Always True to Her (Emerson Book 2) (15 page)

“I said naught but the truth, but I am terribly
worried about Anna and James. If anything happens to her…”

“I know,” said Colin as he pulled his wife to him
and kissed her. He held on to her for a moment, thankful that she was there
for him. “I must say I was surprised to meet Miss Wallace.”

“She has already been a tremendous help to Anna and,
by extension, to James,” said Ava.

“I did not say otherwise. But it’s not often that
one forms a partnership with the sister of one’s enemy.”

“Not to mention falls in love with.”

Colin pulled back to look at her. “Where do you get
that idea?”

“Did you not see them together? They were all but
finishing each other’s sentences. Miss Wallace is as worried about Anna as she
would be about her own daughter.”

“James is not the marrying type.”

Ava pulled her husband back to her. “Neither were
you.”

“I only became the marrying type after you cast a
spell on me.”

“You mean after I landed you like a fish.”

“That would imply I am slimy and smell bad. No, I
prefer my analogy to yours. You were the sorceress and I naught but a poor
young man duped by your spell.”

“Now you are implying you’re a young man.”

She was rewarded with a light swat to the backside.

He continued. “I will concede that Miss Wallace has
a good temperament and is well-favored….”

“I said nothing of her looks, my lord.”

“Necessitating that I should do so. She is amiable
and attractive, but I cannot imagine James marrying her. Or anyone, at least
for the nonce. You ladies are always seeing romance where none exists. Next
you’ll imagine Rose to be in love, though there’s not a suitable marital
candidate in three counties.”

Ava was conspicuously silent. And if Colin had seen
her face, he’d wonder just why she smiled at the thought of Rosemary being in
love.

Irene and Rosemary bathed Anna in cold water to cool
her down, while her father paced. Letty cautiously approached the cot,
carrying a blanket.

“Letty, thank you for bringing the blanket,” said
Rosemary. “I know Anna will appreciate it. May I introduce you to Miss
Wallace? She’s a friend of Anna and James. Miss Wallace, this is our sister
Leticia, known as Letty.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, my lady.”

“And for me, as well, Miss Wallace,” said Letty with
a proper curtsy. “It looks like she’s sleeping.”

“She is right now,” said Rose. “But your blanket
will be a nice surprise for her when she wakes up. Would you like to place it
next to her?”

Letty hesitated for a moment, but then placed it next
to Anna. Then she ran to James and hugged him. Jasper, the Emersons’
ill-tempered cat, hopped up on the cot, studying Anna.

“Jasper, no!” said Rose, as she tried to shoo him
away. “He can be most temperamental,” she explained to Irene.

Jasper ignored Rose, then carefully made his way to
the end of the cot, where he curled next to Anna’s feet and began purring.

“He does not look so very fearsome,” said Irene.

“Well, he likes Letty and Anna,” said Rose, “but
doesn’t care for the rest of us. However, it looks like he’s behaving, at
least for now.”

“He loves Anna,” said Letty quietly, from James’s
side. “We all do.”

Irene had to blink to keep tears from falling. She
felt the warmth in this family. She hoped Anna would live so she could grow up
in the bosom of it. It was a pity James wanted to return to America, for they
would both miss out on a great deal.

“Miss Wallace,” said Rose. “I am sure you must be
tired. If you would like to get some rest, I will be happy to continue bathing
Anna.”

“Thank you, but I do not think I could.” She looked
over to see that James was busy with Letty. “I am worried about your brother.
He hardly slept at all last night.”

Rose’s eyes widened and she smiled. “Oh? How do you
know this?”

Irene wanted to kick herself. “Oh dear,” she said, blushing.

Rose laughed. “I am so sorry, Miss Wallace, I could
not resist. You were saying?”

Irene could not help liking Lady Rose. Indeed,
James’s entire family was quite welcoming. “We had taken a room for Anna, but
there was none for me. So James – Lord James – insisted that I get some rest
while he cared for Anna. I was on one side of the bed and he was on the
other. Anna was there the entire time, of course.”

“Of course,” said Rose.

“Of course, what?” asked Ava, as she approached
them.

“Miss Wallace was just telling me of the night she
spent with James,” said Rose.

“I miss all the good stories,” said Ava.

“But we didn’t spend the night!” said Irene,
blushing furiously. “That is to say, we were in the same chamber but…”

James joined them again, with his arm around Letty’s
shoulders. “What did I miss?”

“Nothing,” said Ava. “We were just teasing your
Miss Wallace mercilessly.”

“Miss Wallace has already proven herself to be an excellent
addition to the household,” said Colin, as he joined his bewildered brother.
“Now, how are we going to divide our time caring for Anna? And before you say
you don’t plan to move from her side, James, I must remind you that while your
love is unending, you are still mortal. It would do her no good if you fell
asleep while you are supposed to be tending to her. And you will fall asleep
at some point, no matter how determined you are not to.”

“Excuse me, milord,” said Mrs. Stemple, as she
approached the cot, carrying a pot of grey salve. “We should put these on her
current spots, then cover new ones as they appear. It will help with the
itching.”

“Thank you, Maude,” said James, as Maude began to
gently apply the salve.

Irene and Rose helped her and Anna’s restless sleep
appeared to improve almost immediately.

“Rose and Letty, would you like to take the first
two-hour shift?” Colin asked.

“I want to stay up all night,” said Letty.

“I’m sure you do, poppet,” said Colin. “But we may
be doing this for several days. You’ll need your sleep. Who would like to
watch Anna after that?”

“Maude and I would like a shift, milord,” said
Stemple as he placed wood near the fire.

“Thank you,” said Colin. “Then if you would not
mind, perhaps you and your good wife can take the shift after Rose and Letty.
Ava and I would go next, leaving the last shift to James and Miss Wallace.
That should give them some time to rest between now and then. And before you
remind me you don’t need sleep, James, I would ask you to remember that Miss
Wallace almost certainly does.”

“I do not deny that. In fact, I have been telling
her that very thing to no avail. But she simply will not listen.”

Colin sighed melodramatically. “Alas, I have found during
these brief weeks of marriage that while women come equipped with ears, sound
does not always penetrate them.”

“And I have found,” said his wife, “that while men are
capable of speech, it is often nonsensical.”

Colin kissed his wife on the lips. Irene was embarrassed
by – and envious of – the intimacy, but everyone else just grinned at the
couple.

When the earl finished kissing his wife for the time
being, he turned back to James. “Anna is in good hands, James. If anyone
falls down in their duties, I am quite certain Jasper will punish them for it.
I have never heard that cat purr before. Perhaps it is an imposter come to
fool us,” he said, as he moved to pet him.

Jasper’s response was a yowl, accompanied by a paw
swipe. Then he turned his back on Colin and carefully nestled against Anna
again as he resumed purring.

“No, same old Jasper. What say you, James? Will
you agree to my well-formulated plan?”

James grunted his assent. He kissed Anna’s
forehead, then wiped hair from her brow. After a moment’s hesitation, he nodded
to the others and took Irene’s hand. “Come with me,” he said to her, as he led
her into the servants’ hall.

They paused at a small suite just off the kitchen.
“This is usually the cook’s room, though now that Maude and Stemple are
married, they share his quarters. But I can see this is where Stemple retrieved
the cot for Anna.”

They went to the next suite, this one a bit larger.
“This is the housekeeper’s suite, vacant since the position is not filled.” It
was a two-room suite, a bit larger than the cook’s quarters. The outer chamber
had a small settee, along with a table and chairs. The back room was equipped
with a small wardrobe and dresser, as well as a bed that could sleep two.

Irene tried not to stare at the bed.

“This is where I will stay,” said James. “I’ll be
close enough to hear Anna if she needs me.”

“And where shall I be?” asked Irene.

“We have a few empty bedchambers upstairs. You may
have your choice of them. I’m sure Ava will help you get settled.”

“I am not staying all the way upstairs. I would
also like to be able to hear Anna if she calls out in the night.”

“There is no need for that,” said James. “I am
here.”

“And I would like to be down here, as well. I
realize I am not a relative, nor anyone of importance to her…”

“You are very important to her,” said James. “From
the very beginning, she has taken a liking to you. And you have been an
enormous help to me since she fell ill.”

“Thank you. But I want to do what I can for Anna.”
She raised her chin. “I will not sleep upstairs. Do not ask me to. I will
sleep in the cook’s room, with or without a bed.”

Perhaps realizing she would not be dissuaded, James
led her back to the kitchen. “Ava, I will sleep in the housekeeper’s suite and
Miss Wallace has decided she would like to stay in Maude’s former room to be
closer to Anna. But it is in need of a cot. Do you know where I can find
one?”

Stemple began moving to fulfill that very request
when Ava stopped him. “I am afraid that will be quite impossible,” she said.
“We have no other cots.”

Stemple looked confused. “I believe there may be
some in the servants’ quarters in the attic.”

“Unfortunately, those are in terrible shape. Quite
lumpy,” said Ava. “We cannot ask Miss Wallace to bed down on them.”

“Then I will sleep on one of the lumpy cots,” said
James, “and Miss Wallace can have the bed in the housekeeper’s suite.”

“No, James,” said Ava. “I cannot have you waking
with a stiff back with everything there is to do for Anna. I am afraid the two
of you will simply have to share the housekeeper’s suite.”

James narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “What about
one of the guest chambers in the family wing?”

“Unfortunately,” said Rose, “they are all in use.”

“How is that possible?” asked James. “Have you
taken in lodgers during my absence?”

“Not as of yet,” said Rose. “But I am currently
working on altering several gowns and have strewn material and supplies throughout
all the unused chambers. It would be terribly inconvenient to have to move
them.”

“So, if I went through those bedchambers I would
find evidence of this?” asked James. “Maude, please stay where you are. I
would hate to have you go to all the trouble of scattering gowns for the sake
of my sister’s lie.” His tone was rather resigned, despite the accusation.

Maude, who’d been about to slip out, rather guiltily
went back to the stove.

“That’s a fine thing,” said Rose. “Accusing me of
lying. Miss Wallace, I must apologize for my brother’s terrible manners,
though I imagine you are already aware of them.”

“Lord James and I have a rather keen understanding
of each other by now, my lady.”

“You must call me Rose.”

“And you must call me Ava,” added the countess. “I
do apologize for the accommodations being what they are, but since you and
James already shared a bedchamber – for Anna’s sake, of course – it would be
most helpful to us if you were to continue doing so.”

James had a rather bemused look on his face.
“Colin, are you going to do anything to rein in your wife and our sister?”

The earl must have seen the expectant looks on his
wife and sister’s faces, for he shrugged and said, “I am at the mercy of the
ladies in this arena.”

“Anna and I share a room,” said Letty. “Not now, of
course. But as soon as she’s better, we’re going to again, aren’t we, James?”

“Yes, love,” said James. “I daresay I could not
keep you two apart.”

“My lords, my ladies, would you like to eat now or
later?” asked Mrs. Stemple.

“I believe now would be a good time,” said Ava.
“That way James and Irene can eat before they rest.”

Mr. Stemple carried the serving dishes to the oak
kitchen table and Irene was astounded to see the earl set out plates.

“Our household is not what you might expect,” said
Colin. “Mr. and Mrs. Stemple are sorely overworked and sadly underpaid as it
is. The rest of us help out whenever possible. I do hope you’ll excuse our
informality, but it is how we live.”

“I am grateful to be a guest, my lord.”

“My name is Colin.”

“Thank you, Colin.” She heard James grunt. “And I
am Irene. Thank you for giving me such a warm welcome at this trying time.”

“Thank you for looking after Anna so well,” said
Ava. “And James.”

“Believe me, Ava, they have given me just as much as
I have given them.”

The meal was simple but delicious. The conversation
was pleasant, but subdued. Everyone was worried about Anna, though they tried
to keep the conversation light for James’s sake.

After dinner, Irene helped Ava wash dishes. It was
the first time she’d ever engaged in such an activity, but she wanted to be of
use.

“You are our guest, Irene,” said Ava. “I do wish
you’d go rest instead of helping me.”

“I cannot allow everyone to work except for me. And
I admire the way you all band together.”

“It started as a necessity,” said Ava. “Though I
daresay we are quite used to it by now. I find that keeping my hands busy
helps occupy my mind as well.”

“I agree with your theory,” said Irene as she found
a towel, then began drying. It was an awkward process at first, but she soon
became better at it. “Unfortunately, I do not often get the chance to be of
use. My grandmother does not approve of most charitable causes.”

“Yet she allowed you to travel with James and Anna
to Portsmouth?”

Irene wished the countess was not quite so
perceptive. “Well, she does not exactly know about it.”

“I see,” said Ava slowly. “I do not mean to pry.
Well, actually I do, but does your father know?”