Do We Not Bleed by Patricia Finney

Author:Patricia Finney [Finney, Patricia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781909172081
Publisher: Climbing Tree Books
Published: 2013-06-11T05:00:00+00:00

Silence. Mrs Ashley drank from her goblet slowly, her fingers bloodless.

“It certainly is a terrible thing,”

“The whores think so.”

“And do you think Mr Craddock may have seen this... Devil the whores are afraid of?”

Catlin shrugged and smiled. He had no intention of actually discussing what he would say to Craddock once the bloody man turned up, especially not with a mere woman and the man’s mother-in-law to boot.

Silence fell again. They watched the pale child in her self-imposed penance. At last she stopped her pacing and polishing.

“I’ll rest now, mother,” she whispered, heading wearily for the stairs.

“Can I make you something to eat, my dear, perhaps a posset...?”

The girl shook her head. Mrs Ashley sighed again as her skirts rustled from sight.

“All will be well with her if she can only fall with child,” she said, as if she had forgotten Catlin was not one of her gossips, “Her attacks of the mother will cease – it’s always the way with a maiden, they are naturally subject to hysterical fits until their hysterum be properly anchored by a baby. Until then it is apt to wander all over the body, with the results you see.”

Catlin was surprised at such learned speech from a woman – she sounded almost like a physician.

“Madame, have you consulted a doctor?”

“No need,” said the woman proudly, “My own father was a physician, Dr Richard Garbrand in fact, and I learned a great many things from him of the humours and the teachings of Hippocrates and Galen, Avicenna and Paracelsus as well.”

“Surely none of them ever prescribed such...”

“Of course not,” snorted Mrs Ashley, “The silly little fool picked up the idea from one of her gossips who took a while to kindle with child. Some old witch told her to do this as a magical spell and of course, since Jane got her baby, nothing will do for Phyllida except to follow the spell until it works. She will not leave off – she says it’s the only thing that stops her falling into her terrors again.”

Catlin tutted as sympathetically as he could although he was both bored and revolted. The whole thing made hims shudder, this sort of mucky women’s business. If he were to wed there would be no escaping it.

On the other hand, as St Paul said, it were better to marry than to burn in hell and he already burned. He winced away from thinking of the torments of hell.

There was a slam of the front door and footsteps on the tiles. Mrs Ashley stood and opened the parlour door wider, then curtseyed to the master of the house. William Craddock came in, smiling and holding a little bottle in his hand. At first he didn’t notice Catlin.

“Ah, there you are, ma’am,” said Craddock affably, “See, I’ve bought a new bottle of ointment here to replace the stuff I spilled, so Phyllida can still...”

Catlin stood up and made his bow to Craddock, who paused, then bowed back. Craddock’s face was broad and

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