"Poisoned?" Charles frowned, "What kind of poison can do this?"
"The demonic kind, Mr. Desilet. You are right about one thing though. She is cursed. But curse doesn’t just manifest out of nowhere.
It must have a gateway, a channel, or in this case a catalyst. Hold her down for ."
Charles nodded. He climbed on the bed and pinned Florence to the mattress.
Carter grabbed a syringe inside his dical bag and a tourniquet.
Then he opened up his Brewer’s Chest. Inside the wooden box were countless flasks, herbs, and many other pieces of alchemical equipnt. He took a small flask of disinfectant.
First Carter disinfected the syringe. Then he wrapped the tourniquet around Florence’s arm to make the vein more permanent for drawing blood.
Carter transferred the blood to a small vial.
"Do you know about Demon’s Tongue, Mr. Desilet?" Carter said.
"I don’t, Dr. Enlighten ."
"Demon’s Tongue is a unique herb that grows only in an environnt with enough Negative Energy. The sll of death. The blood of the fallen. Or mass graves.
My colleagues liked to call it superstition. They don’t believe in anything besides science. But you and I both know it isn’t true. This world is occupied by forces of which we could never understand.
And the Demon’s Tongue, because of its sensitivity with Negative Energy, even a drop of cursed blood will cause it to change color."
Carter plucked a small leaf from a herb within the Brewer’s Kit and dropped it inside the vial. The green leaf turned black imdiately once it touched the blood.
"As I suspected, there is poison in Miss Fontaine’s blood stream." Carter said.
"Can you treat it?" Charles said.
"With the right ingredients, yes. Unfortunately, we will need ti. I will need to analyze Miss Fontaine’s blood to know what is causing the curse. Once I learn it, I can brew the right antidote for her."
"Anything you need. You tell . I will help you get it."
"You don’t have to worry, Mr. Desilet. However, I do have to ask. Why do you want to save the woman that killed your daughter?" Carter asked.
Charles sighed. He looked at the twisted face of Florence. Even now she was spilling incoherent words and her body squird like sothing evil was trying to get out.
"It wasn’t her fault." Charles adjusted Florence’s hair, "And I don’t want to lose another daughter."
Carter nodded, "I see. Hold her tight. I need to take more blood samples to examine her."
[x3 Cursed Blood Vial are added to Brewer’s Chest]
Carter didn’t need that much blood. But cursed blood was a rare ingredient to create powerful potions. He couldn’t pass it up.
The Apothecary gave Florence a dose of sedative so that her body could rest. The two n left the room afterwards.
"Where are you staying in Orkshire, Dr. Hugo?" Charles said.
"No where, Mr. Desilet. Unfortunately, my herbalism enthusiasm has cost quite a lot of shillings. I intend to go sell so dicine first before finding a place to stay."
"If you don’t mind, Dr. Hugo, please stay at my house as a guest. I won’t take any fee from you. As long as you can make sure that Florence is treated."
Carter sighed, "You have no idea how grateful I am, Mr. Desilet."
"Don’t ntion it. I will have Peter arrange your room."
"Much appreciated."
Desilet’s house was large and had many bedrooms. Peter arranged a room that was next to Florence so Carter could check on her at any ti.
"What do you an the job is over?"
Carter heard soone talking at the front door. He approached the window and looked down. The girl from before had just arrived.
"I’m sorry, Ms. Orchard. But we have found a physician for the job." Peter politely explained to the girl.
"Alia Orchard. She had a pretty face."
Carter rubbed his chin in deep thought. He wasn’t lusting for her beauty. But he did consider whether she could be an asset for Dracula.
Dracula in Carter’s mind was a charr, a pursuer, a seducer. He would not let go of so as beautiful as Amy. And Carter could build the myth of this blood-starving vampire even more by introducing soone that knew him.
Soone like Dr. Hugo.
Carter went downstairs and approached the front door.
"Is there sothing wrong, Peter?"
"It’s nothing, Master Hugo. There’s a physician here for the job."
"I’m actually a nurse..."
Peter raised an eyebrow at her, "The notice says that we only hire physicians."
"I..." Amy’s throat froze.
"Relax, Peter. Let talk to her."
Carter turned toward Alia.
"Hello. My na is Doctor Emmanuel Hugo. You said that you are a nurse, right?"
"Yes, sir!"
"The patient is in very critical condition and she might need soone to care for her. Can you do that?"
"Of course, sir!"
"Where did you train? Where have you worked and for how long?"
"Yes, sir. I trained under the Matron of the Leeks General Infirmary. I worked as a private nurse for the Bentleys in Duresfield for three years."
"Any docunts on you?"
"I do, sir!"
Alia fumbled to get out a bunch of papers.
"This is my certificate from the General Infirmary. And this is the letter of recomndation from the Bentley family."
Carter took the docunts and examined them closely.
"Well. I’ve never seen soone more thorough than you, Dr. Hugo." Peter said.
Carter smiled at the comnt, "It’s just basic screening, Peter."
Luckily Charles was pretty desperate and didn’t ask similar things from Carter. If not, his cover would have been blown.
"Everything looks legit. But the owner of this household doesn’t need a nurse. I can pay you a portion of the reward if you accept to care for her. 20 shillings a day until Ms. Fontaine is recovered. Paynt at the end of treatnt."
"20 shillings? But the reward said 100 pounds!"
Carter smacked Alia’s head with her docunts, "20 shillings a day for care and recovery only. That’s a good salary for a nurse. Unless you think you can cure Ms. Fontaine."
Alia rubbed her head pitifully. ’What a rude man’. But she didn’t say anything. Hugo reminded her of her old teacher.
"I want to see her then. Maybe I can do things even you can’t."
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