The Lightkeeper's Ball (15 page)

“There’s a doctor at Eaton Manor,” Addie said. “It’s not far.”

Olivia had forgotten the consumption hospital was so close. “Perhaps we should go there. It’s quite painful,” she said.

The pain encasing her wrist spread up her arm. Eaton Manor would have something to help with the pain. Harrison pulled out a handkerchief and tied the ends together, then slipped it over her neck and under her elbow to support her arm. The pain began to ease. She was close enough to see the way his thick dark hair curled over his collar. Close enough to smell his bay rum pomade. She averted her eyes and prayed for this journey to soon be over.

Olivia’s wrist throbbed in time with every step she took. Harrison led them over the uneven ground toward the large stone house looming in the distance. Nealy bounded ahead, then turned back occasionally as if to ask if they were coming.

“It’s quite lovely,” she said when the three-story manor home came into view. The kitten purred against her chest.

Addie and Katie walked on either side of Harrison. “It used to belong to Addie,” Katie said. “She sold it to a group who turned it into a home for consumptives.”

“How admirable,” Olivia murmured. Perhaps John hadn’t wanted to maintain such a palatial home. It was the most elaborate structure she’d seen in Mercy Falls since she arrived, rivaling the finest New York residences. Harrison helped her mount the wide steps to the double doors.

“Stay,” he told the dogs.

“Let me warn them that we need assistance,” Addie said, brushing past them. “Nann,” she called out as she stepped into the hall.

A smiling woman hurried to greet them. In her forties, her merry blue eyes radiated welcome and interest. Her hair was still mostly light brown and coiled into a bun at the nape of her neck. She wore a high-collared gray gown with a cameo at the neck.

“Mrs. North, how lovely to see you.”

“My friend is injured, Mrs. Whittaker,” Katie said, gesturing to Olivia. “This is Lady Devonworth from Stewart Hall. We could use some assistance.”

Nann’s smile turned to an expression of concern. “Bring her into the waiting room,” she said. “Dr. Lambertson is here right now. He’s with one of our residents, but I’ll fetch him at once. This way.” She turned a bright smile Olivia’s direction. “My daughter Brigitte is in service at the Stewart home. She’s one of the chambermaids.”

Olivia managed to smile past the pain. “I shall have to seek her out and say hello.”

Harrison steered her forward to the doorway where Nann stood waiting.

“The waiting room is here,” Nann said. “I’ll have an empty exam room ready shortly. I need to disinfect it first.”

Olivia could see the table in the examination room. “What is this place?” she whispered to her friends.

“It’s a healing place for consumptives. They’ve done wonderful work here,” Addie said. “Nann was a consumptive herself. She’s in such good health now that she wanted to help others in her situation and was quick to accept this position when it was offered.”

“She seems very nice, but you can smell the sickness here.”

Katie nodded and put her handkerchief to her nose. Her face was pale. “I shall have to wait on the porch. I’m feeling a bit poorly.”

“Oh my dear, do you want me to come with you?” Addie asked.

“I just need some fresh air.”

“Edward can play. I’ll come with you.” Addie patted Olivia’s hand. “You’ll be fine. Harrison will take good care of you.”

Her lungs squeezed. “I want to go home,” she begged. “Please. I’m fine.”

Addie glanced from her to the doorway where Katie had gone. “Let me check on Katie. I’ll arrange for a car to get us. You can go home very soon.”

Nann Whittaker stepped out of the exam room. “We’re ready for you, Lady Devonworth.”

“Really, I don’t want to trouble the doctor,” she protested as the woman led her to the examining room and helped her sit. “It’s merely a sprain. Rest and ice are all I need.” She started to slide from the table, but Harrison seized her arm.

“You’ll be home soon enough. The doctor will be here in a moment,” he said. His hand touched her back, and he cradled her head to his chest.

She could hear the
thump-thump
of his heart against her ear. Something about his touch drained the pain from her wrist.

“It won’t hurt to have the doctor take a look,” he said.

Her teeth began to chatter. Was it from the pain? “I’m cold,” she said.

Harrison released her a moment. He shucked his flannel shirt, revealing a white undershirt beneath it. He placed the warm flannel around Olivia’s shoulders. “Better?”

The flannel encased Olivia and the warmth that lingered from his body seeped into her skin. She nodded as the shaking began to subside. “Thank you,” she whispered, clutching the edges of the shirt to her throat. His manly scent lingered in the cloth and calmed her.

“Here’s the doctor now,” he said, stepping back after a final embrace.

Olivia glanced up to see a gray-haired gentleman with erect shoulders step into the room. He had a stethoscope around his neck, and his necktie was askew. But his kindly expression did much to calm the last of her jitters. A woman in her fifties with a kind face and graying hair in a bun was on his heels.

“A slight accident, I see?” He stepped to the examination table and took Olivia’s arm in his warm hands.

She winced when his fingers probed the swollen flesh of her wrist. “I fell.”

He nodded and continued to press on her wrist and arm. “No real harm done. It’s a severe sprain though, and you need to rest it for at least three days. I’m going to send some powder home with you for the pain. Keep ice on it and keep it elevated on a pillow. I’ll stop and check on you tomorrow. Where might I find you?”

“This is Lady Devonworth,” Harrison put in. “She’s staying at Stewart Hall.”

The doctor turned to his nurse. “Mrs. Fosberg, would you fetch some pain powder? I’ll write out instructions on its use.”

As the woman hurried from the room, Olivia stared after her. Fosberg? Could she be related to the Frederick Fosberg who had danced so often with Eleanor? Surely Fosberg was a very common name, especially in this area so settled with those of Scandinavian descent.

It seemed an eternity before the older woman came back with a bag of white powder in her hand. Olivia accepted it with a smile. “Mrs. Fosberg, I’ve heard your last name before in connection with a young man by the name of Frederick. Is he any relation?”

The woman’s smile broadened and she stood taller. “That would be my boy. I’m so proud of him. He worked his way through college to become a well-respected barrister in the city. How did you hear of him?”

“I mentioned that I was in need of an attorney, and he was recommended.”

“You couldn’t go wrong with hiring my boy. He has his own office in San Francisco. After the Great Earthquake, he kept right on working when the other barristers abandoned the city. He’s brave, that one. Handsome too. He’s due to town in two days. Shall I have him call on you?”

“Please do. I have much to discuss with him.” It would be a better way to find out about him than at Mrs. Bennett’s dinner party. And she’d start by finding out what the young man’s relationship had been with her sister.

F
OURTEEN

HARRISON TOOK THE
bumps as lightly as possible, but the woman beside him still winced when they hit the unavoidable potholes. He breathed a sigh of relief when Stewart Hall came into sight. He let the dog out on his side and told him to stay.

He parked the automobile by the front door. “Don’t forget your blasted cat.” He deposited the kitten in her good arm.

“I very much appreciate your kindness in making sure I got home,” Lady Devonworth said. The cat meowed and she gasped, holding it out from her. “It’s got sharp claws. It’s going to ruin my dress.”

“Give it to me.” He grabbed the kitten and stuck it inside his undershirt. “Stupid cat,” he muttered.

A young woman with a white apron over her black dress opened the door. “Poor Lady Devonworth,” she said. “I have your bed turned down and ready.”

“I really don’t want to take to my bed. It’s barely three,” she protested. “Goldia, show us to parlor.”

Harrison shook his head. “The doctor said to keep your arm elevated on a pillow. Besides, you’ve had a shock and need to rest. Show me her room, Goldia.”

The maid glanced at her mistress, then scurried up the stairs. He ignored Lady Devonworth’s objections and propelled her up the sweeping staircase. The maid gestured to him from a door halfway down the wide hall decorated with gold foil. “This is Miss Olivia’s bedroom,” he said.

Lady Devonworth stopped and stared up at him. “How would you know such a thing?” she whispered.

Her face paled, and he realized how his remark had sounded. “Please don’t misunderstand. At Eleanor’s last party, she showed her guests around the mansion and remarked that no one was allowed to stay in this room except her sister. Eleanor said she’d had it decorated to Olivia’s tastes and was eager to see how her sister liked it.”

“I see.” The woman’s voice seemed choked.

Were those tears in Lady Devonworth’s eyes? He led her to the bed and stepped back. She was most decidedly pale and shaken. “Are you in pain?”

She glanced away and straightened her skirt. “A bit, yes. I shall have Goldia prepare me a pain draught.”

She started to remove his flannel shirt, but he put his hand on her arm and shook his head. “Keep it until your maid helps you change into something warmer. I’ll get it later.”

She stopped and hugged the shirt close again. “Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Bennett.”

He bowed. “I’m happy to be of assistance, Lady Devonworth. If you are in need of me at any time, ring me and I will be here in minutes.”

“You’re too kind,” she said, not looking at him.

He studied her a moment before backing out of the room and taking his leave. Her manner had changed most abruptly when he mentioned she was in Olivia’s room. Perhaps it was the pain in her wrist. What else could it be? He strode down the hall to the stairs. At the top of the steps, he hesitated when he heard Goldia call his name.

She was huffing by the time she reached him. “Mr. Bennett, sir.”

“Is she all right, Goldia?”

Her hazel eyes narrowed. “She wants that kitten.”

He’d forgotten he still had the blasted cat tucked into his shirt. He yanked the cat out into the light of day. It yowled its misery to the world and tried to claw its way back inside his shirt. He hastily handed it to the maid.

Goldia curtsied. “Thank you, sir. Miss, uh, Lady Devonworth was most upset at the thought that she wouldn’t have the kitten in her possession.”

He watched her scurry back down the hall with the cat nestled against her. He found to his dismay that he really didn’t want to leave.