Borrowed Dreams (Scottish Dream Trilogy) by May McGoldrick, Jan Coffey, Nicole Cody, Nikoo McGoldrick, James McGoldrick Page B

tend to place the blame on the blow he received.”
    “My question has to do with my
husband’s treatment now .”
    The physician looked at her as if
she were a child intent on trying his patience.
    “As I said, Dr. Parker, I
appreciate your coming to Melbury Hall. I simply want to know your view of my
husband’s condition and what your plans are for treatment. What, for example,
did you do today?”
    “Very well, Lady Aytoun,” the
doctor said shortly. “If you insist on knowing every detail, I checked his
lordship’s pulse and had a sample of urine taken. Lord Aytoun’s condition is
unchanged from ten days ago, when I saw him last.” 
    “Indeed, you’ve hit on it exactly,
sir,” she replied. “Since the second night of his stay at Melbury Hall, I have
been sitting with him for several hours each night.”
    “Have you, m’lady?” he said, his
eyebrows going up in surprise.
    “I have. And what I found was that
at night his lordship is unsettled. He does not sleep soundly, so far as I can
tell, and when he is awake he is not completely aware of his surroundings.”
Millicent’s fingers twisted together. “Initially, I thought that perhaps my
perception was skewed because of the hour of my visit, so I questioned his man,
Gibbs, as to the best time to come. But I was told that during the daytime Lord
Aytoun is particularly unfit for company.”
    “I do not know what you mean by
these comments, Lady Aytoun,” Parker said defensively. He looked at his watch
again.
    “Gibbs has confirmed that his
lordship’s sleep is fretful. Moreover, when he is awake, Lord Aytoun is far
more agitated than he has been in the past. Added to that, I have been informed
that he does not wish to eat. He does not drink. Any nourishment he takes at
all is forced upon him. I simply cannot help but think that something serious
might be wrong, and that his condition is getting worse.”
    Dr. Parker fixed her with a
disapproving glare. “Lord Aytoun is being administered some very powerful
medicine, m’lady. To be exact, he is presently being given a tincture of opium,
the preferred treatment for someone in his condition. That is, the preferred
treatment for someone in his mental state and whom the family insists on caring
for at home. The opium functions to calm him, to control the melancholia and
avoid the need for securing him or locking him away.”
    “Why should he be locked away?”
    “To keep his lordship from injuring
himself during the blackest moments.”
    “But he appears to be getting
less—”
    “Now, with regard to that medicine,
I can assure you this has been tried and proven to be highly effective. Before he left London, I increased his dosage several drops per day, and I believe he is
responding well to my treatment.”
    “With all deference to your
knowledge and experience, Dr. Parker, I see no—”
    “M’lady,” the physician said,
holding his hand up again. “You must trust in that medical knowledge and
experience. His lordship’s life is far more pleasant than the lives of many who
are similarly afflicted with the same melancholia. And I am ministering to his
affliction with the most effective treatment known to medicine.”
    “I’m certain you have Lord Aytoun’s
best interests at heart, sir, but—”
    “Now, you can do your part by
concerning yourself with his diet. You must have your people take great care to
keep the stomach of the patient settled, furnishing him with light meals,
and…well, I have directed his manservant as to the importance of regular
digestive function. And in the meantime, I shall continue to advise you as to
the state of his mind. Now, I must say good day to you, Lady Aytoun. I have
tarried here far too long. Far too long.”
     
    ****
     
    Lyon clamped his mouth shut and
turned his face away as John, his valet, tried to feed him a spoonful of soup. 
    “’Od’s truth, m’lord, ye might help
me here. Yer losing too much weight, and Dr. Parker says we have to force