Page 66 of Once Bitten, Twice Mine

She frowned. “I’m not getting sick.”

“You spend almost all your spare time at the hospital, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you were.”

She wanted to tell Lucy that she couldn’t catch that illness from the hospital, but she stopped herself. Because it was possible. Valeria had kissed every inch of her the previous evening, and she hadn’t felt a bite, but that didn’t mean one didn’t happen.

“Will you get me some breakfast? It doesn’t have to be much, but I’m feeling a bit peckish.”

As soon as Lucy left, she threw off her covers and ran her hands over every inch of her skin, not relaxing until she didn’t feel any marks. Since her skin wasn’t smoking in the sunlight, she wasn’t too concerned, but she wasn’t sure when the smoking began since the men only came into the hospital after they had already been ill for a day or so.

Lucy returned with a breakfast tray featuring a bowl of porridge and some fruit, but her expression was tight.

“Mrs. Thomas would like to see you downstairs when you have a moment.”

“Why?”

“I think it’s best if you speak with her,” Lucy said, her voice a full octave higher than usual.

Caroline’s stomach sank; she had absolutely no clue what this could be about. It had been many years since the housekeeper scolded her, and she could only think of one reason why Mrs. Thomas would be so cross with her.

Valeria.

“I’ll go see her now.”

She no longer had an appetite.

It didn’t take her long to find Mrs. Thomas standing at the bottom of the main staircase, glowering at her. It was the same expression she had when Caroline accidentally set the drapes in the parlour on fire when she was seven.

“Good morning, Mrs. Thomas.”

“It’s past morning.”

“Good afternoon then. Lucy mentioned you wish to speak with me.”

The housekeeper’s eyes narrowed. “The next time you have someone coming into the house for repairs, I would appreciate some notice so we can be prepared for the disruption.”

Caroline frowned. “All right, but I’m not sure why that’s an issue now.”

“Are you telling me the bricklayer working in the kitchen came here entirely of his own volition?”

“I haven’t the faintest clue what you’re talking about,” she said as she rushed towards the kitchen.

It didn’t make sense for anyone to be there working. Valeria killed Mr. Hall, and she hadn’t any time to replace him. Nor did she have the funds to do so.

Bursting through the kitchen door, she saw Mrs. Thomas was right. A bricklayer was at work at the hearth, taking measurements for…whatever bricklayers did.

“Excuse me, but what are you doing here?”

The man turned his head, and she saw it was Mr. Green, who was not only the most esteemed bricklayer in the village, but the entire county. Even if she had the funds for him, he would be nearly impossible to book because he worked so much.

“I’m here to fix the hearth, of course.”

“That’s quite nice and all, but I didn’t hire you.”

“Of course you did,” he said with a smile. “Miss Blythe, right? You haven’t been on my books long, but after Mr. Hall absconded without completing his work, I was able to fit you in.”

Her eyes narrowed. She could perhaps accept someone coming to help her, but not that she had already been on the books.

This had Valeria written all over it.