Page 33 of Once Bitten, Twice Mine

“What are you doing?”

Caroline looked up to see Dr. Murnau frowning down at her.

“I was, um, examining the patient,” she said, her cheeks tinged red with embarrassment.

His frown deepened. “What for?”

“I tried interviewing the patients, but that wasn’t really getting me anywhere, so I thought to look to see if he had the same puncture wounds my father and Nelly had⁠—”

“Did you find the puncture wounds on any of the other patients?”

“He’s the only one I checked.”

“Let me take a look before we check the others.”

Caroline moved aside so the doctor could take her place. He bent down low against the man’s sleeping form. His fingers investigated the wounds, and he searched the rest of his chest, undoubtedly looking to see if they repeated at all. Caroline held her breath for the entirety of the long examination before the doctor stood up.

“I believe you are correct, Miss Blythe. Those do appear to be teeth marks.”

Caroline rocked back. Dr. Murnau only confirmed her findings, but hearing him say it made it all feel real. “Are you sure they’re human teeth because I’ve never seen anyone with teeth like that before?”

“The distance between the canines is consistent with human mouths. Even though there aren’t any marks from the lower teeth, I still think it’s most likely a human that created those marks.”

“Do you think this bite has caused the illness?”

Caroline’s heart raced as her question hung in the air. She squeezed her pencil tight to her palm and did her best to control her face so the doctor wouldn’t see how close she was to falling apart. Because if someone was out there biting people to infect them with whatever illness, she had a sinking suspicion about who it could be.

Dr Muranu sighed, removing his glasses before taking a handkerchief from his pocket and cleaning the lenses. “I’m not entirely sure, Miss Blythe. I must do some research before I can provide the answers you’re looking for. I can only pray I find the answer before we are too late.”

CHAPTER 9

Caroline’s hands shook the entire carriage ride home. Someone was doing this. It wasn’t plague, bad food, or a diseased animal. Someone was biting people and making them sick. The idea was beyond comprehension, but she read the look in Dr. Murnau’s eyes. He believed a person was behind it as well. Even though he didn’t know how to explain it. Yet.

As soon as the carriage rolled to a stop, Caroline jumped out of the carriage before Mr. Sylvester could open the door for her. He had greeted her so warmly when she left the hospital that she couldn’t stomach facing him again.

The sky was a beautiful blend of orange and pink as the sun settled beneath the horizon and she rushed into her home. It was the time of day that made her stomach swoop, and it did so again; even with all of her suspicions, she was still excited to see Valeria. Even after this afternoon, all she wanted was to make sure she was all right. To see her smirk in that damned flimsy shift that Caroline so desperately tried to ignore, but sometimes she couldn’t help it and was rewarded with a lush expanse of olive skin that she would give anything to touch.

“Ah, Miss Blythe,” Mrs. Thomas said, “Dinner is ready whenever you are. Just ring the bell in the dining room when you’re ready.”

She sighed as she stopped where she was on the stairs. Clearly, it was too much to ask to slink back to her room undetected. It was cowardly, but she wanted to hide in her room until all of her problems were magically solved. Her stomach rumbled, and she sighed, her body making her decision for her.

“Thank you, Mrs. Thomas,” she said as she walked down the stairs. “It has been quite the long day, so I’ll retire after dinner.”

The housekeeper nodded, “I’ll let Miss Lucy know.”

Luckily, she didn’t see anyone else on her way to the dining room. Guilt gnawed at her despite not knowing if Valeria was behind this mysterious illness. Because Valeria was only there because of her. And God help her, but Caroline didn’t know if she had the strength to send her away.

“You look exhausted.”

Caroline nearly choked on her stew when she looked up to see Valeria wrapped in a green velvet dressing gown.

“What are you doing here?” Caroline sputtered, coughing up a piece of onion that was going down the wrong pipe.

“I was just coming by to say good evening, but I’m glad I’m here so you won’t choke to death.”

“I wouldn’t have choked if you hadn’t been here.”

“While I do love taking credit for anything that leaves you breathless,” Valeria said as she sat across from her, her lips turning up into a sly grin, “I do find it worrying that you can so easily forget the mechanics of breathing. You would think it would be instinctual at this point.”