‘Aye, aye, Captain,’ Robert said, and sneezed again. ‘Get out of here before I infect you.’
Henry went. His expression was thoughtful as he sought his own room. Coming here might be the best thing that had happened to them both—or the worst.
‘Miss Searles …’ Henry Norton looked at her apologetically as he entered the breakfast parlour the next morning. ‘Forgive me. I promised to escort you and your sisters into Long Melford this morning, but I fear I must cry off.’
‘Oh …’ Selina’s heart caught as she looked at his face. ‘Is something the matter, Henry?’
‘I fear Robert took a chill last night,’ he said. ‘I waited up for him and he was frozen to the bone. As you must have seen this morning, the ground was hard with frost, even though there was no actual snow.’
‘A chill?’ Selina clasped her hands at her sides because she feared they might tremble and betray her. ‘Is he very ill?’
‘He is sneezing and he has a cough. I have forbidden him to get up, and I made him drink a hot toddy last night, but I think he is feeling rather unwell.’
‘Yes, I should imagine he might.’ Selina hesitated. ‘I could make him a tisane to ease him before we go?’
‘If your cook or your maid would do that, it would surely suffice,’ Henry said. ‘I see no reason why you should put off your day of pleasure, Miss Searles.’
‘If I am to call you Henry, you must call me Selina,’ she said. ‘I know Millie is looking forward to the trip, and I wish to buy her birthday gift, so I think we shall go. I am sure Moorcroft will do well enough in your hands. You have nursed him through worse, perhaps?’
‘Actually, it was the other way around,’ Henry said, and smiled oddly. ‘I almost died on the field of battle, Miss Selina—and should have done so afterwards had it not been for Robert’s devotion. He pulled me through by sheer force of will and because he would not leave my side. Juanita nursed me some of the time, but it was Robert’s determination that I should not die that made me cling to life when it seemed there was no point.’ His smile disappeared. ‘It was later that Robert … when she died in terrible pain and he held her to the last …’
‘Juanita? What happened to her? Is that why he looks so tortured at times?’
Was she the woman Robert Moorcroft had loved? The thought stabbed Selina to the heart.
‘He cannot forget her. He feels responsible for her death. She was very beautiful, and a creature of fire and passion.’ He shook his head. ‘We are a sorry pair, Selina—but there is a bond between us. I should hate to lose him to a chill.’
‘Yes, I am sure you would. I will ask my maid to make a tisane. She made them for all of us when we were ill—but if he is no better soon, you should send for the doctor.’
‘He refuses to have one—calls them quacks. They killed as many as they saved out there, you see. So many of our comrades died of fever and gangrene. Most prayed they would die on the field rather than suffer the ministrations of the butchers—as we called the surgeons.’
‘Please watch over him, and if need be, ignore his wishes for once,’ Selina said. ‘I shall speak to my maid—and I will speak to you again when we return.’
Selina did her best to put her concerns for the earl out of her mind as they set out for town a short time later. It was such a treat for her sisters to visit the shops, and she had put by some guineas for the occasion, giving them both a share to spend as they pleased, while keeping the larger part to purchase the things they needed for Christmas.
The shops in Long Melford were more than adequate for their needs, and by the time they had partaken of light refreshments at the Bull Inn, which was said to be haunted, they had already completed most of their shopping and were laden with parcels. Betty and their groom then took charge of their parcels to allow them to complete their shopping, and it was past three in the afternoon when they started back for Moorcroft Hall. The light was fading. By the time they arrived, it was dark.
Lights had been lit in several of the front windows and the lanterns outside the porch were blazing. A trap drawn by one restless horse stood outside the house, and was being walked up and down by a groom Selina had not previously seen.
She went up to him, her heart racing as the pleasure of the day was forgotten in her anxiety. ‘Has the doctor been sent for?’ she asked.
‘Yes, ma’am,’ the groom replied. ‘I’m the doctor’s man—he’s with the earl now.’
Even as he spoke, the door opened and she saw Trent standing there in the porch. The doctor was taking his leave as Millie and Amy gathered their parcels and walked towards the butler.
‘Is something wrong?’ Amy asked. ‘Is the earl worse?’
‘He is sick with a fever, miss,’ the doctor replied. ‘I have given him some of a mixture that may help but he was very hot. I fear the worst—this is a family prone to succumbing to such illnesses. I should have been called earlier.’
‘Is it true, Trent?’ Selina asked, following her sisters in, her arms filled with parcels. ‘Is the earl very ill?’
‘He is in a fever, miss.’ The butler could not hide his anxiety. ‘Two of his cousins were took this way … I never thought it could happen again.’
Selina caught her breath. ‘No, it must not be allowed to happen. Moorcroft is a strong man. He cannot be allowed to die of a fever.’
She hurried inside and dumped her parcels on a nearby sofa, then walked down the hall, through the library and into the earl’s wing. She was uncertain of where the earl’s bedchamber was situated, but as she started to climb the stairs, she saw Henry leave one of the rooms. He walked towards her, carrying a tray on which was a bowl of soup, cold and congealed, and a glass containing what had probably been a hot toddy.
‘Miss Selina,’ he said, sounding grateful to see her. ‘I am glad you’re home. He’s burning up and he won’t be sensible. He refuses everything I try to give him and says he wants to be left alone.’
‘I remember Papa was the same when he was very ill of a fever once,’ Selina said. ‘Has he had any of the mixture the doctor left?’
‘A few drops, but he spat most of it out. He hardly seems to know me … I think he is out of his mind with this fever. I’ve never known him this bad.’
‘He was so foolish last night,’ Selina said. ‘Let me see him, please, Henry. I nursed my mother for many months, through fevers and chills and other sickness. I have some little skill, and I shall be pleased to do what I can for him. I refuse to allow him to die just because his cousins had weak constitutions.’
‘Robert has borne so much. I fear he has given up and wants to die.’
‘Well, he shall not do so,’ Selina declared, setting her mouth in a hard line. ‘My sisters have seen enough sorrow these past months and years. I refuse to let Moorcroft spoil their Christmas. He is going to get better if I have to—’ She laughed as she saw the surprise in Henry’s face. ‘Well, I do not know what I shall do, but I am determined that he is not going to die.’
‘Thank you …’ Henry looked overcome. ‘I must confess that with all the gloomy faces from the staff and the doctor, I had almost lost hope.’
‘Well, I shall not,’ Selina said. ‘You care for him, and I will not have him ruin Christmas. Together we shall pull him through this fever. Now, take me to him so I can see for myself how ill he is.’
‘Are you sure it is quite proper, Miss Selina?’
‘I do not give a penny piece whether it is proper or not,’ Selina replied, with such fervour that Henry laughed.
‘Good for you,’ he said. ‘I feel much better already.’