Free The Ragged Heiress by Dilly Court Page B

thing the girl needs.’ Lady Boothby turned to a male servant who had been standing mutely by the door. ‘Kadek, go and see if the doctor has arrived, and tell Nyoman to have a warm bath prepared for Miss Lucetta. We will also need salve and lint. Those cuts and scratches will have to be attended to soon or they will suppurate. And fetch Miss Froy’s wrap from her room,’ she added, staring with obvious distaste at the flimsy sarong which left little to the imagination. ‘We can’t have you running about the consulate in that state of undress.’
    Kadek bowed and slipped silently into the dark interior of the house.
    Lucetta stared down at the tattered songket which had been destined for better things, and she was even more acutely aware of her unsightly appearance. ‘I would like to go to my room, if you please, ma’am.’ She attempted to rise from her chair but was overcome by a bout of dizziness.
    ‘Stay where you are,’ Lady Boothby ordered in the commanding tones of a general addressing his troops. ‘You’re as white as a sheet. Are you in pain?’
    Lucetta shook her head. ‘Do you think I could have something to eat and drink, please?’
    Lady Boothby stared at her as if she were asking for something outrageous. ‘Not until you’ve been seen by the doctor.’
    ‘I can’t bear it,’ Eveline cried, shuddering. ‘My poor baby girl. I feel quite faint at the thought.’
    ‘Hush, Eveline. Don’t frighten the child.’ Lady Boothby angled her head, holding up her hand for quiet. ‘Hush, I hear carriage wheels. It must be the doctor. Lucetta, I’ll help you to your room. Eveline, if you can’t control your emotions, you had best remain here.’
    ‘I don’t understand,’ Lucetta said, rising unsteadily to her feet. ‘What is going to happen to me, Lady Boothby?’

Chapter Five
    If her experiences in the rainforest had been terrifying they vanished into the realm of a bad dream when compared to the shock and embarrassment of the examination by an elderly English doctor, who smelled disturbingly of brandy and stale tobacco. He performed the most intimate of medical procedures without telling her what he was going to do or explaining the reasons why it was considered necessary, leaving Lucetta stunned and on the verge of tears. He washed his hands and pronounced that she was indeed virgo intacta, which seemed to come as a disappointment to Lady Boothby who had stood at the bedside throughout, grim-faced and seemingly ready to pounce on Lucetta and hold her down if she dared to resist the doctor’s probing fingers.
    Naomi fluttered into the room after they left and she made sympathetic noises as she helped Lucetta into the hip bath filled with warm, scented water. She bathed her mistress as gently as if she had been a small child, washing her hair and drying it with a towel. Even though they could not communicate verbally, it was quite obvious to Lucetta that the servants were well aware of her ordeal, and Naomi’s gentle doe-eyes were brimming with concern.
    Despite her recent trials, Lucetta had not lost her appetite. She ate a hearty breakfast of buttered eggs, toast and fresh fruit, washed down by several cups of strong black coffee. Although she had intended to get dressed and behave as though nothing had happened, she was overcome by a feeling of lassitude and she decided to lie down and rest for a few minutes before getting dressed.
    She slept dreamlessly and awakened at noon feeling refreshed and surprisingly free of any ill effects from her time in captivity. The scratches on her arms and legs were sore, but the salve applied by the doctor had eased the pain, and even at this early stage they showed signs of healing; unlike her conscience. What had happened yesterday had been almost entirely her fault. If she had not ventured out alone in that feeble attempt to disguise herself as a Balinese woman, she would not have stumbled into the path of the escaped convicts.
    She lay in bed weighing up