Page 14 of Once Bitten, Twice Mine

Caroline organized the papers so Mrs. Thomas could put the tray on the table.

“I would have had this up to you sooner, but the housemaids were in turmoil so the chores took longer than usual.”

Her mother frowned. “I hope it’s nothing serious.”

Mrs. Thomas shook her head. “Nothing to concern yourself over. It was barely worth mentioning, except I know you like to know all the goings on in the house. One of the maids has fallen ill.”

“Who?” Caroline asked. Sickness wasn’t unusual in a home with a staff as big as theirs. A few times a year sickness would tear through them, and they would have to juggle all of the household responsibilities until everyone was well again.

“Nelly. The poor dear was fine yesterday, but this morning she collapsed while polishing the silverware.”

“Nelly? Has anyone else caught it?”

“No, just her. Which is unusual because usually she has a constitution like iron.”

“Ah, poor girl. Well, hopefully she feels better soon, but if you end up needing more help, feel free to hire someone temporarily at least,” her mother said.

Caroline’s heart thumped. Nelly had been assigned to Valeria, and while their houseguest seemed to be managing her illness, she still was sick enough to be largely confined to her room.

“Has anyone else been assigned to Lady Valeria?”

“Not yet. I checked on her earlier today, but she was sound asleep, and I didn’t want to disturb her. We can reassign someone to her if Nelly is out for more than a day.”

“It’ll be fine, Caroline. You worry too much,” her mother said.

Unease flowed through her. Valeria insisted her illness wasn’t contagious, but there was something about her that felt dangerous that she couldn’t explain.

“I have a headache. I’m going to go rest,” Caroline said, gathering her papers. “Besides, I should write Edgar’s mother for their guest list.”

Neither her mother nor Mrs. Thomas was concerned as she returned upstairs. Caroline needed to check on Valeria.

* * *

Valeria was clothed only in her scandalous shift, but the poor woman hadn’t even made it all the way into bed. Or out of bed. Caroline wasn’t sure if she had been on her way in or out of bed, but her body was contorted in such a way that her torso was almost entirely off the bed, dangling over the floor.

There was something utterly disturbing about finding someone sleeping like that. It was midday, so who knew how long she had been in that position.

The most curious thing was that despite the very clear deep sleep, Valeria looked good. Her long dark hair was glossy and somehow seemed to be thicker. The palor of her skin had been fixed to such a degree that her cheeks were rosy.

Caroline felt her forehead and her skin burned, worse than any fever she had felt. Grabbing the water pitcher, Caroline poured cool water onto a cloth until it was saturated.

Taking the cool, wet cloth over to the sick woman, she gently put her back into the bed, so she rested on the pillows. She rubbed the cloth over Valeria’s pulse points on her wrist, noting that even her hands were hot to the touch, before gently wiping her face and leaving the cloth on her forehead in a desperate hope the fever would break.

“How are you still so sick?” She murmured at no one in particular. The quiet of the room unnerved her. “Did our hospitality put everyone else in danger?”

Valeria didn’t stir at her words because of course she didn’t. Caroline had blindly believed her when she said that what she had wasn’t contagious, but wouldn’t give a name for her illness beyond sun sickness. She had never seen an illness like this, and she had been volunteering at Dr. Murnau’s hospital for three years. She didn’t do any actual healing, but she changed linens, fetched meals, and spoke with patients enough to see a variety of illnesses. If she had listened to her instincts and called for the doctor when this all began, perhaps Nelly wouldn’t have gotten sick.

Standing beside the bed, she knew it was time to go, to leave her to rest, but there was still something so compelling about her. Her thick eyelashes fanned over her flushed cheeks, her hair was splayed out around her head like a woodland crown. There was nothing further Caroline could do for her, besides hope the fever broke. She would have Mrs. Thomas send up some ice and more broth once Valeria woke up in the evening. It was uncanny how quickly the woman got up once the sun set.

In the meantime, she needed to visit Nelly to see if the two illnesses were related.

She had been to the servant’s quarters very few times over the years. The last time had been many years ago when she had a nightmare and was looking for her nanny to soothe her back to sleep. Laura, one of their newer scullery maids, came out of a room and frowned at her before quickly smoothing her expression.

“Which room is Nelly’s? Mrs. Thomas said she isn’t feeling well and I would like to check on her.”

“That is quite thoughtful of you, Miss Blythe. Nelly is the second door on the left. She’ll appreciate the visit.”

Caroline nodded, releasing the woman to her duties. She gently knocked on Nelly’s door, waiting for a response. Ear pressed against the door, she couldn’t hear anything, so she knocked louder. This time she was rewarded with a groan, so she opened the door.