“You will help Vickers and otherwise make yourself useful.”
Not waiting for a response, she sprinkled crumbled pieces of lavender in the can holding the water and swished it around. Picking up a large piece of linen, she dipped it into the water, wrung it out, and placed it on Geoffrey’s head. Mrs. Robins had told her that trying to keep the patient warm helped.
After a few minutes, he mumbled, “That feels good.”
God, how she loved him. “This will make you feel even better.” She slipped her arm under him, raising him just enough to put the cup to his lips. “Drink a little of this.”
He made a face and tried to shake his head, but he was as weak as a kitten, and could do no more than attempt to protest.
Still, it took the better part of an hour before she was able to get a whole cup of soup in him. If he could hold that down, she would give him a biscuit. For now, he was sleeping peacefully, and his color was beginning to get better.
Elizabeth rubbed her eyes as exhaustion washed over her. She glanced at Geoffrey. He lay all the way to the outside of the bed. As ill as he was, he would not even notice she was next to him.
Climbing onto the side of the bed next to the wall, she stretched out. Someone would fetch her if she was needed.
* * *
Geoff opened his eyes. The ship was still rocking, but his stomach wasn’t rebelling. He’d never been so sick in his life. For that matter, it had been the longest night of his life. At one point he had just wanted to die.
Not wishing to move too much, he turned his head to glance out the porthole window. Next to him, a soft, warm bundle moved.
Elizabeth.
It was the first time in days she had consented to be in the same bed with him. Although,consentedmight not be the right word. As crowded as this ship was, she hadn’t had much choice in the matter.
As if sensing he was awake, she opened her eyes. “How are you feeling?”
“Better.” In fact, he wasn’t feeling at all sick. “I think I can get up.”
Scrambling out of the bed, she rushed around to his side. “No, you will not.” She straightened her shoulders and placed her fists on her hips. Her hair tumbled down her back. She pushed back a curl that fell over her forehead. He wanted nothing more than to run his fingers through her mass of curls and kiss her until she agreed to mate with him again. “We won’t be in to port for another hour or so,” she said. “You will not rise until you can do so without being ill again.” She looked at the door. “Stay where you are. I’ll be right back.”
A few minutes later she returned with a bowl and a spoon. “You may feed yourself this time, and if it goes well, you may have some beef broth and ginger biscuits.”
He took a whiff and frowned. “I don’t like it.”
“You may not like it when you are awake, but you drank it readily enough when you were too unwell to care.” Her eyes held a martial light as she approached with the cup.
A vague memory flitted across his mind of her soft hand stroking his head. “Did you nurse me all night?”
“Yes. Now drink this.” She practically shoved the cup into his hands.
He took a sip. The stuff wasn’t nearly as bad as he’d thought it would be. “Where was Nettle?”
“Helping the others as was Vickers and everyone else who wasn’t ill. The only one of the soldiers who remained unaffected was the colonel.” Geoffrey finished the cup and she handed him a biscuit. “Chew it slowly.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He did as she said, and then waited for his stomach to rebel. When it appeared he would be able to keep the soup down, he asked, “May I have the beef broth now?”
“I’ll fetch you some.” She picked up the bowl. “Do not rise.”
“I’ll stay right here.” And fantasize about her naked next to him. If only he knew what to do to make things better between them.
As much as he wanted to try to get her to open her budget, now was not the time. He might have been ill, but she had to be exhausted if she took care of him all night. Not only that, but she was being bossy, and was unlikely to listen to him at present. He’d never seen that part of her before.
Several moments later, he was sitting up in bed, eating a broth so thick it was almost like stew. Elizabeth could have left nursing him to Nettle, but she had not. It was more than he expected after the past sennight. Did this mean she was no longer angry with him? “How did you know to bring the medicines?”
“Many people suffer frommal de mer. It made sense that someone would fall ill on this passage. Although, I truly did not think it would be almost everyone but the crew.”
Dark circles bruised her eyes. He wondered how much sleep she’d had if she was nursing him and, possibly, others. “You didn’t become sick.”
