THIRTY-THREE
THIRTY-THREE
Arabella, near exhaustion in mind and body, sat with Hannah and Sarah on one of the sofas, listening to them giggle as Sarah pretended her finger was a bee trying to land on one of the two book flowers Hannah had made.
“No! No!” Hannah laughed, swatting at Sarah’s finger as it buzzed and tickled her cheek. “Tell her to stop, Anna,” she called out, twisting to try to get away, and Arabella’s heart broke all over again for the young girl’s loss.
The book slipped from Hannah’s lap, landing with a thud on the floor. Arabella bent down to retrieve it, finding several pages had slipped from their petal shape.
“I think this flower needs rearranging,” she said, handing the book back to the girl.
“We can fix it. Right, Anna?” Hannah said with an eager smile, recreating the petals in her lap.
Arabella glanced at Sarah over the top of Hannah’s head. She found dark eyes under dark brows watching her, reminding her of Henry. Her heart clenched, and she had to look away because of the pain.
Only to be met with an image far worse as Nurse Robins stepped back into the room—without Nurse Maggie.
Arabella swallowed down the feeling of dread.
Behind Nurse Robins was another young nurse, a tray in her hands.“Time for your biscuits, girls,” she called out.
Only a few girls stopped what they were doing and went to the nurse with the tray.
“Go on, Hannah,” Sarah whispered.
Hannah frowned from her spot on the sofa. “I don’t like the biscuits.”
“I know, but you must go.”
Reluctantly, Hannah got to her feet, a frown marring her lips.
Sarah reached out and squeezed her hand. “Do the trick I taught you.”
Hannah sighed. “Come on, Anna.”
“What’s going on?” Arabella asked as soon as Hannah was far enough away.
“They put something in the biscuits that make you sleep like the dead, and then you wake up feeling even more tired, and sometimes dizzy.”
Unease tickled the back of Arabella’s neck. “Will they make me take one?” She didn’t want to fall asleep inside this place.
Please, Henry, hurry!
“Not unless—” Sarah’s words were cut off by Nurse Robins.
“Viola,” the old battle-ax barked. “Come and take your biscuit. Doctor’s orders.”
Arabella remained in her seat, her heart pounding. The fear of never waking up—never seeing Henry, her mother, her brother and Olivia again—held her in place.
“Viola!” Nurse Robins voice slashed through the air like a whip, her glare growing more intense the longer Arabella delayed.
“What do I do?” Arabella pleaded.
“Put it under your tongue,” Sarah whispered, her lips barely moving as she looked elsewhere. “Then, after, spit it into your hand.”
Arabella swallowed. She could do that. Slowly, she rose from her seat, her chest growing tighter with every step.
Reaching the nurse holding the tray, Arabella picked up one of the brown biscuits. It was small and easily fit in the palm of her hand.
“Put it in your mouth,” Nurse Robins ordered, her tone perilously close to a growl.
Arabella’s hand shook as she slipped the biscuit into her mouth. She immediately tasted sugar, followed by a strong, bitter taste before she rolled it under her tongue.
Wanting it out of her mouth as soon as possible, she turned to walk away but was stopped by Nurse Robins, who moved to block her escape.
“I need to see you swallow,” she ordered.
Arabella froze, knowing if she saved herself now and swallowed, it would only come back to harm her in the end.
“Open your mouth,” Nurse Robins ordered, her watchful eyes boring into her.
Arabella slowly opened her mouth, praying the biscuit would stay under her tongue.
Nurse Robins grabbed her by the cheeks and pinched. The biscuit toppled out along with Arabella’s startled cry.
“I knew it,” Nurse Robins snarled, her grip tightening on Arabella’s cheeks.
Arabella fought to break free.
Nurse Robins growled, shaking Arabella back and forth by her jaw. “Eat it!”
Arabella watched in sheer agony as Nurse Robins reached for not one biscuit, but two. She brought the biscuits up and pressed them to Arabella’s mouth. The hard edges of the biscuit bit into her lips, making Arabella scream out in pain.
As soon as Arabella opened her mouth, Nurse Robins shoved both biscuits inside, and then she clamped a hand over Arabella’s nose and mouth with a viselike grip.
Arabella couldn’t breathe, her lungs and throat burning. She scratched and pulled, trying to break herself free from the nurse’s clutches.
“Swallow!” Nurse Robins yelled into her ear.
Black spots began to form at the edge of her vision, and real, clawing panic overtook her as she feared she might die from lack of air.
A scream, angry and determined, rang out from somewhere in the room, and Arabella was knocked to the ground, finally free.
She clutched at her chest and gasped for breath. The blackness subsided, revealing Sarah and Nurse Robins fighting on the ground.
Two nurses ran over, one of them pulling Sarah off Nurse Robins. There was bloodlust in the old battle-ax’s eyes as she regained her feet. She lifted a hand to strike Sarah, who was being held tight between the nurses.
Without a second thought about herself, Arabella jumped in the way of Nurse Robins opened hand and took a direct blow to the side of her face. A loud ringing filled her ears, and she fell to the floor once again.
Before she could even try to get up, Arabella was grabbed by the collar of her gown and hauled to her feet.
Nurse Robins looked wild as she pulled Arabella’s face close to her own. “You are going to regre—”
“Let her go!” a deep, almost feral, voice called out.
Henry.
He had come.