“Mistress Lexi! Princess!” Bang bang.
There was a hushed frantic conversation happening in the hall.
I weakly said, “Come in.”
His voice again. “Princess! Mistress Lexi, ye must let us in!”
I pushed myself up on shaking arms and blearily stared at the door.
Bang bang bang.
Torin?
“Mistress Lexi, let us in.”
I crawled to the door, held onto the wall while I pulled myself up, rested against the door, and somehow pulled the bar up and got it open.
It felt like it took forever.
Torin rushed in, took one look at me, and called from the door, “Madame Agnes, please, come!”
She rushed in, put down a fresh chamberpot, and set about washing my face with a warm towel. “Och, m’lady, ye hae befouled yerself. We need tae get ye a clean chemise.”
“I think I’m going to die.”
Torin stood to the side. “Och nae, daena say it, Princess. Ye canna.”
Madame Agnes said, “Sire, ye must step from the room. I will help her change.”
Torin left the room and the kindly stranger helped me change my nightgown, and washed the parts of me that were disgusting.
The whole thing would have been very embarrassing, but I was incapable of thinking, just surviving.
I woke up a little later.
I was in bed, morning light streaming through the window. Madame Agnes was sitting on a chair near the window, doing embroidery. I guessed it was bright, but my eyes were dim. I was so freaking weak and sick, I didn’t think I’d ever felt this sick before.
“Torin?”
She looked up from her stitching.
“He’s gone tae church, m’lady, he needed tae pray on yer soul.”
“Oh.”
I turned on my other side and saw Dude, he said, “Meow.”
Then he batted the vessel, dove on it, wrapped his front legs around it, and kicked at it with his hind legs. “Dude… no.”
I pulled the vessel away. He batted my hand.
I petted him and he purred. I said, “Best boy in the world.”
I pulled the vessel close. I wished I understood it — I needed to get home. I likely needed antibiotics. I didn’t know if I would survive this without modern medicine.
But I didn’t understand the vesselat all. This was only like the second time I’d ever held it, third or fourth time I’d really looked at it.
I had no idea what the markings meant. And I was out of my mind, it wasn’t going to make sense now.
