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Chapter 23
Lavinia awakened with a start.Someone was shaking her—rather vigorously too. When she opened her bleary eyes, she saw to her surprise that it was Rebecca, of all people.
“Lavinia, you must wake up! Quickly!” Rebecca cried. “Oh, good, you’re awake now. Hurry! Here, put this on.” She grabbed Lavinia’s dressing gown and tossed in on top of her while Lavinia struggled to sit up.
“What is going on?” she said, still trying to get past the fog of sleep. She was going to need a nap later in the day, she was sure of it. “I think I’d prefer to dress.”
“There’s no time! You must come at once.”
“Is she awake? Oh, good, youareawake. You simply won’t believe what has happened!” This was Susan, who had burst into Lavinia’s room like she’d been shot from a cannon.
“Then tell me,” Lavinia said with a touch of impatience. She would have been in a perfectly good mood after the decision she’d finally made in the middle of the night if she hadn’t been jarred awake so suddenly.
“You must see for yourself,” Susan said, pulling her to her feet while Rebecca began threading Lavinia’s arm through the sleeve of her dressing gown.
“I can do that myself,” she said, tugging the sleeve from Rebecca’s grasp and sliding her arm through it. And then she realized there was more commotioncoming from outside her door in the corridor.
Delia!Lavinia thought, panicking.No!
She brushed away Rebecca’s hands as the girl fumbled to button Lavinia’s dressing gown. “Truly, I’m awake now, Rebecca. I can manage on my own.”
“Here are your slippers. Quickly!”
Fighting back tears, she hurried with the sisters toward Delia’s room. There was already a small cluster of people gathered outside the door. Lucas came toward her and took her hands in his.
“Lavinia,” he began—
“I must see her!” she cried. “Oh, my dear, sweet Delia—”
“Yes?” a familiar voice from within the room called.
Lavinia looked at Lucas, her brow furrowed in confusion.
“Lavinia, is that you?” the voice called out again.
Lavinia’s heart began to race. She turned, letting go of Lucas, and walked as though in a trance toward the bedroom door. She pushed it completely open and blinked . . .
There sat Delia. Sat. In the bed. As wide awake and alive—alive—as she could possibly be, a beaming Artie sitting proudly in the chair next to her, where he’d been holding vigil for the past twenty-four hours, give or take the few times Lady Thurlby had been successful in prying him away.
A maid scurried past Lavinia, carrying a tray of hot chocolate and scones, from the looks and smell of it, and set it on Delia’s lap.
“She’s hungry,” Artie said triumphantly.
“Well, she would be,” Susan retorted. “She’s the size of a hummingbird and hasn’t eaten in over a day.”
“I don’t understand,” Lavinia said, shaking her head, then crossing to Delia’s bedside and embracing her. She felt so thin and frail. “Oh, my dear, you have come back to us! We were so worried!”
“There, there, now, dearie. ‘All’s well that ends well,’ as the playwright wisely said.” Delia patted Lavinia fondly before taking a bite of scone. “Would you care for a scone, Livvy? Artie?”
“No, thank you,” Lavinia said, still feeling a bit dazed.
“I would,” Artie said.
Lavinia wandered back over to Lucas’s side. “We all took turns sitting by her bedside,” she whispered. “She never moved, never smiled.Nothing.And now she’s wide awake, acting as if nothing had even happened.”
“Mama sent for the doctor. Perhaps he can shed some light on the situation.”
Lavinia nodded and then grabbed Lucas’s arm. “Where is Hannah? I must tell Hannah.”
