The Herbalist's Secret: A gripping historical mystery set in the Scottish Highlands by Annabelle Marx

Author:Annabelle Marx [Marx, Annabelle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Storm Publishing
Published: 2023-10-27T00:00:00+00:00

FIFTEEN

KITTY

Loch More, 1896

Paeony

‘Children in the country sometimes wear a necklace made from the root to cure epilepsy

and also St. Vitus’s Dance. At one time it was popular for lunacy.’

Compassionate Herbs by Mrs C F Leyel

Ardbray

March 15th 1896

My Dearest Eva,

I am sorry to have missed you on your return from your honeymoon. I had so wanted to hear of your travels in France and Italy. I take your lack of correspondence as a sign that you have been busy doing all the things you love, happy with the man you have chosen to do them with. But since you haven’t written I’m hoping that you’ll grace us with a much-desired visit very soon.

What I didn’t tell you before your departure was that I would be returning to Ardbray for good. Charles has decided that he does not want his epileptic son to embarrass him and he wishes him shut away, away from gossip and prying eyes. So, I have decided to stay with him. I couldn’t bear to be in Glasgow knowing that he was here without either of his parents.

And now I’m here I’m glad of it. Apart from your wedding, the winter in Glasgow was tortuous. Callum was so ill and Charles so aloof, hiding at the mill or in his study, or out with his business partner, drinking too much and I don’t know what else. But now that we are here, I am immediately soothed by the sheer clarity of the air and the comforting silence. Happily, this place has the same effect on Callum; his colour is returning, and he is finally sleeping well at night.

I have been working on trying to alleviate Callum’s seizures, but frustration is setting in. I have read every possible paper written by every eminent doctor on the subject of epilepsy, but they all seem to contradict themselves and none of them come to any sensible conclusion. So, I have reverted to ancient herbal medicine which has been used for centuries. Mugwort is a well-known anti-epileptic and mistletoe is also known to help lessen the effects of seizures. There is much to read on the subject, but as soon as I can get my hands on these herbs, I will start a testing regime for Callum.

Now we are away from the probing hands of the doctors and the soot-filled city air, now that there are no appearances to be kept up, I hope that we can revert to a quieter life. Flora, of course, doesn’t know whether she’s in Glasgow or the Highlands. She is still the same sweet-faced, hungry, bellowing baby that she’s always been, keeping me and Mrs Mercaut quite busy.

I, of course, am doubly relieved to be back at Ardbray. I am away from the city that I have come to hate, and I do not have to deal with the unwelcome attentions of John Hardgrave or my husband’s inability to be a father. There is respite in being somewhere that is not demanding, where there are no complexities to our life.

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