Chapter 7: Doctor Donovan

June 1832

The springs and axles of the coach groaned and squeaked as the driver urged the horses on with his whip. Sleeping dogs jumped up and out of their way, and the native people looked after them with displeasure, since they disturbed humans and animals with their par force drive. In less than ten minutes, the coach lurched to a halt in front of the tall mansion, and Richard had to restrain Ellen from rushing ahead. As it was, they made a fast enough entrance. But nobody was at the door to check their rush, and they followed the sound of excited babble from the servant’s quarters.

When they entered Mabel’s room, Ellen immediately saw that Mabel was beyond help. Her face was swollen and contorted with pain, and her body thrashed on the bed in painful spasms. The matronly nurse, Noga, was holding burning opium under the young woman’s nose, obviously in an attempt to lessen her pain. When Ellen and Richard entered, the woman looked up and shook her head sadly, the gesture confirming Ellen’s first assessment. Ellen bent over the poor girl and touched her forehead, almost jerking her hand away when she felt the heat.

She sighed heavily. But then the thought of Millicent electrified her. Once more, she let her hand caress the doomed girl’s face before she stood again and left the room for Millicent’s chamber.

Millicent was awake, and she did not look half as bad as poor Mabel. Sadie was already at her side again, as was the younger of the nurses, Neeta. In a flash, Ellen sat on the side of Millicent’s bed and took her hand.

“Millicent, can you hear me?” she asked tentatively.

The girl nodded, but her pretty features were contorted with pain.

“What happened, please?” Ellen continued.

“We were in our common room, m’lady, having supper. Master Carter had already been fed and cleaned, and Mabel was feeding Sally. When she was finished, she let her run around in the common room. May I have some water?”

“Of course,” Ellen answered, pouring her a glass.

When she had taken a few sips, Millicent continued.

“I don’t rightly know what happened. One minute we were talking and being merry, and the next moment Mabel was running around the room, looking for Sally. The door must have been unlocked and she was gone.

“Of course, we all went to search for her, and then we saw that the door to the garden was open, too. Mabel and I ran into the garden, afraid what might happen to Sally. I think, Sadie ran to fetch Mister Gafur. Outside, Mabel and I split up. We were stupid, m’lady, we did not have torches; we searched in the dark. Then I heard Mabel. She shouted that she had found Sally.

“I started walking back to the house when I heard Mabel’s scream. I ran to her following her screams, and then I saw her lying on the grass, covering Sally with her body. When I came near to her, something struck my ankle, and then I saw the snake. It was a hooded one, like we saw at the market with the snake charmer. Then I realised it had bitten me, too.

“Poor Mabel was whimpering in pain, and she could not get up. She begged me to bring Sally to safety. I took the little girl and ran to the house for help. Just then, Sadie came with Neeta and Mister Gafur. I told them about Mabel, and Mister Gafur had this huge blunderbuss, and he shot the snake dead. Then they brought Mabel in, and she was in pain and could not breathe. So I told Sadie to run and fetch you.”

“You did well, Millicent,” Ellen assured the scared girl, but she thought of Mabel, and she felt an obstruction in her throat. Compared with Millicent, Mabel looked horrible. The young nurse, Neeta, tapped Ellen’s hand.

“It was King Cobra, memsahib, very big. People die from bite. But Mill’cent here was lucky, snake bite shoe, leather, tooth not go deep. Not much bite. Will live.”

“Are you sure?” Ellen asked.

The girl made a face, and Ellen saw that her question was unfair. Just then, Harriet Carter entered, and her grave face showed that she had been with Mabel. She shook her head sadly, and Ellen realised that Harriet, too, feared the worst for the young woman. She was relieved to see that Millicent was conscious and had no swelling at all. When there was a bustle from the entrance hall, both women turned their faces to the door. Richard entered with a young man in a black coat.

“This is Doctor Donovan. The governor sent him.”

Ellen rose and the good Doctor stared at her wistfully for a fraction of a second.

“Your servant, milady,” he mumbled embarrassedly. “Is this the young lady who was bitten?”

“She is one of two, Doctor, and she is the one who is faring better.”

“Then, with your permission, I should see the other first.”

Ellen nodded and led the young doctor into Mabel’s room. She heard his sharp intake of breath when he saw the puffed-up face of the young woman, and he rushed to her side. He felt her temperature, pinched her skin, forced open her eyes, and finally looked at her leg where she had been bitten. Ellen had to avert her eyes at the sight of the discoloured flesh. The word gangrene, often discussed by her stepfather and -mother, came to her mind. The doctor then had a brief exchange in Bengali with the older nurse, and then turned to speak to Ellen and Harriet who had followed them.

“Lady Lambert, Lady Carter, I fear there is nothing I can do for her. She is almost paralysed already, and her breathing is shallow. There is also mortification at the site of the bite. Even if she survives the next hours, the gangrene will prove fatal. I told the nurse to keep the opium burning to take away the worst pain, but that is all we can do.”

“There is no hope?” Ellen asked. Harriet was silent. She had seen death in her younger years, and she had recognised the signs.

“There is always hope, milady,” the young doctor answered. “But we need a miracle. May I see the other patient now?”

They returned to Millicent’s chamber, and Doctor Donovan examined her much the same as he had probed poor Mabel. When he examined the bite on Millicent’s calf, he was beet red and flustered for Millicent had very pretty feet, and her legs were well-formed.

“Miss Err...,” he started, and Millicent smiled weakly.

“Millicent, Doctor, Millicent Wade,” she said.

“Err, yes, Miss Millicent. I see no mortification at the bite, and the punctures are not deep at all. Nothing like any snake bite I’ve seen before. You have been wearing boots?”

Millicent nodded.

“You may have been lucky. So far, I see no signs of swelling or weakness of breathing. Are you in pain?”

The girl nodded. “My ankle burns something terrible, and my tummy hurts, too.”

“Can you stand it? I could give you laudanum, to suppress the pain, but it would weaken your breathing, and that could be dangerous later. Right now, I recommend cold vinegar dressings on your leg, and somebody should keep a close watch and call me if there is a change. I am sorry to intrude on you, milady, but is there a room where I can spend the night? I should hate to leave either of my patients tonight.”

“Of course, Doctor,” Ellen replied, and she rang the bell.

Mister Gafur appeared.

“Please, could you ready a room for the Doctor? He needs to stay overnight.”

“Certainly, memsahib, I shall see to it personally.”

“And can you have somebody bring vinegar and a clean cloth?”

He bowed and turned to leave, but Ellen spoke up once more.

“I wanted to thank you, too, for rushing to help my servants.”

Under his dark skin, the old major domo blushed. He was not used to receiving such considerate treatment from the English. From this moment on, Ellen had a new and fervent admirer.

Doctor Donovan was surprised, too. The more he saw of Lady Lambert, the more impressed he became. She was honestly concerned about her servants, and he had seen the tears in her eyes when he told her the truth about Mabel’s chances. And now she went out of her way, in spite of all the distress, to thank the old caretaker for his decisive action. Here was a true Lady, he thought. At first sight, he had almost dismissed her as a pretty thing who had married above her stand. But the short time had already convinced him that she was a woman to be reckoned with. He had business to attend, though. He turned to the small nurse who knelt at Millicent’s bed.

“Neeta, is it? Did you understand about what is needed? Mister Gafur will bring vinegar. Mix one part vinegar and two parts water and soak a cloth in it. Then wrap it around her leg where she was bitten. Place another cloth on her tummy, where it hurts. Can you do that?”

The young woman nodded.

“Can you stay awake and come for me if something changes?”

Neeta nodded again, but then she remembered something.

“Memsahib, Salih needs her milk. If I stay here, and Noga with Mabel, who feed her?”

Ellen needed a second to understand Neeta’s way of saying Sally’s name, but then she shrugged.

“I shall do it,” she said. And whilst Doctor Donovan sat at Mabel’s bed, trying desperately to bring down the swelling and to lessen her pain, Ellen sat in a chair in her bedroom, feeding Mabel’s daughter.

When Richard joined her, he looked surprised, but whatever comment he had in mind died stillborn when Ellen looked up with her tear-streaked face. He tried to find the right words.

“I spoke with the Doctor. Poor Mabel is getting weaker.”

Ellen looked down at the little girl in her arms.

“Poor darling,” she whispered. But then, a look of determination replaced the sorrow in her features. “Richard, can we keep little Sally? She shared her mother’s milk with our son. I cannot leave her to the mercy of some orphanage. We must at least bring her back to England.”

Richard nodded. He had expected nothing less from his wife. An orphan herself, she had to sympathise with the infant.

“Of course, Ellen, she can stay with us,” he answered with an encouraging smile.

“Thank you, dear,” Ellen answered, letting out the breath she had unwittingly held. She held the sated girl to her shoulder to let her burp, and was rewarded with a sunny smile. Ellen felt the tears start again, and she hastily stood to bring the girl into the nursery. Richard knew better than to comment, and she was thankful for his tact.

In the nursery, she was astonished to see the older nurse who was feeding Anthony. One look at the teary eyed woman told Ellen enough, and with a heavy sob, she put Sally into her crib. She waited for a few more minutes until the small girl was asleep, then she walked over to kiss her feeding son and steeled herself.

The few feet to Mabel’s chamber were taxing her resolve, but at last, she opened the door. Mabel was already covered with a white shroud and two servant she did not know were placing flowers around her. Doctor Donovan sat with his forehead on his arms, but he rose when he heard Ellen.

“She passed away half an hour ago, milady. She had no chance. I am sorry.”

Ellen breathed deeply. Again, death had struck close to her, and she was fighting for composure.

“How is Millicent?” she asked, suddenly remembering her.

Doctor Donovan blushed. “Forgive me, milady, but I have not looked at her for over an hour.”

Ellen waved her hand to dismiss the unneeded apology, and together, they went into Millicent’s chamber.

Neeta sat beside Millicent, wiping her face with a wet cloth. The leg with the bite was wrapped in another cloth, and the room was filled with the smell of vinegar. Neeta looked up when they entered, and her eyes conveyed her question. Ellen’s sad shake of her head was answer enough obviously, and to her surprise, Ellen saw that the young Bengali woman wiped tears from her eyes.

“How is Millicent?” Ellen asked softly.

“She is sleeping, Memsahib. Smelly cloth take away pain in leg. No pain. You want I feed son or little Salih?”

Ellen shook her head. “Anthony is still sleeping, and Sally had her milk. You can go to bed now. I shall take over for a while.”