“Very true, Meredith. I still have to speak to the kitchen staff again. But perhaps once I am done, I shall join you both.”
Anthony rose from his place on the edge of the bed. Just as he was turning to leave, he decided to first pat Lady Cecilia on the head before making his exit.
Apparently Lady Cecilia found this simple gesture so disorienting that it halted her tears. Meredith couldn’t help but chuckle at the little girl’s stunned expression.
“I take it he has never done that before, Lady Cecilia?”
The girl shook her head quite fervently.
“Never, Miss Meyer. I’m not entirely sure what to say or think.”
Mrs. Oakley smiled. “As you grow older, Lady Cecilia, I think you will find that can be said about many events in life.”
* * *
“Meredith, please may we come in now?”
Meredith mustered all of her remaining strength to shake her head and silently indicate to Philippa that Anthony was not to cross the threshold of her bedroom door, no matter what. She would hate for him to see her in this state.
Philippa placed a wet towel on her forehead before partially opening the door.
“I am sorry, Your Grace, Lady Cecilia,” Meredith heard her say, “Miss Meyer needs to be alone so that she can rest and regain her strength. But please be assured that she is taking the medicine that Dr. Wentworth prescribed for her.”
“But we’ll only be a moment, Philippa, we promise,” Lady Cecilia’s voice whimpered.
Philippa turned around to check with Meredith, who vehemently shook her head once more. So Philippa had no choice but to turn away Anthony and Lady Cecilia.
“I’m afraid she simply isn’t in the right condition for conversation at the moment. Perhaps if you could return in a few hours, she would be better up for it then.”
It tore Meredith apart to reject them so. But if there was one thing that a life in the orphanage taught her, it was that if one child or individual got sick, then the people in the beds closest to them usually followed suit. Meredith didn’t know the exact connection between beds and how they aided the propagation of the influenza symptoms, but she wasn’t going to risk getting Anthony and Cecilia sick.
What is more, I look absolutely terrible. If I let him see me like this, he might change his mind about our courtship.
Philippa gently massaged her right arm.
“I know you feel awful at the moment, Meredith. But if it’s any consolation, His Grace seemed most distraught and worried about you.”
She was right, Meredith did feel nauseated, but the comment was still enough to pull a small smile out of her.
Philippa switched to massaging her left arm.
“Oh, how fortunate you are, Meredith! If only I had someone who would fret over me the way that His Grace does for you. You must have been a saint in your previous life!”
Meredith cleared her throat, a necessary action because her voice had become severely raspy several hours prior.
“Oh, I don’t know about that, Philippa. I do care for Anthony very deeply, but I always fear that one day he will realize that he is far too good for me and leave me.”
Philippa gasped, “Meredith! How could you doubt his affection for you, after spending so much time together?”
Meredith didn’t have enough strength to shrug, so she settled for a bitter smile. “Ma’am Tabitha often told me that if something seems too good to be true, then it is. I always thought that the universe was being exceptionally kind to me these last few months, especially considering how it hasn’t been particularly forgiving to me all of these years.”
“I’m worried that one day, I will have to pay for all of the happiness I have experienced with Anthony. And because I have nothing with which to pay for it, the universe might decide to take him away once more.”
Philippa strongly opposed this line of reasoning and Meredith actually believed that she brought forward several valid arguments. Or at least that was what Meredith assumed was happening. All she knew for sure was that she was drifting into the blackness of slumber.
* * *
Anthony watched Cecilia’s shoulders slump as Philippa gently closed the door on them. Anthony also felt just as miserable, but he need to maintain his composure. As head of the household, he could not afford to break down, especially not now.
