Page 31 of Once Bitten, Twice Mine

“No,” Caroline sighed. “I’m merely curious because I don’t know where she goes when she’s missing like this. Whenever I ask, she insists she was in her room all night.”

Lucy’s fingers drummed against the silver cloche, the drumming sound making Caroline flinch at the thought of being caught by the racket. “Do you want me to spy on her?”

“No, I was just being nosy.”

She kicked away the shift on her feet and walked out of the dressing room. Her face was still hot from being caught, but she mustered up as much dignity as she could as she walked past her maid.

“I don’t mind spying on her. My loyalty will always be with my lady.”

Her face was so serious that Caroline softened. “Thank you for the offer, but we can leave Lady Valeria to her privacy. This was a helpful reminder that I should be less nosy. She isn’t a prisoner here. If I was only awake while the world slept, I would also wander the halls to pass the time.”

“It does seem like a lonely existence.”

Caroline’s heart squeezed as she left Valeria’s room. While she frequently spent long stretches of the day alone—especially in her parents’ absence—there were always people around. She never needed to wander the house to find company.

Certainly, that was an explanation for where Valeria was. If Caroline wandered the house for a bit longer, surely she would find her houseguest in time to escort her back to her room before the sun rose.

It may be a tidy explanation that she would give to Lucy, but deep inside she doubted it. She couldn’t help her fear that Valeria’s arrival and the beginning of this mysterious illness weren’t a coincidence.

What she didn’t know was how all of the pieces of the puzzle fit together. When she met Valeria at sixteen, they spent their days frolicking under the expansive blue sky of Tuscany. There wasn’t even a hint of sunsickness in her back then as her olive skin turned bronze at the peak of summer. They shared nearly every meal during those four glorious months—it didn’t matter if it was in the fancy dining rooms with her parents, the rough kitchen of the vineyard Valeria’s family ran, or sneaking plump grapes from the vine. As long as they were together, nothing else mattered.

Caroline’s shoulders dropped as she entered her empty bedroom. It had been so easy for her feelings to revert to what they were eight years ago. When she was a girl, she didn’t know why sometimes Valeria’s smile made her heart race. Why they always longed to touch one another. They were best friends, but not like how she was with Diya. She never dreamed of the softness of her skin, and her gaze never lingered after they swam in the lake.

Weeks ago, she fretted over never feeling such urges for Edgar. She worried she was incapable of such things. That if she only worked a little bit harder, the feelings would arrive and she would live happily ever after.

It should have been a relief to discover there wasn’t a defect with her after all. She felt the urges her mother lectured her over—quite strongly, in fact—though she didn’t feel them for her fiancé. She couldn’t feel them for Edgar, not when Valeria’s name was carved into her heart so deep that not even eight years of separation had dulled her feelings.

But she didn’t know what to do with her love if it turned out Valeria had something to do with this illness.

* * *

Caroline squinted in the bright sunlight as she continued weaving the lace for her veil. It was the first properly sunny day of the year, and while there was a bite in the air, she layered her shawls so she could work outside. It was a relief that the sun felt pleasant instead of burning her skin. She wasn’t sure how long her good health would last, but the illness had yet to get its grasp on her.

“A letter has come for you, Miss Blythe. Two, actually.”

Caroline blinked up to see Mrs. Thomas before her holding two envelopes: one a pristine white and the other a heavier cream colored envelope. Weighing the letters in her hands, dread pooled within her. The handwriting on the envelopes was familiar, and neither was bound to hold good news. Sighing, she opened the letter from Dr. Murnau. She would rather deal with a possible plague than read Edgar’s letter.

She had been waiting for word from him for ages, so of course he only wrote once she didn’t want to hear from him.

“Mrs. Thomas,” she said, brow furrowed as she read the letter, “Have the coach readied for me. Dr. Murnau needs me at the hospital. I’ll be back before sundown.”

It didn’t take her long to put on her most practical dress, and she grabbed her notebook before she left for the hospital. No one questioned her as she rushed in. Instead, she was sent up to the ward where the newest patients were kept. The nurse told her the doctor was working there, and while the word “plague” wasn’t used, the nurse kept her mouth covered as she detailed the need for isolation for any new patients.

“Miss Blythe, thank you for coming so quickly,” Dr. Murnau said, his eyes were tight with heavy bags beneath them.

“As I said, I’m happy to help in any way I can.”

“Has there been any new sickness in your household?”

Caroline shook her head. “No, we have been well.”

She had debriefed with Mrs. Thomas as she ate breakfast that morning to make sure everyone was well. The housekeeper reported no one had even complained of a sniffle, but she would keep vigilant in case anyone tried to push through an illness to continue with their duties.

“Good, I’m glad to hear it.” He removed his glasses, wiping the lenses with a sensible handkerchief. “Unfortunately, others in the town weren’t quite so lucky. Many have fallen ill overnight.”

“Any deaths?” Her stomach sank as her brow furrowed while she waited for her question to be answered. She wouldn’t be there if the situation wasn’t dire, but she still hoped that maybe he wanted to tell her he had found a cure for this strange illness.

“Only one, but I fear we are at the edge of a precipice. If we aren’t able to provide treatment, I fear our patients will start dying quickly.”