Chapter Fourteen #3
“I wish she had told us she was feeling poorly,” Lampton said. “Mater would have had her bundled up in bed, resting, with all the teas and tisanes she could possibly need to feel better.”
It was a reassuring declaration. “Not all companions benefit from such concern.”
“Arabella is far more than a companion. We grew up together. She was, in many ways, like a little sister to us. My father, in particular, adored her. We all did, really.”
“Did?” Linus knew Arabella felt left out of the Jonquil family. What explanation did Lampton have for it?
“We didn’t see much of her after Father died. I don’t know if she pulled away or we did. Or both. But it’s been good having her back again.”
The dowager arrived, her expression showing curiosity more than alarm. Until she spotted Arabella. “What’s happened?”
“She is feverish,” Linus said. “And she is coughing. I came in here to fetch a book and found her here. She’s been dozing, but fretfully.”
The dowager touched the back of her hand to Arabella’s forehead. “Was Dr. Scorseby sent for?”
“He was,” Lampton said.
The dowager nodded. “He will know what is best to be done. In the meantime, though, I can say with certainty that Arabella would be mortified at the thought of being in such a vulnerable state whilst in full view of any- and everyone.”
That was most certainly true.
“Philip, you remain here so you can direct Dr. Scorseby to Arabella’s room. Mr. Lancaster, would you be so good as to carry her. I will, of course, accompany you.”
Linus lifted the blanket from Arabella and gave it to the dowager. He slipped one arm under Arabella’s back and the other under her legs. He carefully lifted her from the sofa, holding her close to him.
She stirred.
“Rest, dear,” he said quietly.
Without a word of protest, she laid her head on his shoulder. The dowager tucked the blanket around his feverish armful. The warmth radiating from Arabella was not his greatest concern. She was far too light.
“Is she eating properly?” he asked the dowager in quiet tones as they made their way toward the family wing.
“She is skin and bones, isn’t she?” The dowager glanced at Arabella, her face lined with undeniable concern.
“It is all the walking she does. We could always tell when life was particularly difficult in her uncle’s home.
She would walk for hours every day, avoiding the necessity of returning there.
She had grown almost gaunt the past months, and she walked for hours on end every day.
She had to have been missing meals to have been away from home as long as she was.
It is a miracle she hasn’t been ill before now. ”
They turned down a corridor of bedchambers—the family wing, no doubt.
“I first considered the possibility of inviting her here almost a year ago,” the dowager said.
“Sorrel’s younger sister and our Stanley were married, and the house was all but empty.
” The dowager’s mouth turned down in lines of disappointed frustration.
Though her volume did not increase, her words grew more vehement.
“I should have acted upon that impulse sooner.”
“Well, she is here now,” Linus replied. “She will regain her strength; I’ve no doubt.”
“But what of her spirit?” The dowager seemed to address the question toward herself.
Linus hadn’t a ready answer to that. He didn’t think Arabella’s spirits as low as all that.
The dowager motioned to the last door in the family corridor. “This is hers.”
Linus carried his coughing bundle inside. The room was nearly bare. The furniture was fine and well maintained. The linens were not worn. Yet everything else about the space reminded him of his own home during their very lean years.
The dowager must have noticed his reaction. “She was not permitted to bring very much with her from her uncle’s home.”
Linus crossed to the bed and gently laid Arabella on it. The dowager pulled another blanket over Arabella’s shivering frame. Linus moved a chair over for her.
The dowager sat. “Thank you.”
Linus watched Arabella. She appeared to be sleeping but was clearly not resting.
He hoped whatever ailment had laid her low would prove short-lived.
Only with effort did he keep himself from reaching out for her hand once more.
With the dowager watching, he didn’t dare.
Calling her by her Christian name and being found alone with her despite her being rendered nearly insensible with illness had already pushed the acceptable boundaries.
The dowager was watching the two of them rather closely as it was.
Dr. Scorseby arrived. Linus could think of no innocuous reason to remain, and he was not ready to admit to the reason he hated to leave. He watched Arabella for a drawn-out moment, wishing he could take her hand or sit beside her to offer some comfort.
He slipped quietly from the room. During the slow walk to his own bedchamber, he had time to think over the state of things. His sisters had gone to great lengths to find a lady to catch his eye. Without warning, a completely different lady had captured a bit of his heart.