“No, I don’t, but obviously I can’t leave. I’ll need to stay and help nurse the sick, even if I can’t cure anyone.”
“Folks will feel better just knowing you’re here, Miss Anna,” the housekeeper said. “But I wouldn’t want you getting sick too.”
“I’ve already been exposed, assuming that this is the same illness that little Mark suffered.” She turned to Phillip. “I’ll stay if I may, but I’ll need someone to take word to Aunt Cora. Otherwise she would worry about why I didn’t come home once the weather moderated.”
“That’s not a problem. I’ll send a message along with the load of firewood.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Rachel asked. Phillip realized his sister hadn’t even had a chance to freshen up since she’d arrived, but she didn’t appear to be concerned about herself. He knew she’d be more than happy to help nurse the sick if given a chance. She’d always been a giving person, so he was glad that Miss Marshall didn’t automatically refuse her offer.
“Perhaps later, when I have a better idea of what’s going on. Besides, you’re probably tired from your journey.”
“Somewhat,” Rachel admitted. “I’ll freshen up and rest a few minutes, but please feel free to send for me if you think I can help.”
“I will,” Miss Marshall said. She had already turned to follow Mrs. Ballard.
“What about a doctor?” Phillip interjected. “Is there one in the neighborhood?”
Mrs. Ballard shook her head. “Miss Cora is as close to a doctor as we’ve ever had. And now we have Miss Anna, of course.”
“Don’t worry, my lord.” Miss Marshall squared her shoulders. “If this illness is the same that sickened little Mark, then we have nothing to worry about because he was ill for less than twenty-four hours.”
“And if it’s something more serious?”
“Then we’ll deal with whatever is facing us,” Miss Marshall responded before turning and following Mrs. Ballard toward the back of the house.
After a quick kiss for Rachel, Phillip excused himself to go make arrangements for the delivery of wood to Miss Cora, along with tidings about her niece. Upon investigation, he was pleased to discover that there was more than enough firewood to enable him to share with Miss Cora and also to keep fires burning around the clock as needed for the invalids at Ashworth.
He also asked Cook to prepare a container of stew for Miss Cora and to send along a freshly baked loaf of bread.
As an afterthought, he instructed the gardener who was to deliver the wood to also inquire about Miss Cora’s health and to issue an invitation for her to visit Ashworth. He knew she had a couple of servants living with her, but if for any reason the lady wished to be brought to Ashworth, he wanted her to feel free to come.
And then he went in search of Mrs. Ballard and Miss Marshall to see if he could be of any assistance with the servants who were ill.
Chapter 5
As Anna followed Mrs. Ballard out of the library and into the unheated hallway, she welcomed the chilly air, hoping it would cool her warm cheeks. She had much to be embarrassed about. First there had been that kiss and, if what she’d heard about first kisses was true, she should have been either mortified or horrified or both. Instead, she’d enjoyed the sensations the earl’s kiss had elicited. In fact, she’d even kissed him back, and the remembrance of that event caused her heart to begin beating faster yet again.
Next on her list of embarrassing moments was the entrance of the earl’s sister while the kiss was in progress. Rachel had immediately averted her gaze and then tried to pretend she hadn’t seen anything untoward, but Anna had noted her widened eyes and the spots of color that bloomed high on her cheeks.
And finally but certainly not of least importance was her failure to give sufficient attention to little Mark’s sickness. Perhaps if she had quarantined him, the others would not have fallen ill. Instead, she’d told Mrs. Ballard that he could go back to work as soon as he felt better.
Unfortunately, recriminations wouldn’t change the past, and it was now up to her to try to keep the sick from getting sicker or from spreading the illness. She took three quick skips to bring her in step with the housekeeper. “We’ll need to set aside a couple of rooms for our patients, Mrs. Ballard, one for the women and another for the men.”
“Yes, Miss Anna. I assumed that would be your wish, so I’ve already started Betsy transforming two storage rooms near the kitchen into sickrooms. I hope you’ll approve of my taking it upon myself to go ahead without consulting you, but we’ve too few servants to let the sick ones be spread out all over the house and stables in their usual sleeping quarters. Keeping them near the kitchen will ease the burden on the rest of us.”
“Excellent thinking, Mrs. Ballard,” Anna said with a warm smile.
“Oh, I can’t take credit for the idea, Miss Anna. Your aunt had us do that one summer many years ago when fever swept the neighborhood. That was a bad time with practically everybody being sick at once, but Miss Cora made sure everyone was taken care of.”
“I’m certain she did,” Anna said. “We’re all indebted to Aunt Cora, especially me. I know sometimes I’ve been a burden to her.”
“She has never considered you a burden, Miss Anna. Just the opposite, if you ask me.”
At that moment, Betsy hurried out of the kitchen to meet them, an expression of near panic on her round face. “Thank goodness you’re both here. Another groom has come down sick, and I’ve set up an extra cot in the men’s sickroom, but with everybody throwing up their boot heels, I can’t keep up with what needs doing.”
“Don’t you worry, dear,” Anna said in her most soothing tones. “I’m here and Mrs. Ballard will help also.”
Another voice sounded from down the hallway. “I’ll help too.”
It took Anna a minute to realize that it was the earl who had spoken. She turned to see him hurrying toward them. In her experience, men rarely held up long when trying to help the ill, especially when their patients were nauseated. That particular ailment tended to send most men running for a chamber pot themselves.
But she could hardly refuse to let Ashington try to help, not when they were in his house and it was his servants involved. So she waited until he’d caught up to them and nodded her acceptance of his offer. “Mrs. Ballard has almost everything under control already. I’m sure she can tell you where you’re needed.”
Mrs. Ballard’s eyes widened and she glanced toward Anna for direction. Anna silently sighed as she read the panic in the housekeeper’s eyes. Obviously, Mrs. Ballard did not want to be the one directing the earl’s efforts, so Anna quickly changed her tactics. “Or if you prefer, you can come with me to visit each sickroom and help determine what our first priorities should be.”
“Setting priorities sounds like the most reasonable idea to me.” The earl shot her a warmly encouraging smile that set her heart to fluttering again. She reminded herself that this was the Earl of Ashington and that she had no business feeling any sort of reaction to his presence. He was from a world she had renounced and she intended to keep it that way.
She pursed her lips to keep from returning his smile. “Very well. Let’s check out the men’s sickroom first. Betsy, will you show us which room has been designated for the gentlemen?”
As Anna had expected, the sounds of retching and the stench of vomit greeted them when she opened the door to the room in which Betsy had installed the sick grooms and the potboy. She watched Ashington from the corner of her eye and, although she noted an initial flinch touch his face, he quickly forced a smile and stepped into the room.
The footman who had served their breakfast now lay on a cot. A bucket stood on the floor beside him and at least three blankets were layered on top of him. He turned his head to see who had entered the room and his eyes widened when he saw Ashington. “M-M-My Lord,” he stammered. He threw back his covers and started trying to sit up.
“Lie still, James,” Ashington commanded as he hurried to
ward the footman’s side. “You need to rest and take care of yourself.”
The footman fell back on his pillow, obviously in a weakened condition.
Ashington asked James if he needed anything to make him more comfortable and, upon hearing the footman’s negative reply, he moved to another cot and stopped to speak with the potboy, who was so awestruck he could barely nod his head to indicate he had enough blankets to stay warm.
Within a few seconds, Anna had decided that Ashington could handle himself in the sickroom so she began checking the patients for fever. She could detect none, which was quite encouraging. There was a good chance that a simple stomach upset was being spread from servant to servant. If this was the case, while almost everyone might come down with the ailment, no one was likely to suffer for very long.
She was soon ready to visit the second sickroom but suggested to the earl that he might prefer letting her go in alone to check on the maids lest they feel some embarrassment at his presence. His quick sigh of relief almost brought a smile to her face but she suppressed it. After all, she would have welcomed a reprieve from facing another sickroom herself.
Fortunately, the two maids appeared to have passed the nausea stage of the illness and were growing drowsy, so Anna could in good conscience give each a word of encouragement, assuring them that she would be nearby should they need her. She eased out of the room quickly so they could drift off into sleep.
The earl awaited her in the kitchen, along with Gunther and Mrs. Ballard. All stared at Anna as she stepped into the room. “How are they?” the earl asked. His brow cleared when Anna assured him everyone should soon be feeling better. “But we must be prepared for others to suffer the same ailment,” she said, feeling it was only fair to warn him. After all, he might well succumb himself now that he’d been inside one of the sickrooms.
His frown returned. “Is there anything we can do to prevent the sickness from spreading?”
Anna shook her head. “Probably not, although it’s hard to know for sure. Some people seem more susceptible to illnesses than others. We don’t understand why.”
A knock on the back door interrupted their conversation and, to Anna’s surprise, Lord Ashington motioned to his servants to stand back while he answered the door. Standing outside, bundled up against the cold, was the gardener who had taken the load of wood to Anna’s aunt.
The earl pulled the door wide and motioned for the man to step inside. Anna hurried across the room to join him, hoping to ascertain that all was well at her home. She waited only until the door was closed to address the gardener. “You made good time, Arthur. Did you unload the wood and check on my aunt?”
The gardener jerked his hat off, then nodded. “Mr. Miller helped me unload the wood, Miss Anna, and Mrs. Miller said how relieved she was to know you were safe. She said Miss Cora was resting but that she was well.”
“Excellent.” Relief lifted Anna’s lips into a smile. “Thank you, Arthur. I appreciate your assistance. Perhaps, if everyone here is well tomorrow, you can take me home.”
Arthur twisted his hat in his hands. “I’d be pleased to do so, Miss Anna, if we’re able. But the snow has started up again, heavy, and we may not be able to get through tomorrow.”
“What?” The earl stepped around the gardener and jerked the door open again. Anna joined him.
Sure enough, huge flakes drifted through the air, flakes that reminded Anna of the ones she had seen right after the beautiful stranger appeared telling her there was a man near the gatehouse in need of help.
Anna had almost forgotten that conversation in all the excitement since but now she grew curious again. “Excuse me, my lord,” she said, turning toward the earl. She wanted to know who had sent him in search of a female that evening.
“Yes?”
“I was wondering—”
“Miss Anna!” Gunther’s tone held a note of panic and Anna turned in time to see him step forward to support Mrs. Ballard, who had pressed her right hand over her mouth. Anna knew there was no time to spare. She rushed to Mrs. Ballard’s side, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hurried her into the women’s sickroom.
Anna grabbed a basin and held it for Mrs. Ballard until the nausea had run its course and then she insisted the housekeeper lie down on one of the cots. Both maids were still sleeping, so Anna covered Mrs. Ballard with blankets and then tossed another log on the fire.
When she was able to return to the kitchen once again, she found the earl pacing about the room, his lips set in a straight line. Cook tossed Anna a look that appeared to say, “Get this man out of my kitchen so I can get back to work.”
Although she was tired, Anna forced a smile that she hoped appeared optimistic. “Thank you for waiting, my lord. You will be pleased to know that Mrs. Ballard is resting comfortably.”
He signed, then dropped into a chair at the table. “Thank God.” He immediately got to his feet again. “You must be exhausted, Miss Marshall. Allow me to escort you to your chamber.”
But Anna shook her head. “You forget that I rested a good long time earlier today. I really should check on the men.”
“That won’t be necessary. I’ve already done that. James is feeling much better, but the grooms are still sleeping, as is Tommy, the potboy. James tried to insist that he could undertake his duties this evening, but I was equally insistent upon his resting until tomorrow. I’ve instructed Cook to come up with a very simple meal for this evening and we can all serve ourselves from the sideboard.”
“Well done, my lord,” Anna said, her smile broadening. “I appreciate your help.”
“You’re most welcome, Miss Marshall. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to see if the path from the kitchen to the stable needs to be shoveled again.”
“Is it still snowing?” Anna asked.
“I’m afraid so.” He turned as Gunther hurried into the room carrying boots and a greatcoat, along with a hat and gloves.
“Ah,” Anna said. She watched the earl dress for the cold, all the while racking her brain. Right before Mrs. Ballard had gotten sick, the snow had reminded Anna of something she’d wanted to ask the earl but now she couldn’t seem to recall what that question was. Besides, he soon finished dressing in his outerwear and stepped out the back door. A gust of wind sent a miniature blizzard swirling into the kitchen and Cook rushed to help Gunther close the door.
Anna frowned to herself. She knew she shouldn’t worry about the earl. He was a grown man who could easily handle the chore he’d set for himself. But she wanted him to be careful because she would really love to repeat the experience of kissing him. Seemingly, that one kiss had whetted her appetite for more.
Anna suppressed a gasp. Goodness! Where had that thought come from? She wasn’t in the habit of thinking about kisses. A blush heated her face and she quickly glanced around to see if anyone was looking at her. Fortunately, both Cook and Gunther were occupied with clearing away the snow that had blown into the room so she was able to slip out the door into the hallway without being seen.
Phillip had kept busy in the stables for the better part of an hour. Although Remus, the remaining healthy groom, couldn’t do everything by himself, he had appeared scandalized to think that Phillip would stoop to helping him shovel out the stalls. Nevertheless, Phillip had been determined to lend a hand.
When he’d done all he could in the stables, he’d made his way back through the still-swirling snow to the kitchen, only to discover that Cook had become the most recent casualty of the illness sweeping through the house. Miss Marshall was attempting to finish preparing the dishes Cook had started before she fell ill. Gunther was overseeing the men’s sickroom and Betsy was doing the same in the women’s.
After divesting himself of his outerwear, Phillip hurried to Miss Marshall’s side. Or Miss Anna, as he was coming to think of her. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
She turned to him with a smile of gratitude that warmed him from the inside out and made him feel as though he wou
ld gladly confront dragons for her. Still smiling, she passed him the spoon she was using to stir a pot on the stove. “Yes, thank you. If you’ll continue to stir this for a minute, I’ll check the bread.”
Phillip watched her hurry over to the large oven built into the fireplace wall and peer inside. Then she started dragging loaves out and setting them on a nearby table to cool. She glanced his way, saw him watching her and ducked her head but not before he’d seen her cheeks grow rosy. Perhaps her heightened complexion resulted from the heat emanating from the ovens but he preferred to believe it was because she’d recognized his obvious interest in her.
Turning back to his task, Phillip couldn’t help but reflect that the day thus far had been an unusual one. Here he was, pulling a long-handled spoon around and around in a grayish mixture that appeared to be gruel. His eyes widened with the realization that this pot might contain his supper. He certainly hoped that was not the case, but if gruel was all Anna had to feed him, he’d eat it.
He could add stirring gruel to his other interesting experiences today, which included shoveling manure and kissing a woman who kissed him back with enough passion to make him long to repeat the experience over and over again. What would have happened if Rachel hadn’t made an appearance?
It was a good thing she had, of course. He never should have kissed Miss Anna in the first place. He certainly had not intended to do so. But suddenly he had found himself enthralled with the shape of her lips. The uniqueness of their color had also garnered his attention and made him want to take a closer look.
So he’d leaned toward her and she’d leaned toward him and suddenly their lips had been touching. He’d felt the sensation like a bolt of lightning running from his lips through his body and out the soles of his feet. He’d wanted her then, for that moment and forever.
Which was a peculiar reaction, he reminded himself. He barely knew Anna Marshall, who was far from being the most enticing woman he’d ever seen.
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