His eyes were fixed on David. Even when I turned to fully face him, he didn’t glance at me. After a moment, he did look back down at Mama though. “As you have most likely already discovered, your guest has a fever. Her pulse is strong, and the water and bathing should help bring the fever down. I assume Mrs. Ward still has my father’s mustard plaster recipe?” David nodded. “Her lungs are clear now, but if she starts having any trouble breathing, have Mrs. Ward make the salve and apply it to her chest.”
“Is there anything else we can do?” I asked.
His eyes flicked to mine, then quickly to David’s arm draped over me. He shook his head but gave me a kind smile. “Her fever is high, but most fevers pass within a few days. As long as she is able to eat and drink and her breathing remains stable, she should recover. The lady is your mother, I presume?”
David stiffened, and the doctor’s reticence to look me in the eye suddenly became clear. In the rush to have Mama examined, no one had introduced us. David had wanted our marriage to remain a secret, and apparently, it had, even from the man he was planning on living with before we’d decided to marry.
“James,” David started. “I’m sorry. I’ve been remiss. The woman you have just treated is Mrs. Atwood. And her daughter”—he tightened his hold upon me— “is my wife, Mrs. Anna Tate.”
Dr. Clarke’s eyes widened, and his mouth broadened into a smile. He strode forward and clapped David on his shoulder. “I’m happy to hear it.” He turned to me, his eyes no longer guarded but shining. “I wish we had met under better circumstances, Mrs. Tate. But I assure you, your mother, though very sick, should come out on the other side of this with no complications.”
I forced my lips into a smile. His words were a comfort to me, and his instant joy for David made me like him even more. “Thank you, Doctor.”
“Call me James. David always does.”
It was a strange thing, to call this man, who was probably only a few years my senior, by either Doctor or James. But I nodded. “Thank you, James.”
Dr. Clarke left a few more instructions for the staff, then David pulled him aside, no doubt to ask him not to mention our marriage to anyone in town. Dr. Clarke’s eyes flashed to mine just once, but then he nodded in understanding. If he thought it was strange that David would want to keep our marriage a secret, he didn’t show it.
David left with the doctor, and I spent the next few hours at Mama’s side, listening to her breathing and rewetting the towel on her head. David checked in on us several times, but each time, I quickly sent him away with a task. I wanted to care for Mama as much as I could on my own.
The sun was down, and the room dark, save for one solitary candle, when David returned again. “How is she doing?” he asked, taking in my position, curled up on the floor at the side of her bed.
“Much the same.”
“James seemed to think she would be like this for at least few days. Before he left, he made me promise to make certain you slept.”
I sighed, not ready to stand. I must look a disaster. My dress was crumpled, and my hair had several pins loose. I felt like I needed to sleep for a week. My knees ached, and I had a dull pain in my skull. “I’ll try. I’m sorry Dr. Clarke learned of me.”
A cloud covered David’s face. “I’m not.”
“But ...”
“James is a close friend. I should have invited him over sooner to meet you. He won’t spread any rumors.”
“Our marriage isn’t a rumor.” My headache along with the hours of worrying after Dr. Clarke left made me less careful with my words. I needed sleep and a warm, thick blanket.
David strode to Mama’s bedside and knelt. “I know it isn’t, but—” His hand settled on mine, and he paused. His eyebrows furrowed, and he took my hand in both of his. “Anna, your skin.”
I closed my eyes, letting the pain in my head settle in. “I think I’d better go to bed.”
David’s arm was immediately around my waist. I tried to push him away. I was definitely going to be ill, but I could walk to my room. His arm only tightened around me while his other arm slid under my legs. He lifted me to his chest as if it took no effort. He was so warm, and I was chilled to the bone from lying on the floor. This was an easy fight to lose. I grabbed the collar of his shirt, and with a deep sigh, I rested my head in the crook of his neck. He strode out of the room.
“Will you make certain Mama is cared for?” I asked.
“Of course.” His voice was the most reassuring sound. I hadn’t wanted to admit I was starting to feel ill. For so many years, if I’d gotten sick, I wouldn’t have had anyone to care for Mama. But once again, David was proving my life was better with him in it.
He strode down the corridor until we reached my door, then he leaned back, tightening his hold on my legs while reaching for the doorknob with his hand at my waist. Once he had me back securely in his arms, he crossed over the threshold, and for the first time since we’d married, he entered my room. He quickly brought me to the bed and deposited me on top of the quilts. His arms slid out from under me, and I immediately missed his warmth. Closing my eyes, I said a quick prayer of gratitude for the quality of the mattress beneath me. It could be days before I left it.
I curled into myself, aware that I should’ve taken off my shoes but not caring enough to sit up and do the work. My fingers wentto the back of my bodice. Breathing was starting to become difficult, and I wanted nothing more than to loosen my corset. I pulled at the knot hidden just above my skirt and managed to get it undone, but I couldn’t loosen the cords with my bodice on. There would be a lot more undressing to go before my lungs received any relief.
“I’ll fetch Maren,” David said with an odd quality in his voice. I glanced up at him, and he lowered himself to one knee so he could look me in the eye. “Can you manage on your own for a moment?”
I dropped my hand from my dress. Had I tried to loosen my corset with David in the room? I pushed a hand into my hair and rubbed my scalp. “Of course. I was helping Mama only a few moments ago.”
He nodded but looked uncertain. His eyes flitted to the back of my dress, and I wondered for half a moment if he was considering acting as my lady’s maid. He would be even worse than Maren. The man probably didn’t know how lacing worked. A soft chuckle escaped my lips, and his eyes flew back to mine, searching them with a concerned look. Should I not be laughing? I probably should not be laughing. He squeezed my hand, then turned and left, leaving the door open behind him.
My clothing was a lost cause without Maren, but I could do something about my hair. I wasn’t a complete invalid. Not yet, at any rate. I gritted my teeth against the chill in the air and pulled pin after pin out of my hair. Maren was still new at styling it, and whenever she was in doubt of a lock holding in place, she added another pin. Taking my hair down at the end of each day was always a relief.
