Beauty and The Cursed

Doctor

As Edmond was laying the young woman down on the bed, Rose, the head household maid, came barging into the room. She was just as surprised by the sight in front of her as when Gregory had told her what happened. She rushed over to the poor girl who lay unconscious on the four-poster bed.

"If you could please lift her once more your grace. I can quickly get cleaned sheets on the bed." Rose asked Edmond. She did not like the idea of asking the Lord for help, but she was not able to lift the woman herself. Edmond did not bat an eye. He picked the woman up once more and stared down into her lovely face. Rose took notice of the action as she brought in new sheets to quickly change the bed.

Susan came rushing through the door as well. In her hands, she carried two large buckets full of firewood. Susan made a short order for setting up a fire in the large fireplace that sat on the opposite wall of the bed.

"Thank you, my lord. You can place her down in between the sheets." Rose motioned to the bed for Edmond to lay the woman back down. He seemed to hesitate for a moment. The action did not go unnoticed by Rose or Susan. The two women exchanged glances before continuing with their tasks to help make the girl comfortable.

Edmond gently put the woman down on the feather mattress. He pulled the heavy blankets up to her chin. Her body had been cold as death when he first picked her up from Gregory in the foyer. She slowly seemed to warm in Edmond's arms. He suddenly had the sudden urge to pick her up once more. Edmond could feel his maid’s eyes on his. He straightened and stole once quicker glance at the woman.

Her dark blond hair was fanned out against the white pillowcase. Her long lashes kissed the tops of her cheeks as they stayed closed. Edmond wondered what color her eyes were under those lashes. Any color would only increase her beauty. She had very feminine features and heart-shaped lips. Edmond was curious if they were as soft as they looked.

He looked away from the woman quickly when he noticed the direction that his thoughts were moving in. "Thank you, Miss Rose. Please let me know if her condition changes," With that, Edmond left the room.

Rose and Susan once more looked at each other. "What do you think that was about?" Susan asked Rose.

"I have no idea. But let's get this girl settled. Let's hope she does not fall sick. Who knows how long she was out in that water." Rose walked over to the young girl. How had she ended up in the ocean? Ships usually do not come close to shore. Rose knew that this girl had a story and not a rose colored one.

Susan finished with the fire and uncovered most of the furniture in the room. Rose works on getting the girl comfortable. The two women knew that the girl would need a fresh nightgown. Rose was shocked to find the girls ribs poking through her skin. It was amazing that the bone had not been pieced it with how well you could see. Once more, Rose was worried about the woman falling ill. She did not have enough meat on her bones to protect her.

Susan noticed as well and gave Rose a questioning look. "I will let the master know." Rose said, and Susan nodded. The maids were able to get everything sorted in a short amount of time.

Rose had left Susan to sit by the young lady's bedside. She needed to speak with the master. He needed to know the extent of the young girl in case the worst should befall her. She was not sure about what Susan and herself had witnessed, but she knew that he would be concerned for her well-being.

Rose came to the lord's study door and knocked lightly. "Come in," was his gruff reply from beyond on the other side of the door. Rose held the metal knob in her hands and turned enough to open the door.

"Might I have a word?" she asked after she stuck her head through the opening.

Edmond was sitting at his desk looking over a few pieces of paper. He held one in each hand and was looking at either of them. He only nodded in reply. Rose opened the door a little more. Just enough to fit her body through the opening and came to stand on the other side of the desk. Her eyes were cast to the floor.

Edmond finally looked away from his papers and noticed that Rose was not meeting his eyes. "Rose, I have told you before. You do not need to stare at the floor. What did you want to speak with me about?" He asked the head maid.

Rose lifted her eyes and looked at Edmond. He was a handsome man, to be sure. His jet-black hair was overgrown even though the latest style of the town was to keep it cleaned up around the eyes and ears. Edmond allowed his hair to touch the tops of his broad shoulders. His piercing brown eyes seemed to know the secrets within one’s soul. His physique was a whole different topic all on its own. His chest spanned wide and came down to a narrow set of hips and a perfectly rounded backside. Rose may be older, but she was not blind nor was she a saint. As much as he intimidated her, she had to admit that he was the most devilishly handsome man she had ever met. Rose cleared her throat and began, "Susan and I have finished getting the young lady settled. She has not woken, and I am afraid a chill is going to set into her bones. Her bones are another matter. She is nothing but bones and skin, my lord. We will want to call for the local doctor. He will be able to tell us how to care for one such as her in her current condition." Rose waited for a response from Edmond.

Edmond thought over the woman's words. He detested the idea of the doctor coming to his home. However, her knew that if she should become ill that it would be inevitable. He also felt an overpowering sense to protect her by any means necessary. Edmond finally nodded his head.

"Call the doctor then." Edmond went back to look at his papers. Rose knew when she was being dismissed. She bowed slightly to Edmond and turned on her heel to leave his study. She closed the door quietly behind her.

As soon as the maid was out of the study, Edmond put down the papers that he had been pretending to read. He could not give way to the fact that he was very worried about his new ward that lay unmoving in the guest room down the hall. The moment he had laid eyes upon her, she seemed to have put him under a spell. How was this possible? He had not even thought about a woman in a long time. Not since that dreadful night.

Edmond shook his head to try and get rid of the memory before it could start. He had gone through that memory so many times in his head. It did not mean to think of the past. All Edmond could do what deal with the present. Edmond put his hands on the cool mahogany desk and spun himself in the direction of the large window that overlooked the sea.

What was he to do with a woman who had obviously drifted in from the sea. A shipwreck? Edmond would be able to see pieces of the ship or more bodies being pushed to the beach. He stood from his desk and left his study. He went in search of Gregory. He had a task for the man.

Edmond rounded the corner of the kitchen and found Gregory sitting at the countertop with a cup of tea in his hands. Gregory saw his lordship and immediately stood. He made sure to put the tea down as well. "Hello, sir. How may I be of service?" Gregory asked Edmond.

"Gregory, I need you to go down to the beach and see if there is anyone else that washed up? Or any debris from the ship." Gregory quickly nodded his head in understanding.

"Of course, sir. I will leave immediately." Gregory bowed to Edmond and then took his leave in search of his overcoat in order to venture out into the cold night air.

Edmond nodded his head to cookie and headed back upstairs. He figured that he would check on the woman once more before turning in himself. Edmond came to stand near the guest room door. He listened inside the room. He could hear Susan and Rose talking quietly to themselves.

"She will most definitely need a doctor. Her ribs are completely visible. Whatever happened to this poor girl, my heart aches for her." Rose said. Susan mumbled some sort of agreement. Edmond's own heart ached as well. Who would starve another human being?

Edmond brought up two fingers and tapped them on the guest room door. The door instantly swing open. Susan's face stood frozen. "I wanted to check and see if our guest’s condition has changed?" Edmond said in response to why he was standing in the doorway. Susan nodded and opened the door wider. Edmond slowly walked around her and stood in the center of the room.

The beauty on the bed had not moved. Her hair still fanned around her face. Edmond walked over to the side of the bed and, with the utmost care, sat on the edge of the bed. He looked her over diligently to see if anything was a miss. He noticed a small sheen of sweat that was beginning to build on the woman's brow. Edmond brought the back of his hand to rest against her forehead. She was burning up.

"Call for Timothy. Have him fetch the doctor from the town now. She has a fever." Rose ran from the room and went in search of the small stable boy. He was usually the one to run into town for the household. She found him quickly enough. He had been in the kitchen talking with cookie.

"Timothy, go fetch the doctor from town." Rose said. She made a shooing motion with her hands. "And please be quick about it." Timothy hopped off the stool he had been sitting on and ran out the back door. He knew that when he was being given an order from Rose, he was getting an order from Edmond.

Edmond had found Timothy on the way to his new home at the mansion. Timothy had been picking pockets at the local tavern for some time. His mother and father had left him when he was just a small boy. The tavern owner had allowed him to stay in the alley way under the condition that he pick pockets in return and give the owner his finding after each closing.

Timothy had not known any better. He had picked the wrong pocket the night that Edmond had stopped at the tavern. Timothy had stood behind the man. His back to the chair that Edmond had been sitting in. Timothy was a small lad and had small hands. It allowed his hands to get into jacket pockets undetected.

Edmond, of course, had felt the movement and caught the boy’s wrist. "What do you think you are doing?" Edmond had asked in an even voice.

"Sorry, mister. It is just my deal with the owner so that I have a place to stay." Edmond had looked to the man who stood behind the bar. The owner had locked eyes with Edmond and noticed Timothy's small arm in Edmond's hand. The owner’s eyes grew large, and he quickly found something else to occupy his time.

Edmond looked back at the boy. "I do not make this offer lightly, and I do not take kindly to be lied to. So listen closely as I do not repeat myself. I have suddenly found myself in need of a stable hand. If I offer this position to you, do I have your word that your days of picking pockets are over? You will have a room in the servant’s quarters as well as hot meals." Timothy had already been nodding his head after hearing he would have a room in a house. "If you do well enough, you might even begin to earn a wage. Do I have your word?" Edmond asked the boy.

"Yes, sir." Timothy said. From that day forward, Timothy knew not to question the master and when he was told to do something, Edmond was not going to repeat himself.