Chapter Thirty

CHAPTER THIRTY

DIANA NOVEMBER 1918

Lawrence Dean, a tall and robust ten-year-old, had a temperature of 103 degrees. In a French field hospital, that number would have set off a panicked attempt to allay a possible infection in an already weakened soldier. But children could spike high fevers with the mildest of illnesses and be fine the next day. If the fever had been the boy's only symptom, Diana would not be greatly worried.

But he also had a headache and a sore throat. His joints hurt so badly he whimpered when she touched him.

Damn it , she thought.

"Influenza?" Weston asked from the doorway.

"Why do you say that?" she asked, stalling.

"I had influenza in the spring. Half my unit was down with it at some point. Nasty, but over quickly."

I hope so , she thought. But she remembered another phrase from the medical bulletin about Birmingham: there are an unusual number of fatal cases.

"I suppose you'll want him in the infirmary," Weston said.

"No. Not yet, at least. I don't want to expose Jasper. Will you stay with him while I alert Miss Somersby?"

Although Weston hardly seemed to even tolerate the boys most days, she admitted that he made no protest at being assigned nursing duties.

Diana leaned over Lawrence, careful not to touch him. He smiled gamely at her when she said, "I'll be back soon with some medicine to help your fever and let you sleep."

"Thank you, miss," he whispered.

Clarissa Somersby woke to Diana's knocks with the ease of a woman who has trouble sleeping, and listened to the report without interruption. She looked amazingly composed for a woman in a silk bedrobe.

"I'll phone Dr. Bennett," Clarissa said when Diana had finished. "I assume that you'd like his opinion?"

"Yes, and please ask him if there are other cases in the area. That's the most critical thing to know at the moment."

"I'll also try to reach the boy's aunt in London."

"She shouldn't come running," Diana cautioned. "If it is influenza, even of the common sort, it's best to limit contact. There are other measures we should take, but I need to see to Lawrence's comfort first. I'd suggest a meeting with all the adults in an hour?"

Clarissa agreed, for she had the blessed gift of taking in essential information and acting on it without demanding to be loaded down with extraneous details. And it augured well for the immediate future that she was willing to take orders from Diana.

In her office, Diana collected the items she needed: aspirin for fever, salicin for pain, and masks for herself and whoever was in close contact with Lawrence. Before leaving, she peeked through the half-open door into the infirmary and saw that both Jasper and his mother were still sleeping soundly.

Lawrence's temperature had risen half a degree, but his pulse and breathing were still normal. He'd had a bloody nose while she was gone. She gave him the aspirin, wrote everything down in her case diary, and sat by him while he fell asleep.

Just before 5 a.m. Mrs. McCann arrived to summon her. "They're all in Miss Clarissa's study," the cook said. "I'll stay with the lad."

Despite everything, Diana brightened when she entered the headmistress's study and saw Joshua leaning over a chair, hands braced on the back. His smile was for her alone, and she had the sudden memory of him smiling down at her while one hand traced a line on her bare skin from neck to hip.

Then Weston cleared his throat, and Clarissa said, "Let's not waste time. Miss Neville, the floor is yours."

"Have you spoken to Dr. Bennett?" she asked first.

"I have. He'll come this morning to check on Lawrence and speak to you. And he said that there have been more than three dozen cases of influenza in the district in the last week."

"Is it the same flu that tore through the armies six months ago?" Weston asked.

"We can only hope so," Diana answered. "Because in that case, you and I should be immune. I had influenza in Amiens in May."

"That's good news, right?" Joshua asked. "That flu was vicious but short-lived."

"Mostly. But there have been reports in medical journals since August saying that localized epidemics are resulting in high cases of pneumonia and unusually high death rates."

"But that's in older people," Beth Willis piped up. "I thought influenza was most dangerous for the infants and the elderly."

"Usually," Diana said. "They also say that this particular strain targets a much younger population." She didn't want to be drawn into any more just now, didn't want to give them information pulled from half-remembered articles without context. Hopefully Dr. Bennett could help clarify the situation.

Still, there were actions that needed to be taken now even if they proved later to be an overreaction.

"To begin with, Miss Somersby, the students presently at home on holiday should be prepared to stay there longer than for just this week."

Clarissa only blinked and asked, "For how long?"

"Until we are certain that the school is free of infection."

"This is a very large house, Miss Neville, and the infirmary is in the most remote part. If we move Lawrence—"

"It won't just be Lawrence," Diana said bluntly. "Influenza is very contagious. I fully expect it to sweep through and hit all the boys, which means I'll need a much bigger space than the infirmary. I suggest we set up beds in the dining hall. Boys should remain confined to their bedrooms at present. At the first symptoms they can be moved to the hall. If any of them remain symptom-free for a period of four days, they can be sent home."

Clarissa tapped her fingers on the desk. "Some family members might want to rush up here."

"We can wait for Dr. Bennett, but I suspect he'll order a complete quarantine. No one except the doctor should enter Havencross."

Joshua straightened up. "You can't possibly hope to care for more than a dozen patients at one time."

"I often cared for a ward of fifty on my own in France. And we're not on the moon. If anyone's symptoms require it, they'll be taken to hospital."

"Very well," Clarissa said with characteristic decisiveness. "Mr. Murray and Mr. Weston, you will follow Miss Neville's direction in setting up the dining hall as an infirmary. Mrs. Willis and I will begin notifying parents. Anything else at the moment?"

"For now," Diane said, "only those of us who have been with Lawrence should go into his room: Mrs. McCann, Mr. Weston, and me. If—when—I need further help, I will require you all to be diligent handwashers and to wear a mask whenever you're near a patient. I apologize if that's inconvenient."

"I can cook in Mrs. McCann's place," Beth Willis offered.

"Thank you," said Clarissa. "I'm sure we will all rise to the occasion as required, and remember that any concern we feel should not be transmitted to the boys. They must not be made afraid."

As they filed out of the office, Diana thought, If only Clarissa could order me not to be afraid.