Chapter 11: Give and Take

Book I: Burnt Bliss

Chapter 11: Give & Take Published (3126 Words)

A few minutes after he finished his coffee, Uncle Deus was preparing to leave the Garnetts' when he had an unexpected detour on his way out.

He'd almost reached the front door to begin packing his carriage back to the City when someone asked for his help.

"Uncle, can you come here for a moment?" Lily asked from the hallway, now done with the feed.

"Gladly, my dear."

She led him up the stairs to her room and closed the door. He waiting patiently as she rummaged through various papers.

"Do you remember Meg?" she asked him while searching through her trunk.

"Your--governess?" he replied, leaning against her vanity.

"Yes. She started right after my birthday in September. Once she saw how well I did my basic arithmetic, she brought me a few books that had more advanced work for me while I studied the primer you gave me. I even made copies of the work I did to help Will. When father caught word of Meg giving extra work, she had to go. Thank God he never saw this." Lily heaved a sigh of relief, tossing her Merchanting primer on her bed next to her.

"Here it is!" she brightly chirped, brandishing her work proudly. She bounded over to him, and handed him dozens of pages, eager to share her clandestine studies.

"I think Mother was trying to help me, though." she pondered, tapping her chin. "She made excuses, how 'difficult' finding a new girl would be. I hid the work we did here when she left in December. Nearly four months of work, plus the accounts! But it might not be safe here. Can you keep it for me, please?"

"With pleasure, ma'am." he smiled as he tipped his hat. But then he paused, feeling much more serious.

"You're so bright."

He looked down at Lily, bright-eyed and brimming with potential. He wished he could make over the world just for her talent to openly thrive. "I'm quite literally sorry my brother can't see it."

"Has he always been this stubborn?" she asked, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Oh, yes. It was one thing he and your mother always had in common." he paused, squinting. "Not...much else come to think of it."

"What were they like before they married?" she asked, now reorganizing her papers and placing them in her trunk.

"About the same as they are now although your mother was...less cynical. They didn't know each other very well."

"Do you think he really loves her?"

"Perhaps in his own quiet way." he replied, unsure of how accurate his answer was. "He certainly provides for her."

"Yes, but that's not the same thing as love." Lily pointed out, frowning.

"I suppose not. What inspired you to ask?" he peered at her, rather concerned.

"I've already seen them fuss over Will with Sarah. How long until I'm slated to be with a man I hardly know?" she worried, looking up at him nearly without hope.

"I want to eventually marry; but I want to pick him. And I want him to...take my abilities seriously. But I doubt that's possible."

She sighed, and looked out the window for a moment. There were so many things she wasn't allowed to have.

"I can't imagine a boy who appreciates me the way I want him to."

Uncle Deus sat beside her. "Well in the meantime, your intellect will be safe with me." he assured, neatly placing the parchments neatly together and tucking it under his arm.

"I'll be back next month for our play. And I wouldn't give up hope just yet." he kissed the top of her forehead, and left the room. He returned downstairs and quickly bid the boys good-bye.

Once he slid into his carriage, and was back on the main road, he pulled out the first page of Lily's work and was very impressed.

His eyes shifted across the pages of her work for their business and he found numbers neatly lined up, each in its exact place. Each page of accounting arithmetic held the same repetition of quality work. He moved onto her geometry and algebra, which were both very good. She even had a few decent pages of very basic trigonometry. Her comprehension was advanced for her age and downright impressive.

He spent much of his ride back leafing through four months of work. He knew he had to help her. Being this gifted at a young age was exceedingly rare. Giving her a chance was the right thing to do.

But how?

~*~

A few days later, Augustus burst into the Solarium. "I have amazing news." he declared, draping himself next to Will on a nearby couch. "I've just realised something about myself. It was unexpected, but important."

"Have you?" Will put down the book he'd been reading and his mind suddenly raced as he sat up on the sofa. What was this about?

"Yes, very important, and of course I had to tell you first." he said with a chuckle.

"Me?...really?" Will stared at him and felt a bit dizzy, now scanning for a deeper meaning. He grabbed his nearby glass of water and drank from it.

"Of course. I can trust you with anything. This will change my whole life." he looked at him very seriously.

He took a deep breath. "I realised that--"

Will felt anticipation rising within him. "Yes..."

"I want to be a doctor!" he triumphantly announced.

"That's..." Will trailed off for a moment.

"That's amazing!" he encouraged. It wasn't the romantic declaration he'd been hoping for, but he was still happy for him.

"I want to help anyone without money, and actually listen to people like your Uncle, not argue with them. I think we could save a lot of people if we just...listened to each other."

"I'm excited for you! I think you could make a real difference."

Augustus just smiled, glowing with ambition.

~*~

"So, I've heard you have aspirations in the medical field." Margaret made conversation with Augustus over dinner that evening.

"Yes." he confirmed with a proud nod. "I grew very upset seeing how many people were suffering, and how little doctors would listen to natural philosophers who were trying to solve the same problems. I'll use new ideas and help people without any money."

"A noble desire, I suppose, but helping those without money..." she lingered before taking another bite, seemingly baffled by such a notion, "how will you make money?"

"Oh, I don't care about money." he replied, shaking his head.

"How will you eat?!" she almost dropped her fork.

"Sparingly, I assume." he replied with a shrug.

Margaret raised her eyebrows; unable to process his disregard for money and fine things.

Will chucked at his mother's reaction, but was actually quite proud of Augustus. He was honest without

being rude, correct without being accusatory, and true to his morals without bragging about them.

Augustus had seen the world around him and knew things needed to change. And if no one else would do it, he would.

When Margaret had mentioned needing money, Augustus's mind snapped back. He realised the exact time when he knew he wanted to aid victims like his sister, months ago:

...

"I got something special in town today. They said it might help Susan, so....here." he proudly reached into his pocket and handed his mother a small burlap bag.

She pulled it open and gasped slightly. There were several fresh buds of lavender before her.

Lavender was the newest Plague-fighting remedy, and thus was both very costly and hard to come by. She looked up at her son as she spoke in a surprised tone:

"Augustus, this is so expensive! Where did you get thi--"

She paused and her smile melted away.

"Did you pay for this?" she asked, her voice sharpening in suspicion.

"I--I got it for Susan! They said it might help!" he protested, sheepishly avoided her eyes as he sank into a seat at their kitchen table. "And...no, I didn't pay for it, but she really needs it! Don't I at least have a good reason?" he begged, looking up at his mother with pleading eyes.

She sighed as she sat beside her son at the head of their table. She shook her head. "Oh, my sweet and stubborn child, I know. Your mindful heart was in the right place, but your filching hands were not."

"What's wrong with trying to help her?!" he hung his mouth open in shock. This had been a very difficult endeavour! Didn't she appreciate it?!

"Yes, it was thoughtful and I do hope it'll help her. But more importantly,"

She set the bag of lavender aside. This was serious.

"I don't want you to keep stealing remedies. I know you're trying to help, but if you get caught, there are very serious punishments for your--"

"I don't steal for fun." he shot back. "I steal remedies because if we want proper care we have to pay more

than you and father earn in two months! Why is having a doctor a...privilege? Does someone who can afford it deserve it more than she does? Seems to me we're expected to suffer and just take it! Well, I don't want to take it!" he cried, banging a fist in the table. "Why should I accept that?" he dared, a rebellious gleam in his eye.

Caroline knew her son was trying to help, but she couldn't let him go down the wrong path in doing so.

"I know you feel like there's no other way." she soothed, gently touching his arm, "and I know you're trying to do the right thing. But stealing isn't a real solution. For the moment, it seems to help, but for your whole life? There are other options."

"Susan doesn't have any other options. I'm just giving her what she deserves!" he cried.

"Yes." she agreed with a nod. "But you're going about it the wrong way." she sighed. She hated admitting the dismal truth.

"Maybe she doesn't have that much time, but you do. I hope someday you can change how the world sees us."

She paused, stroking his hair, trying to help him understand.

"Augustus, you're so bright. You will do good for others, I have faith in your abilities. But for now," she perked his chin up, "you need to remember, people already make unfair judgments of us--"

"Because we're poor," he broke in with a sigh.

"Yes. They think it makes us bad people. That we deserve to be poor, certain we brought it on ourselves. Or think we're more likely to do something wrong." she sat up straight as she looked at him. "But no matter who it is, stealing is unacceptable."

Her voice softened as she explained herself. "I don't want you to prove them right about this." she held her head high. Her staunch morals wouldn't waver. "We haven't got much, but proper dignity is--"

"--freely available for everyone and thus should be used," he completed her sentence, knowing her lessons well.

"Reading my mind as always." she flashed a sunny smile at him, and handed back the bag.

"Well, go on; give your sister her lavender. You have it now, no sense in wasting it. She'll be excited to see you for midday." he hugged his mother in gratitude.

"Don't get too close." she reminded him. He nodded and walked to the faded cloth separating the two rooms of their home.

Will's parents might change their minds if they actually knew how difficult it was for Augustus and his family. If they suddenly woke up one day to his reality of basic needs being a privilege only certain people deserved, Margaret would care about someone other than herself.

Augustus bristled at their arrogance, and made a promise to himself: he'd never take things for granted.

Maybe years from now he could afford fine things too. But he'd make sure to think back to that bitter cold afternoon, hoping and praying he could save his sister with stolen remedies.

~*~

Later that night, Augustus kept thinking about his past and what he hoped was his future.

Even though he'd seen his parents as recently as his birthday, he still missed them. But while living with Will's family, he certainly appreciated them. Uncle Deus was a bit like his father, kindly and encouraging.

Of course, Uncle Deus had newfangled ideas that weren't in his father's interest, but he was just always so excited about this or that--a new member of their science group, a recent discovery, the best uses for the "micro-scope".

Apparently it was a contraption that made it possible for one to see things they could not with their normal sight. It was a strange, yet intriguing concept.

He wondered: was the Plague caused by something so small it was unable to be seen? Would the 'micro-scope' find it? If it did, would they learn how to destroy it, to stop it from harming people?

He was interested in medicine over the study of nature as a whole. This was largely due to what he'd seen in the city. He remembered seeing the weak and sick, and how some doctors, even the compassionate ones who tried their best, seemed uninterested in what scientists had to say.

How could a doctor, so intent on helping that he would work for free, aiding London's poorest citizens...not listen to input from others who could help?

On the afternoon he walked home with his stolen lavender, he passed by a coffeehouse. He was tempted to enter, feeling a waft of warm air as he passed by, and the wave of coffee smelled positively luscious.

He thought it would be best to stop in, just for a moment to warm up on his way home. As he entered he sat at a table near the corner, trying to keep a low profile.

As he sat, he heard a trio of men clustered behind him in the corner, arguing about cures for Plague.

"We need to study the human body if we're to stop a disease that kills humans." a natural philosopher argued.

"We published in our journal how we can transfuse blood from one animal to another. If we could just study it further--"

"It's a desecration of God's design, and therefore wrong." a local bishop replied with a stony glare.

"There's no need." the third man, a doctor, brightly assured them. "You need a bag of dried lavender. Plague is spread by the air."

"Air might be a factor, but we don't know until it is studied properly. And you think my work is unnecessary?" the natural philosopher said to the doctor, scowling.

"Next thing, you'll tell me all's I have to do is put a gold coin in my mouth!" he snapped.

"Plague is God's punishment of the wicked and unfaithful, therefore it is deserved. Pity," the bishop concluded, sticking his nose in the air, "should not be cast upon those who brought it on themselves."

"So a disease can choose who gets infected?! That's absurd!" the scientist barked, incredulous.

"Well, yes, if God wills it. He--"

"Excuse me?!" Augustus cut in.

The three men turned and saw him standing there, glaring with annoyance.

"I've got something to say about it."

"You?" the doctor replied with an arrogant chuckle, gesturing to his faded cloak and ill-fitting breeches.

"What could a poor child, taking a break from roaming the streets possibly have to say to us?" he gloated, gesturing to the other two men. The bishop said nothing.

The scientist nodded slightly at Augustus and looked willing to listen.

An awkward pause held between Augustus and the doctor for a moment until he replied, furious.

"Quite a bit, seeing as my sister is dying from Plague! She's five! You say it's 'bad air' and refuse to listen to someone who clearly wants to solve the same problem. If you were correct, wouldn't everyone be cured by now?"

The doctor paused, unprepared for his question.

"And you." he turned to the bishop. "I thought those who followed the word of Christ were to aid and be compassionate to the less fortunate. Not stand by in silence as they get insulted for no reason. And those with Plague 'deserve' it?" he scoffed, stalking closer to him.

"My five year-old sister is 'wicked' and 'deserves' the wrath of a vengeful God?! You would have no pity for a small child dying within a week?"

The men were astonished. None of them knew what to say.

"So perhaps next time you're burdened with the presence of the poor," he snapped, glaring at them, "you ought to hear what they have to say before judging them."

As he briskly turned and stalked off, he heard a snippet of their reaction. heading to exit the coffeehouse.

"He's right, you know. About all of it, actually." the scientist said quietly.

"Yes," the doctor replied wryly. "They always know more than we do."

He huffed back out into the freezing cold. It was early December, and he felt the frost crunching underfoot.

Even after his stop, his throat went raw from breathing in the frigid air. The rough burlap bristled against his tight grip within his cloak. He kept telling himself that risking getting caught and braving the cold was worth it for Susan.

While he was annoyed by the one particular doctor, he wasn't angry at all of them. The man who had examined Susan, just a day after he bought the lavender home, was a good man. He had done his very best. No research seemed able to help, if the illness was in her lungs.

He wanted to help the poor for free, but take it one step further: be constantly open to new ideas and research. He didn't know if the people in Uncle Deus's group would work with doctors, but it seemed likely.

Augustus wished he were able to help people right now. He had the ambition, but not the tools or knowledge.

Not yet.

He was utterly determined. Every day from now on, he decided, he would do something to educate himself, and therefore get closer to his future of helping others.

~*~

Uncle Deus--

Augustus had a splendid idea--he wants to be a Doctor some-day! He got inspired from his sister falling ill. He wants to help the poor as much as he can. He is still just learning about writing and the like, but his ambition is brilliant! Would you know any-thing that might help him? I know that you focus on Naturale Phi-losophy but are there any Doctores at the Society? I'm very excited for our play next month. Please re-ply when possible.

Cheers,

Will