‘I fear not, sir. The wound should by now be suppurating freely.’
‘I cannot believe that is necessary,’ said Thomas, with as much conviction as he could manage. In truth, he had no more idea about suppuration and laudable pus than he had about the workings of the heart. Like Charles, he simply did not trust Sprot.
Sprot peered at Thomas. ‘Have we met, sir?’
‘I think not,’ lied Thomas.
‘Well, sir, your medical knowledge may be superior to my own,’ observed Sprot, clearly offended that his opinion was being questioned, ‘but I doubt it. The leg must come off.’
‘Good God. Then it had better be done quickly,’ said Adam.
‘Very well.’ Sprot opened his satchel and took out a small hand saw. ‘The patient should be bound tightly and her arms restrained. We must keep her as still as we can during the cutting.’
Adam called for Patrick. ‘Patrick, it’s necessary to remove Miss Lyte’s leg. Bring a bowl of hot water, cloths, rope and brandy. And a bucket for the blood.’
Patrick too was horrified. ‘But there’s no poison, sir. The leg can be saved. Let me try my mother’s remedy, I beg you.’
‘There is no time for it to take effect, Patrick, even if it does have healing properties. Kindly do as I ask.’ The look on Adam’s face told Patrick that further argument would be useless. He went to collect what was needed.
While Adam and Thomas were tying her hands to the bedposts, Mary opened her eyes. Groggy from the sleeping draught, she did not immediately take in what was happening. The sight of Sprot, bloodstained coat removed and brandishing his saw, however, brought her to her senses. She screamed. ‘Adam, Adam, what’s happening? Why is Sprot here?’
‘Hush, sister. We need to act quickly.’
‘For God’s sake, no.’ It was a cry of anguish. ‘I forbid it. I will not have my leg off. Send Sprot away. Get Charles. Thomas will stay with me.’
‘Mary –’ began Adam.
‘No, Adam. I will not suffer it. Get Charles.’
‘Why Charles?’
‘I need him. Kindly send for him at once.’ Mary struggled but Thomas held her gently until she subsided on to the bed.
‘I will be here until Charles arrives,’ he said. ‘Mary will come to no harm in that time.’
Adam knew his sister. ‘Mr Sprot, be so good as to wait outside. I will fetch Mr Carrington. Patrick will give you food and drink.’
‘As you wish, sir,’ replied an unhappy Sprot, ‘although I cannot condone the delay. Every minute may be crucial.’ He peered again at Thomas. ‘Are you certain we have not met before, sir?’
‘Quite certain, Mr Sprot,’ replied Thomas. Then, doubtless consoling himself with the opportunity further to increase his fee for the time wasted, Sprot disappeared.
‘Mary,’ said Adam quietly when he had gone, ‘I too dislike Sprot and I would not have sent for him if I thought there was any other way. Your wound is not suppurating. Sprot is the only surgeon on the island. We have no choice.’
‘There’s always a choice, Adam. It’s my leg and I choose not to let Sprot near it. Now kindly fetch Charles. I want him here.’
Adam nodded and left. Charles would have to be fetched before Mary would permit anything else to be done.
Thomas sat with Mary while they waited. He used a damp cloth to wipe her face, which was frighteningly hot to the touch, and encouraged her to sip water. ‘Well, Thomas, what do you make of this? Sprot wants to take my leg off, Patrick says it can be saved without endangering my life. What would you do?’
‘My instinct would be to do the opposite of what Sprot says. I think the man’s a charlatan. He’d like to take a leg off everyone and return to England a wealthy man.’
Mary smiled weakly. ‘I rather think Charles will agree. And besides, between you and me, he likes it when both my legs are wrapped around him. One wouldn’t be the same at all.’
‘Mary, I’ve seen the way you look at each other. Can you not marry him and forget about Perkins?’
‘I wish I could. Adam, however, feels duty bound to honour his promise. If Sir Lionel demands it, he will send me home to marry Richard and I will spend the rest of my days in misery.’
‘So you must defy your brother or suffer a loveless marriage to a man you don’t know. Shouldn’t your wishes be taken into account?’
‘Of course they should. But Adam is old-fashioned in such matters. Debt of honour, duty, chivalry, all that sort of thing. Thankfully, Barbados society is more open-minded. I think it comes from the island having no history. After all, it’s less than twenty-five years old.’
‘It must have a history, I suppose. Just not one we know about,’ said Thomas thoughtfully.
The door was thrown open and in strode Charles, with Adam not far behind. ‘What’s all this?’ he demanded. ‘Adam says Sprot wants to take your leg off. I’ve never heard such nonsense.’
‘He spoke of suppuration and laudable pus.’
‘Too much or too little?’
‘None.’
‘The man’s a dangerous fool. What does Patrick say? He knows about this sort of thing.’
‘He says that his mother’s remedy will save the leg.’
‘For the love of God, why then are we taking notice of Sprot? Send him away and fetch Patrick at once.’
Mary and Thomas exchanged a glance. Adam shrugged and went to give Sprot the news. The wretched man would not be happy. His opinion rejected in favour of that of a slave and no fee. A bad day for Robert Sprot.
‘Thank the Lord for that,’ said Mary with a sigh. ‘I was afraid that you might tell me to be sensible and leave it to the surgeon to decide.’
As soon as a disgruntled Sprot had been sent on his way, Patrick was summoned to begin his treatment. The three men watched with interest.
‘I shall apply the remedy six times each day,’ said Patrick, when he had coated the wound. ‘You must lie still, conserve your strength and eat all that I bring you. We’ll know within two days if the leg is safe.’
‘And I shall visit frequently to make sure that, for once in your life, you’re doing as you’ve been told,’ added Charles.
‘Mixture, food, visitors. I shall be quite exhausted. Now go away, all of you. I want to sleep.’
Charles, as good as his word, rode over three times to see what progress there had been. Each time he asked Patrick what he thought. Patrick had no doubts.
‘Miss Lyte’s leg will be as good as new, sir. Mr Sprot’s opinion of the healing process is not one my people share. A suppurating wound is to be feared, not desired. Thankfully, there is no sign at all of pus in Miss Lyte’s leg. She has no fever now and she is eating well.’
‘Let’s hope your surgeons are wiser than ours. Or at least wiser than Mr Sprot.’
‘Of that I am sure, sir.’
Patrick would let no one near his patient while he was treating her, so Thomas had to rely upon his progress reports. Having experienced Patrick’s aloe mixture, he expected Mary to make a full recovery. Nevertheless it was a relief when she emerged from her room to sit in the parlour. Seeing him throwing scraps to the chickens, she called him over and asked him to sit with her.
‘Thomas, how are you? None the worse for your experience, I trust?’
‘No, Mary, thank you. I am quite well. But more importantly, how are you?’
‘Very much improved, thank you. And thanks to Patrick I still have two legs. Really, I think Sprot should be banished. The man knows nothing.’ Thomas nodded in agreement. ‘And I have you to thank for being here at all. My brother and I owe you a great debt.’
‘There is no debt, Mary. If it weren’t for your kindness I wouldn’t be here either.’
‘And I promise we shall find a way home for you. While I was recovering Patrick told me more about your family and what happened to you. Is it true?’