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It Takes a Took  by Dreamflower

CHAPTER 18

Diamond followed the maidservant out into the passage, a flutter of alarm in her stomach. “Wait!” she said, “before I see Moss, I must speak to Mistress Took herself; if she is not available, then I must see Mr. Reggie or the Thain.”

The servant stopped and looked at her with wide eyes, and then giving a nod, led the way to a small study which Eglantine used as her office. Diamond knocked.

“Come in!”

She opened the door to see the Mistress of the Smials seated at a small writing desk. Her oldest daughter Pearl was in a nearby armchair, thumbing through correspondence.

“Good morning, Diamond, what can I do for you?” asked Eglantine coolly. She took in the healer’s tired and alarmed appearance, and knew she needed to present a calm front.

“Mistress Took, you are aware of the outbreak of spotted fever in town?”

Eglantine’s expression did not change, but she felt her heart plummet to her stomach. “Yes, I am, Diamond. I know that Mistress Lavender left you in charge here in her absence.”

“I have just received a report that one of your maidservants, Moss Heathertoes, has broken out in spots.”

Eglantine sat forward attentively, and Pearl gasped, putting down the letters in her hand.

Diamond continued. “I have not yet examined her, as I needed to speak to you first. If it is the contagion, I needed to let you know before I exposed myself. It may very well be something altogether harmless, but the timing of it is suspicious at the very least, and calls for some precautions.”

Eglantine nodded, noticing that the apprentice was gaining confidence as she spoke of things of which she knew.

“First of all, I myself have never had spotted fever, so that once I am exposed, it will be at the most seven days before I too, am stricken. If that is the case, there is no need for Mistress Lavender to stay away, if the infection has already been brought into the Smials. Secondly, we need to find out who has already had the fever, so that they may be of help.” Diamond paused for a moment.

“I also think that Mistress Pimpernel and Mistress Pervinca need to take their children away from here. While this is not that serious for older children, it can be very serious indeed for those under five, and most especially infants. They should not take them into town. We need to find out first, however, if they have already been exposed.”

Eglantine went pale. Outbreaks of spotted fever were common among children, and it was usually considered a good thing for them to take the disease young and get it over with. It was seldom fatal. But in the case of the very young, especially fauntlings and infants, it was far more likely to be serious and life-threatening.

“Actually, I think any children under the age of seven need to leave. They should go to the countryside, or to other towns. This is not the usual time of year for spotted fever, and so Mistress Lavender and I hope that this outbreak is confined to the Tuckborough area.”

Eglantine looked at her daughter. “Pearl?”

She got up immediately. “I’ll go talk to Pimmie and Vinca at once.” She gave Diamond a little pat on the back as she left.

Eglantine got up also. “I will come with you to see little Moss. I had it many years ago, so you needn’t worry about me.”

_______________________________________________

Diamond felt a bit frightened. She had known when she decided to become a healer, that it would sometimes mean that she would have to deliberately expose herself to possible illness, but this was the first time for her to actually have to do that for anything more serious than a cold. Spotted fever was a common childhood disease, and when caught by children from about seven years up through their teens, it was usually over and done with in a week, with no complications. But the older one got, the more likely there would be serious side effects to the disease: deafness, pneumonia, brain fever, weak heart--any of these could be the result if an older tween or adult caught the illness.

She put the fear aside, and ran through in her mind her mistress’s teachings on the subject.

______________________________________

Pippin watched worriedly as Diamond left. Poor lass! If they had an outbreak here in Smials, she’d have more work than she knew what to do with.

Primrose noticed his alarm, but did not realize the cause for it. “Don’t worry, Peregrin. You had the spotted fever years ago--you were, I think, nine?”

He nodded. “Yes. Merry and I had it together. He was a lot sicker than I was, for a change.”

“What’s that, Pip?” His cousin and Estella had entered the room just then, accompanied, to Pippin’s dismay, by Rosamunda.

“Spotted fever. They think one of the servants might have it.”

“Oh, dear!” said Estella’s mother.

Estella rolled her eyes. “Mother, we’ve nothing to worry about. I had it long ago, and I know that you did, too!”

“Yes, but Eglantine’s not going to have much time for guests with such a thing going on! Perhaps we should consider going home.”

“Mother, that is just silly. Perhaps,” she said with emphasis “we should consider offering Eglantine our help.” She smiled cunningly. “I’m sure she would be properly appreciative.”

Merry and Pippin were very carefully not looking at either of the females, but Primrose gave a snort. With the privileged tactlessness of the elderly, she snapped “Rosamunda, don‘t be ridiculous. We don’t even know for sure if it’s true yet. If it is, we will be able to use any hands we can to help. You might try thinking of someone other than yourself for a change.”

Rosamunda drew herself up, offended, but she dared not say anything. Primrose had all the authority of seniority in the family. “Very well. We will see whether it is spotted fever or not. If it is, I will offer Eglantine our help.”

She turned to her daughter. “Estella, since Cousin Primrose is here, I think that I shall go and lie down for a while.”

She left the sitting room abruptly.

Estella giggled. “That was priceless, Cousin Primrose!”

Primrose raised an eyebrow at her. “Don’t be impertinent, Estella, she is your mother.”

Estella flushed.

Merry and Pippin looked at one another and let out the breaths they had been holding. They very carefully did *not* laugh.

____________________________________________

Mistress Appleblossom was waiting for them in the servant’s quarters. “I thought she just had a cold, Miss Diamond,” said the housekeeper. “I put her in a room to herself, and had planned to call you in today if she was no better, but today, she had the spots.”

Diamond nodded. “She began with a runny nose and coughing?”

“Aye, two or three days ago.”

“I shall need to examine her.”

Appleblossom led the way to the small single room that was set aside for the use of servants who needed to be isolated for one reason or another.

“I will need some light.” There were no windows, of course.

Appleblossom fetched a lantern, and the three of them entered the room. Diamond went over to the bed, where the tween was sleeping fitfully.

“Moss?” she said gently.

The little maidservant opened her eyes, and then closed them again quickly. Well, there was one indication. Spotted fever made the eyes extra sensitive to light.

“Open your mouth, Moss,” Diamond told her.

She obediently did so, and Diamond held up the lantern to peer within. There it was--the spots in the mouth, always the first to appear, angry and red with little bluish-white centers. Spotted fever.

_______________________________________________





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