Just then it dawned on Evie that Max had stayed with them last night. How could that have slipped her mind?
“How’s Max doing?” She slipped behind the dressing screen to remove her nightgown and robe. She tossed them to one side and pulled on her chemise and drawers. Stepping back out, Beth was ready with her corset.
“He was sitting up and speaking to your brother Evan when I came to check in on you. I believe he’s faring well.”
Evie nodded. She was tempted to reclaim her robe and rush down the hall to the room where Max had slept. Instead, she let sensibility rule and grabbed the corset to hold it in place while Beth laced her in. “Don’t make it too tight. The muslin is a little big on me anyway. I’ll be able to maneuver better if I’m not so rigidly bound.”
Beth finished, then took up the corset cover and helped Evie with it before handing her a lightweight petticoat. Evie quickly stepped into it and pulled it up. It took only a moment to button, and by then Beth had the gown ready.
When she was finally dressed, Evie hurried to put on her stockings and shoes and was soon headed out the door and down the hall. It was still a little early for the children and their morning cacophony, but Evie could hear their nanny calling them to start the day.
She hurried to the guest room and gave a light knock. Evan came to the door and welcomed her in. “Come to see our patient, have you?”
Evie found Max sitting up in bed, bare-chested with exception to his bandaged shoulder and neck. A sling held his left arm to his body. He smiled at her, which warmed Evie to the core of her being.
“I’m glad to see you in good spirits. How’s the pain?”
“Bearable. The burns irritate me more than the broken bone. The sling rubs on some of the burned areas.”
“We’ll see if we can’t better cushion it when we change the bandages,” Evie said, looking to Evan. “Were you with him all night?”
“No. Father gave him something to sleep and positioned him in a nest of pillows to help him rest more securely.”
“I awoke to find myself engulfed with pillows and rolled blankets,” Max admitted. “I was nestled in like a cocoon. Hurting a little since your father’s tonic had worn off, but I won’t complain. I’m lucky to be alive and know that very well. Had my men not come back for me, I’d be dead.”
“Why were you on Boom Island to begin with?” Evie asked.
“I wanted to get some last-minute inventory done. We were closing the mill down.” Max shook his head. “I didn’t want to, but my father has been insisting, and frankly, I realized there was little else we could do until the banks are stable once again.”
“And you didn’t realize the fire had started?” Evie couldn’t imagine any sensible reason for waiting so long to get off the island. “It spread so fast.”
“It should never have spread to Boom,” he replied, sounding more than a little irritated. “The island should have been safe from harm.”
“They said the winds were fierce.” Evan got up with a shrug. “The fire on Nicollet created its own winds, and between that and all the embers, they believe it touched off the fire on Boom Island. There were said to be some fires along the east bank of the river as well. People kept close watch all night to ensure nothing else got out of control.”
“What started the fire on Nicollet?” Max asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.
“The paper said it was caused by boys smoking. You know how very dry things have been this summer,” Evan said, offering his chair to Evie.
“Boys smoking?” Max shook his head. “Sounds suspiciouslyeasy to blame it on that. It spread far too fast. My guess is someone purposefully set it.”
“There was a lot of dried hay in the stable on the backside of the Cedar Lake Icehouse. They also had quite a bit of straw for insulating the ice itself. A couple of discarded burning cigarettes would have found that fuel easy to ignite. One of the firemen said it took less than five minutes to engulf the entirety of the attached stable. Then the Union Wagon Works caught. Chief Runge said within fifteen minutes multiple buildings were on fire and burning out of control.”
“And all because of the carelessness of a couple boys,” Evie said, sitting beside Max. “Such devastation and waste. So many homes destroyed. I saw the faces of those poor people. They were in shock and no doubt will suffer for years to come.”
Max’s expression darkened. He muttered something inaudible, but his ire was clear. It was odd that he reacted in anger rather than sympathy.
“I’m going downstairs to let Cook know you’re ready for breakfast,” Evan said, heading for the door.
Beth appeared with Evie’s pinafore apron as Evan exited the room. “I thought you might need this before you started tending to Mr. Garrison’s wounds.”
Evie got to her feet and took the apron from Beth. “Thank you. I would have been looking for it.” She pulled it on over her head and secured the ties behind her. “There, much more professional.”
Beth nodded. “I must go wake up your sisters.”
Evie nodded and went back to sit beside Max. She was glad to finally be alone with him and yet felt more than a bit awkward.
“Now, be honest with me about how you feel,” she said, forcing her nursing skills into place to ease her discomfort. Max watched her carefully, which only furthered her uneasiness.
