Chapter 16
Daniel
He came awake slowly, his body stiff from being in an armchair that did little to accommodate his tall form. The fire in the hearth had died down, and he shivered in the chill of the February morning. Daniel stretched his arms above his head and opened his sleepy eyes. Tendrils of light came through the gaps in the curtain, signalling the beginning of day. He had come to relieve Sarah from her vigil by her brother’s bedside some time just after midnight, which meant he had been here, in this damned uncomfortable armchair, for close on six hours.
With consciousness returning, his eyes sought out Ambrose. He was asleep, breathing regularly in and out. Daniel reached a tender hand to feel his brow. It was still warm with fever, but not quite as hot as the previous day. After bringing Ambrose home from yesterday’s luncheon, Daniel had sat with him for hours, trying to cool his heated body down with a cold compress.
Ambrose had been restless in his fevered delirium, tossing in his sleep, batting away the hands tending to him. His nightshirt had gotten sodden with sweat until finally, Daniel had taken it off him. Then, he had set about sponging down his upper body with a cool cloth. It seemed to have brought Ambrose relief, for by the time Sarah came back some hours later, he had fallen into a more restful sleep.
She had bade Daniel to eat a light supper laid out on the dining table for him, then sent him to rest in the guest bedchamber. He had done so only on the promise that she would come wake him when it was his turn to take over the vigil by Ambrose’s bedside. She had been as good as her word, waking him shortly after midnight. Since then, Daniel had been here, in this lumpy armchair, watching over Ambrose.
The fever had continued to rage throughout the night. Daniel had tried his best to ease it with a cool wet cloth, occasionally feeding Ambrose a little of the broth. It seemed to help. At one time, Ambrose had woken, needing the chamber pot. Daniel had brought it to him, helping Ambrose to a sitting position so he could do his business. There had been no thought of modesty in that moment of need, not that Daniel had seen much in the dim light of the fire in the hearth. Ambrose had settled down to sleep after this, and so had Daniel, until he woke just now. Tired and stiff as he was, there was no other place he had wanted to be last night than at Ambrose’s side.
There came a light knock on the door and the maid, Elsie, came in. With a shy smile, she brought in some fresh broth and laid it on the bedside table, then took the soiled chamber pot away. She returned a few minutes later and placed a clean pot under the bed. She paused at the door on her way out and whispered, “Will you be needing anything else, sir?”
Daniel shook his head with a smile. “No, thank you,” he said as quietly as he could. She left then, closing the door with a gentle click. However, the light noise was enough to wake Ambrose from his sleep. His eyelids fluttered open, and he stared at Daniel for a long moment, his gaze confused at first until understanding of his predicament came to him.
“H-how…” He cleared his throat and tried again. “How long have you been here?”
“Never you mind. Do you think you can sit up and drink some broth?”
Ambrose nodded. With an effort, he brought himself to a sitting position and took the broth Daniel handed to him, indicating quite clearly that he wished to drink it without help. Daniel watched him take the drink with trembling hands, at the ready in case he needed to catch the small bowl, but Ambrose managed to drink the whole thing without spilling a drop. Once he was done, Daniel took the empty bowl from him and assisted Ambrose back into a lying position on the bed.
“You do not need to stay, my lord,” he protested feebly. “I shall be fine.”
“Yes, you shall,” agreed Daniel, “but I will stay until Sarah comes in.”
Ambrose did not argue further, exhaustion catching up with him once more. From his armchair beside the bed, Daniel watched him take each breath in and out. There were dark shadows under Ambrose’s eyes, and the usually soft skin of his lips was dry and cracked. And still, he was the most beautiful man he had ever seen. Daniel’s mouth curved in a sad smile. There was no doubting his affections now. He was well and truly in love with this man. How he was to conduct the rest of his life, knowing he loved Ambrose but was not loved back, he could not fathom yet, and he was too weary to ponder the matter. He yawned sleepily. Time would tell.
Shortly after, Sarah came in, looking fresh and rested. She took one look at his tired, dishevelled appearance and ordered him to go home. Daniel did not argue. He had learned by now that Ambrose’s sister could be quite fiery when she got the bit between her teeth. He needed to go home in any case, to wash and change. Furthermore, he knew that to stay on would begin to invite unwanted attention and the sort of gossip that Ambrose shied away from.
Daniel stood and threw one last glance at the man he loved. Ambrose was over the worst, he thought, although there was still a long road to recovery. He would go home now and return later in the day to look in on him. Giving what was probably a weak smile at Sarah, he took his leave.
Over the next three days, Daniel was a regular caller at Ivy Cottage. He did not stay longer than propriety required, merely long enough to check on the patient’s progress. On the third day, he was told in no uncertain terms by Ambrose that there was no longer any need for him to visit. “While I appreciate the kindness of your concern,” he stated, “I do not think, my lord, that my condition warrants any further imposition on your time. In fact, I believe I shall be well enough to return to my duties tomorrow.”
“You will do no such thing!” said Daniel sharply.
Ambrose relented. “Very well,” he said, his voice still hoarse. “I shall work from my home the rest of the week and return to my duties on Monday.”
“As you wish.” Daniel stood to go, adding, “I shall see you at church on Sunday, if you are well enough to go. There is luncheon too at Stanton Hall if you feel up to it.”
Ambrose inclined his head. “Thank you, my lord. I shall see you then.”
Daniel grimaced at the continued use of “my lord” to address him. It felt out of place, given he had spent a whole night with this man in this very bedchamber, tending to him like a babe. But he let it pass. He knew by now that it was Ambrose’s way of trying to keep the appropriate employer to employee distance between them—or, more likely, to keep his amorous advances at bay. If only Ambrose knew the truth. Daniel was not the hunter here, but the prey. For it was Ambrose that had pierced his heart, irrevocably marking him, not the other way around.