffs, were you drowning?”
Daisy turned to find Lord Burke, Miss Minkerton, and her lady’s maid. “Lord Burke,” Daisy said, with no small relief. “Lord Dalton will need to be got back to the house and a doctor fetched.”
“I do not require—” Lord Dalton did not get further as the coughing took over again. He leaned against the beached boat and Daisy was sure the endless coughing was beginning to take a toll.
Lord Burke nodded and said, “Come on, put your arm round my shoulders and I’ll get you to the carriage.”
Despite Lord Dalton insisting he did not need a doctor, he was all too willing to go with Lord Burke. Daisy was sure he was becoming exhausted.
As they left, Miss Minkerton said, “Are you quite all right, Miss Danworth? What has happened?”
Daisy took in a breath to steady herself. “I am perfectly fine, though I am not altogether sure what occurred.” She turned to the boy who stood by his boat. “You said Lord Dalton was somehow pulled underneath the water?”
“I said that’s whathesaid.Ithought maybe it was just another high and mighty lord overconfident in himself who goes and practically drowns. Seems like there’s one every summer. Last year, one particular lord muckety-muck flailed round trying to impress I don’t know who and then blamed me for it.”
Daisy had no intention of following this boy down the walks of his memories to complain of every wrong ever done him, which she was equally sure he would not mind doing.
“Lord Dalton told you he was pulled under, but you don’t believe it,” she said.
The boy rubbed his chin in thought. Then he said, “I don’t rightly know. He don’t seem a fool and hewasswimmin’ well. Then he disappears. Then he appears and swims well again, ‘cept for near drowning. Then he tells me somethin’ had him round the ankle and Ididsee the redness on it. On t’other hand, I don’t like to think of a creature being out there. No, I don’t like to think of that!”
Daisy could not make heads or tails of what had gone on. Miss Minkerton said, “Perhaps the only thing to think about is that Lord Dalton has escaped the situation, whatever it was.”
Daisy nodded. “I hope you have not been unduly shocked, Miss Minkerton,” she said. That was what she said, but what she meant was she hoped Miss Minkerton would not fall to pieces upon observing the man she admired so recently in peril.
“Goodness, no, Miss Danworth,” Miss Minkerton said. “In unexpected situations in which things must be done quickly, I find the best thing is to just get on with it. Now, I will send my maid for Doctor Sheldringham, if you will allow it. My family has known him for years and he is quite the best, I think.”
Daisy nodded. She could not help but be thankful for the suggestion. The only doctor her father had ever called for was Doctor Wade, who was a reprobate just like himself and only seemed to have cures for excessive indulgence.
“Now, Miss Danworth, we ought to get you home as well,” Miss Minkerton said. “You are beginning to shiver in the breeze.”
Mrs. Jellops, who had so far been sitting on the back steps of the bathing machine, said, “Yes, we must all go home and never return to this wretched place again. Nothing good ever comes of flinging oneself into the sea.”
Daisy could see poor Mrs. Jellops was shaken by the events of the morning. She was forever predicting disaster in the water and now it had happened.
At least, something had happened, though none of them really knew what.
“Betsy?” Miss Minkerton said. “I have your name correct?”
Betsy bobbed her head and Miss Minkerton said, “Do help Mrs. Jellops and I will help Miss Danworth.” She walked to the boy and pulled a coin from her reticule. “And you, young sir, do not go round talking of this and giving yourself nightmares. Best to forget all about it.”
The boy nodded, though Daisy did not think he looked convinced.
Daisy felt well able to let Miss Minkerton take charge. She realized she was a bit dazed at the moment. Whatever had taken place out in the deeper water, what she was sure of was that Lord Dalton had come close to losing his life.
His coughing so! It was awful. It was not him. Lord Dalton was never to be weak or hurt.
She did not know why she thought so, she only knew that she did.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Doctor Sheldringham arrived to the house within the hour. He was a late middle-aged fellow with a tanned face and a comforting way about him. He seemed brisk and unruffled and not at all surprised to hear of a mishap in the sea.
Daisy supposed he would not be surprised, he making his practice so near it. She led him through the back garden to Lord Dalton’s cottage while Bellamy officiously followed. She would have liked to go in, but for propriety’s sake she allowed Bellamy to take him inside and she sat down on the bench just outside. She knew full well she ought to return to the drawing room and await the doctor’s conclusions. Miss Minkerton had been left there to tend to Mrs. Jellops’ fractured nerves, which the lady had speedily decided could be remedied with tea and biscuits. Mrs. Broadbent appeared in full agreement and bustled off to make up a tray.
