Always True to Her (Emerson Book 2) (17 page)

“It does to me. That’s my dressing gown.”

“Hush,” Ava said as she kissed her husband.

“She does look better,” said Colin, as he studied
Anna. “She’ll be in good hands as the two of you return to your bedchamber. She
will likely sleep the entire time, so you should, as well. That is, by the
way, an order, given by the fearsome Earl of Ridgeway, titular head of this
family and owner of that dressing gown.”

“I do not know how your wife can stand you,” said
James. “Ava, you are a saint.” But, knowing he was beaten, James kissed his
sleeping daughter’s forehead, then led Irene back to their bedchamber.

The next few days passed in much the same way as the
first. James and Irene spent most of their time by Anna’s side, even as the
girl began to make considerable progress. By the second day her breathing had
improved to the point where she did not need the steam and Letty had asked for
Anna to be returned to her bedchamber. But it was decided that it was better
to keep Anna in the kitchen so everyone could keep an eye on her.

Jasper was even growing more tolerant of the rest of
the family, though it was clear Anna and Letty were still his favorites.

On the morning of the seventh day, Maude brought in
a fresh pot of salve as everyone sat around the table for breakfast. The spots
which had first appeared were gone and the others were showing signs of drying
up. But Anna’s discomfort remained, helped only by the salve.

“How did you learn to make this, Maude?” asked
Irene, as she smoothed the creamy grey mixture on Anna’s few remaining spots.

“We had a good healer in our village who taught my
mother, who then taught me. Since I was the oldest and had so many brothers
and sisters, I was the one who looked after them when they were sick. One year
we had four people come down with the chicken pox all at once. If we hadn’t
had this salve, I don’t know what we would’ve done, especially when I came down
with it in the midst of it.” She laughed at the memory. “I can tell you I was
none too pleased with my brother who gave it to us all.”

“But knowing you as well as I do, I’m sure you
simply kissed him and nursed him back to health,” said Ava. “You are, dear
Maude, quite predictable when it comes to those you love. I had a fairly
miserable time of it. I was on a dig with my father in Egypt. He panicked
when I became ill, afraid I’d contracted an exotic disease. He was quite relieved
when it turned out to be naught but the chicken pox, though I was not quite as
happy about it as he was. I feared I would forever walk about with spots on my
face. But, fortunately, they went away soon enough.”

“Colin came home with them from school,” said Rose.
“It was the beginning of the summer holiday and unseasonably hot, which made
the itching dreadful. He gave them to James, Win and me. I don’t remember it
well, because I was quite young, but I’m told I had them worst of all.”

“You did, my poor girl,” said Colin. “Even poor
Grayson got them. His family lives in the castle on the hill,” he said for
Irene’s sake. “He and James were the same year in school. He used to
practically live here on holidays. James and I would go off on great
adventures with Grayson, and Rose was always tagging along.” He laughed at the
memory. “They didn’t get on well at all. I’m surprised they didn’t kill each
other at one time or another. We only saw him briefly at Christmas this year.
I hope he pays a longer visit soon. You won’t scare him off again, will you
Rose?”

“I shall do my best not to,” said Rose quietly.

Irene noticed Ava studying Rose, but wasn’t sure
why.

“Stemple, when did you have chicken pox?” asked
Rose.

“I managed to escape until I was thirteen. They say
it’s harder the older you get. I can attest to that. I had a miserable time
not scratching. My mother had to wrap my hands in cloth to stop me.
Fortunately, the very kind milkmaid down the lane helped me out.”

“I don’t like the sound of that!” said Maude as she
playfully swatted her husband. Irene had a feeling the two were very much in
love.

“You didn’t let me finish,” said Stemple, as he
kissed his wife on the cheek. “What I was going to say is she tore a strip
from a tree and I was able to use it to scratch myself.”

“You can tell me the real story later, Stemple,”
said Colin with a grin. “What about you, Irene?”

All eyes turned to her. She smiled nervously.
“Well, you see, I am not at all sure I had the chicken pox.”

“What?” said James. “But you…how could you have not
had them?”

“I do not remember having them as a girl and I never
did when I was older. I might have had them as a baby, but we were taught to
never speak of illness. I didn’t ask if I did and no one ever told me.”

James was incredulous. “But that means you might
not have. You might catch them from Anna. You should have told me!”

“To what end?”

“What do you mean, to what end? To protect
yourself! The disease is highly contagious and you’ve been with Anna every
minute. You’ve been bathing her. You’ve exposed yourself time and time again.”

“Do you really think I would refuse to help Anna
from fear of becoming sick myself? She’s just a little girl and has had a
terrible time of it. If I do get them, I can look after myself.”

For a moment, no one said anything. Just as the silence
was becoming unbearable, James broke it with his bellow.

“What do you think you’re about, woman! And if you
do get sick, you will not look after yourself. I will do that! And do a much
better job of it.”

“Papa,” said Anna, who’d been sleeping until her
father’s outburst. “Why are you shouting at Irene?”

“Your papa isn’t truly angry at me, poppet,” said
Irene. “He is simply playing a game where the immediate goal seems to be
imitating a braying ass.”

“I want to play!” said Anna.

“Perhaps when you are fully recovered.”

Letty then gingerly sat on the edge of the cot and
the two girls began whispering to each other, eager to catch up on what had
happened since before Anna’s nap.

James lowered his voice, but no one could mistake
his intensity. “You put yourself in harm’s way. You should have told me.”

“But you needed another pair of hands, especially
before we arrived at the dower house. I wanted to help her. I’ve grown quite
fond of her.”

“And she has grown quite fond of you, though why
anyone would like a bird-witted female who doesn’t know enough to protect
herself, I will never know. You need to leave the kitchen right now to protect
yourself. You should leave this house. The manor house is still unoccupied as
we await new tenants. Go there now.”

“But I have already been exposed. If I am to come
down with the disease nothing will prevent it.”

James turned to his brother. “Colin! Make her see
sense. Be an earl. Order her away from the kitchen.”

Colin ruefully shook his head at his brother, but
turned to Irene. “Miss Wallace, perhaps my bull-headed brother is correct. If
you have had not the chicken pox, there is a chance that you have not yet been
exposed. Perhaps you should absent yourself from the kitchen.”

“Thank you Colin,” said James with some sarcasm.
“But I believe Letty would have been more fearsome.”

“Thank you for your concern,” said Irene. “But I am
simply not leaving Anna.”

“I support Irene in her decision,” said Ava, as she
went to stand by Irene. She was then joined by Rose and Maude.

James rolled his eyes. “I cannot believe this.
What if she comes to harm?”

“None of us wants that, of course,” said Maude.
“But that’s a woman’s lot in life, is it not? We bear your children at some
risk to our lives, then love them and raise them and keep them safe. The last
thing a woman does is ask why. It’s just part of being a mother.”

Stemple walked across the kitchen to stand by his
wife.

“Good Lord,” said James. “You’ve even enlisted
Stemple in your cause.”

“I am going to take Anna to Letty’s room to give her
a change of scenery,” said Irene. “When I come back, I hope you are in a
reasonable mood. As reasonable as you ever are, of course.”

“I shall carry Anna to Letty’s room,” said James, in
a tone of voice that brooked no opposition.

“Do be a good chap and come to the library when you’re
finished,” said Colin. “There is something Ava and I would like to discuss
with you. And before you say you cannot leave your daughter, I am sure she
will be in quite capable hands with Irene, Rose and Letty.”

“Now you’re issuing commands, Colin? What about
when I needed you to?”

“I said ‘do be a good chap.’ It wasn’t a command as
much as a…all right, it was a command. We shall see you soon.”

James wasn’t happy but he did as his brother told
him.

*

A quarter of an hour later – and only then because
Rose had kicked him out of the room – James came downstairs to find Colin and
Ava waiting for him. They had chosen to occupy their time as they so often did
when they were alone: Ava was on Colin’s lap and they were kissing and
laughing softly.

James had grown accustomed to the sight in the past
several weeks, always marveling how his brother had not only found a love
match, but was almost impossibly happy because of it. Now he envied him.

He cleared his throat to get their attention.

Twice.

Finally, they looked up. Ava blushed and tried in
vain to get off her husband’s lap. In the end she was successful only because
he allowed her to do so.

“Thank you for coming,” said Colin.

“I had no choice.”

“True. Here’s another, shall we say, ‘suggestion.’
I hope you’ll apologize to Irene for your outburst. After all, she was only
trying to help Anna.”

“Would you be so sanguine if Ava were to risk her
health to aid someone else?”

From the look on Colin’s face it was obvious he
would not be. James had a feeling his brother was trying to figure out a way
to avoid telling a bald-faced lie.

Perhaps sensing her husband’s internal struggle, Ava
said, “I believe what Colin is trying to say is that Irene has a good heart.”

“And she isn’t hard on the eyes, either,” said
Colin.

James and Ava turned equally disapproving looks on
him.

Colin kissed his wife again. “I am only making an
observation that has no doubt been noted by both of you. My point is that we
were wondering about your intentions toward Miss Wallace.”

James stiffened. “Do you think they are not
honorable?”

“If I thought that,” said Colin quietly, “I never
would have allowed you to share a bedchamber with her, despite the best
matchmaking efforts of the females of this household. But it has become
evident, especially after the declarations of this morning that Irene cares very
deeply for Anna and you. The latter is, of course, quite inexplicable. Is
there an understanding between you?”

“There cannot be one. Even if there wasn’t this
whole affair with her brother – which there is – and even if she had feelings
for me – which is a rather large conjecture on your part – what do I have to
offer her? A lifetime of poverty and hard work in America? She is a
viscount’s daughter. How do you think she would like living in the wilderness,
working her fingers raw with nary a servant to help her?”

“I am not a nobleman’s daughter,” said Ava. “And we
have two of the hardest-working servants one could hope for, but I daresay I
would have happily adapted to any life with Colin.”

“But I’m a much more pleasant companion than my
brother,” said Colin.

“Hush!” said his wife. “You have a great deal to
offer the woman you love, James. And you do not have to return to America.
You would be more than welcome to stay here.”

“And depend on my brother’s charity? I do not mean
to throw such a kind offer in your face, Ava. But I have no profession, no
money, no prospects. I do not have the stomach for military work or the
temperament for the clergy. And while I admire Colin’s work as an author, I
know that, as of yet, it is not very high-paying. You do not need more mouths
to feed.”

His brother, who was so rarely in earnest, became
quite serious. “You are wrong. I would give anything to have you and Anna
remain here. In fact, not only would we gladly have two more mouths to feed, I
believe we could even take on a third. Perhaps, a female who is quite fond of
Anna and has not the sense to look for a less troublesome husband. And in case
you have not noticed, we actually have a farm here on the estate.”

“You’re suggesting I be your steward?” James was
not insulted by the offer. Only surprised.

“No. I am suggesting that you claim your
birthright.”

“This is your estate.”

“By some accident of birth, the responsibility is
mine, though I do not have the faintest idea how to go about running it. You
would see to the operations of it and we would split the proceeds. If you’re
successful enough, perhaps we might even be able to give the girls a Season.
We would be partners, James, just as we were when facing father side-by-side.
But now we only have to contend with the possibility of debtors’ prison and
starvation, and not our father’s wrath. All in all, a much better prospect.
What say you?”

James was tempted. More than he would have thought
possible. But he’d worked so hard in America. Risked so much. “I fear we
shall not agree on this tonight.”

“We may not come to an agreement tonight, but on one
point let me be clear. You will always – always – have a home with us. And we
will always want you to be here.”