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“Is something wrong, Miss Campbell?” Nathaniel asked.
She licked her lips before she answered. “Thomas? Could you leave us for a moment, please?”
“Certainly.” He nodded. The request was reasonable enough. But why did she want him gone? He helped her every day.
He walked out and closed the door behind him. Their voices were muted behind the door and though he was tempted to lean into the wood that separated them, he thought better of it.
Downstairs, the menial tasks Thomas employed to keep his mind occupied while he waited for Nathaniel to come down proved worthless. He stoked the fire, checked the stack of logs, even brought in a few more from the back of the house before he realized his list of things to do was frustratingly short.
He checked on Kitty in the kitchen. She smiled from her position, kneeling near the fire. Thomas relaxed a bit. At least one of the girls was none the worse for wear. Kitty appeared to have gotten over the shock of the events and seemed content, despite the tribulations, though he’d noticed her pinched lips and quiet huffs any time he or Nathaniel mentioned anything about the patriot cause. If that was her only complaint, she’d done a good job at hiding it.
He left the kitchen and turned back to the parlor, taking his place by the fire. Another ten minutes of trying to occupy his jumbled mind nearly killed him. His nerves jumped like a rowdy army of frogs. What could be taking so long?
Finally the tapping of Nathaniel’s shoes resonated in the stairway. Thomas almost jumped from his breeches.
“Well?”
Nathaniel ignored his question, a solemn shadow veiling his face. “It’s really a miracle she lived, Thomas. A true miracle.”
“Is she all right? She looks more tired. I’m worried.”
“I know you are, Thomas.” Nathaniel turned and slouched in the largest chair in front of the fire. “You and Miss Katherine have done very well caring for Eliza and I’m sure she’ll make a full recovery.”
Relief flooded Thomas’s rigid muscles. He exhaled long through his mouth and brushed his hand over his hair. “You don’t think she’s too fatigued? She’s not too pale?”
A sparkle of mischief lighted Nathaniel’s eyes and a chuckle escaped his throat. “She’s fine.”
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing.”
Thomas lowered his voice as he leaned toward Nathaniel. “Why did she ask me to leave? I’ve seen her wound a hundred times. Doesn’t she know that?”
This time, Nathaniel burst into a full-blown guffaw. “Oh, Thomas, my boy, you are in deep, aren’t you?”
Jerking back, Thomas stiffened. “What are you talking about?”
“You care for her. Don’t try to deny it.”
“You didn’t answer my question.” Thomas tilted his head toward the ceiling and let out a heavy sigh. He refused to give credence to such an inane suggestion.
Nathaniel continued his aggravating behavior. “What question?”
“Why would she ask me to leave? It’s not as if she’s ever been indecent. Kitty and I have always made sure to keep her properly covered.”
Nathaniel stood, laughing again. Thomas wanted to kick him, literally, out of the house.
“I can’t honestly say.” Nathaniel pulled his ankle over his knee as he nestled back into the patterned chair. “My assumption is, now that she’s more aware of what’s going on, it’s probably embarrassing for her.”
“Embarrassing?” Thomas protested. “Then why isn’t she embarrassed to have you looking at her?”
Nathaniel cocked his head and lifted one eyebrow. “Need I explain? I’m a doctor. It’s different. She only sees me occasionally and she knows this is my trade. But you, you’re here all the time. And knowing that you will be so close in such an intimate way—”
“Nathaniel.” Thomas spoke through his teeth to keep from shouting. “There’s nothing intimate about it.” He cooled his growing fury with several cleansing breaths.
“It can seem intimate, if you care about someone.”
Shaking his head, Thomas grit his teeth and stared into the crackling flames.
