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“We take every precaution known to prevent the spread of disease as well as a few that are as yet theoretical. One established method is to clean everything with vinegar.”
A masked nurse exited one of the rooms down the hall and immediately went to a laving basin placed in the hall to begin washing her hands. There were several of these lining the hallway.
“Why is she doing that?” he asked, nodding toward the woman. “And what are these basins doing out here? Should they not be kept in the rooms?”
Harriett gave a nod of approval to the nurse, who had turned at the sound of his voice. “Every room has a basin in it, but these are here specifically for the staff,” she told him. “Even with the masks, I have over time observed that certain illnesses seem to spread by some other mysterious means. After careful study and consultation with several physicians, I proposed that touch might be the culprit. As an experiment, I instituted a mandate requiring everyone caring for the sick to wash their hands with strong soap immediately upon leaving the sick room. You might be pleased to know that since its inception nearly nine months ago this preventive measure appears to have greatly reduced the occurrence of illness among both the children and the staff.”
A rush of admiration swept through him. “You deduced this on your own?”
Only her eyes were visible above her mask as she turned to face him, but even so, he could tell she was smiling. “As a matter of fact, I did,” she said, her voice warm with pride. “I have asked for help in the confirmation of my hypothesis, of course. I am no doctor, although William often told me I would have made an excellent one had I been born a man. I believe as he did, in a scientific, logical approach to problems.”
“Of course you do,” he muttered, immediately biting his tongue. As William’s fiancée, it would only have been natural for her to mold herself according to his preferences. That she maintained the shape despite his death was yet another testament to her love for him.
“There was no harm in instituting the practice and little related expense,” she went on. “That it has seemingly succeeded brings me great joy. I carefully recorded my findings, too, and presented them to several doctors in London. They are now proposing that other facilities try it. If similar results are seen, then my hypothesis will be proved. If such occurs, it is likely to lead to a better understanding of contagion and how to prevent its spread, thereby benefiting everyone.”
No wonder William had taken to her. Plain she might be, but her way of thinking would have been much to his liking. And if William had thought her intelligent enough to be a doctor—and train her to run this facility—he must have been greatly impressed by her mind. He eyed her with renewed wariness. He had underestimated her, a terrible mistake to make with any enemy.
They came to a door with a small window in it. Peering in, he saw a young boy whose skin was discolored by large blotches of angry red. Roland frowned. “What is wrong with him? Is that...”
“Scarlet fever.”
It was all he could do to resist the urge to bolt. Instead, he forced himself to back away slowly.
“You need not fear,” she said. “William told me you both had it as children.”
She’s right. He breathed again, though only shallowly. The mask he wore was no guarantee of safety, and God knew what else might be lurking in this place. He now sorely regretted his hasty show of bravado. “Even with the precautions you’ve mentioned, scarlet fever is extremely contagious. Do you not worry it will spread?”
She shook her head. “He was brought to us having already broken his fever, but we are keeping him up here for a while as a precaution anyway. We have dealt with scarlet fever here before, you know. Last year there were seven cases of it. He is doing much better now that he has begun eating again.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “Regrettably, his parents and siblings did not survive. He would have died as well, had not a neighbor heard him crying for help and called the guard. The instant his condition was discerned, no one would have him. He was brought here as a last resort.”
It begged asking, though he dreaded to hear the answer. “Do many of them die?”
Her head bowed. “In this ward, occasionally. In the case of a severe illness, it sometimes cannot be helped.”
“Why do you do it? Why risk taking in the sick?”
She looked at him, fire in her eyes. “He was already past the crisis.”
“You may be clever, Lady Harriett, but you don’t know everything. How could you be certain he was no longer contagious? They could have lied to you about his condition in order to get rid of him.”
“As I said, we have dealt with scarlet fever here before. I know each of its stages intimately.”
“Oh, yes,” he said, crossing his arms. “Such intimate knowledge. I forget that you have had exactly two years of experience from which to draw upon in order to make such life and death decisions.”
Her cheeks flushed. “As a matter of fact, I have consulted with numerous physicians on the matter! But I don’t suppose that makes a difference to you, does it?” She jabbed a slender finger at the little window. “You would have sent that child away. You would have let him die.”
“You risked the lives of all the others here.”
“We have minimized the risk, as you can see.”
“But you cannot eliminate it entirely.”
“There is no possible way to do that—not with our current resources,” she argued. “The only way to safeguard against such things is to have a separate facility and staff to care for the sick. It was something William was working on before he died, for he thought as you do, that the sick and the healthy should be kept apart. I happen to agree. Unfortunately, there is the small matter of funding.” She pointed at the window. “Look at him and then look me in the eye and tell me you would have turned him away.”
Against his will, he again looked in at the boy. His head lay quiescent on the pillows, his little face with its protruding cheekbones telling the story of his
hardship. “I would have looked for an alternative solution,” he grumbled, forcing himself to meet her gaze.
“I have no alternative solution to offer. There is nowhere else for sick children to go because London is full of heartless people. I do the best I can with what I am given.”
