Bittersweet Endeavors (14 page)

The four women who shared
Myra
’s small abode left long before she awoke. 
Gone
about their daily duties at the Preston home, but Lucia remained with her,
well past time
in reporting
for her
duties.

“Why hadn’t I swallowed my pride and asked Margaret for dry clothing?” 
Her
cheeks burned hot with fever.  A tightness in her lungs squeezed at her chest and she released a raspy cough.  Wheeze-filled breathing followed and
she
folded her arms over her chest.  “This is surely the result of wearing that
wet dress last week in the
cold!”

“Oh,
Myra
, I
must ask them
to
send for
a
physician
.”  Tears of worry filled Lucia’s eyes as she held
Myra
’s hand.

“
Nay
, I
’ll not
have them pay the physician’s stipend
. 
It
shall
be added
on
to my servitude time. 
As you very well know, I
must
return to Brunnington.”
  She coughed again.

“P
lease, you cannot let this go.  You could die,
Myra
,” she cried. “Then where
would
that leave
you?  You’d be
of
no help to Mary then.”

“Please, help me out of bed ‘
fore
we’re in trouble for
dally
ing
too long.” 
Myra
smiled when she
accomplished standing on her
feet with no support.  The room spun but she focused on Lucia’s mesmerizing
blue
eyes so she’d stay upright. 

“See?  I’m perfectly fine,” sh
e assured.  “You go on ahead
.” 
Myra
reached for her wool dress and slipped it over her shift.  “Tell them I’ve awakened late
and
I’ll be there posthaste.”

Lucia swept the tears from her cheeks and nodded.  “All right,
Myra
, but if you get worse, you must tell them.”

“All right.  Now off, the hour grows late.
”

The moment the door closed
,
Myra
released the pent up cough
she hid from Lucia.  It shook
her
bone
s
and a shiver convulse
d her
insomuch
that it nearly toppled her.
  No longer
capable of
stand
ing
,
Myra
stumbled
and tripped on
to the floor in a stupor.  Dazed
,
and
powerless
from focusing
on
items
before her, she attempted
lifting
herself from the cold dirt floor.  Her hands felt like ice against the
ground
.  She drew them to
ward
the outpour
ing
heat that gushed from her cheeks
and
hope
d
it would
warm them
.  Finding small comfort
from
the
warmth
, she closed her eyes.

Time
distorted
.  She didn’t know how long she
had
stayed
on the floor, but as she faded in and out of consciousness, her mind found escape
and
journey
ed
back home
to
England. 
The vision brought her
peace
, comfort
, and safe
ty
as her mother and father greeted her at the entrance of Brunnington
Castle.  Never ha
d
she felt such
harmony in her state of being
. 
She found her way back home
and with
the people she love
d
.  Myra
was
happy,
safe,
and determined to stay.

*                    *                   *

“Doesn’t she know that we must keep schedules around here?” he yelled at Lucia.  Seth raised his hands into the air and released a low hiss that seeped through his clenched teeth
and
pass
ed
by his pursed lips
.  “She’s been here long enough and should’ve learned some discipline by now.”

“But—”

Seth ignored her and stormed toward the door. 
D
etermined
with retrieving
her, he grabbed his
over
coat from the hook.
Surely she didn’t
think that
their encounter the previous night gave her
the
liberty
to take
leave of her duties. 
He wondered if
she
fretted over seeing
him
after he nearly kissed her.
 
An unacceptable excuse, he believed. 
Once and for all,
Seth thought with determination, s
he
w
ould
learn that
her
antics
were
a poor
reflec
tion on him.  At
the
rate
he was going
, he’
d
never
prove
to his father
that he
would make a
good charge for their estate when the time came.

“I’ll not hear
your excuses for her,” he
said.  He brushed
passed
Lucia
when she attempt
ed to intercede
his way out the door.  Ignoring her words of protest, he
stormed
out of the room
.

The
path
he traipsed
on the way to
the wigwam
was
covered knee-deep in snow from the storm that hit the
pr
evious
night, but Seth
didn’t
notice
enough to care
.  Anger starved his reason and
his mind
only
focused on what he
’d
say
once he encountered
Myra
.  Tardiness wa
s
n’t
something his father
would tolerate, and by God, he’
d
not either. 
Knocking
and announcing
his presence
wasn’t even a thought.  He barged through the door.  

“
Myra
,” he angrily summoned
after breaking
the door’s bre
a
ch
, b
ut
the
sight of her still body
on the floor
stunned him
.  He had
never seen anyone so pale and thought her dead. 
“
Myra
!” he rushed out. 

In t
wo strides he
was at
her side
.  H
e bent down onto one knee
and cradled
her head between his two hands.  The heat that expelled from her flushed cheeks
burned
his palms. 

“Dear God, you
’
re burning up.”  Beneath her knees and back, he slid his hands under
neath
her
, and i
n one swift motion, raised her into the protection of his arms.  Her head snuggled beneath his chin and she mumbled a few unintelligible words.  “Hush,
Myra
,” he soothed.  “Rest easy, I’m
here”

“Father,” she cried out in hushed desperation.

The embers in the fire ha
d
long since died, and Seth didn’
t waste
time
before going to the task of
rebuilding the fire.  Once he laid her down and secured the blankets around her, he went forward
with
the
chore
.  Within minutes, a roaring fire burned and soon chased the chill from the room. 
Myra
moaned out
as if pained, and
Seth
sat on the edge of the bed
and took her hand into his.  Her grip held h
im so tight that her nails cut
into his flesh.

“
Nay
,” she screamed out.  He
r
limbs writhed beneath the covers and her
head turned
from one side
and then
the
other.  Tears emerged in the corners of her closed eyes.  Seth took in the scene before him
,
overwhelme
d by his helplessness.  T
he fever gripped her and caused the horrendous nightmares
, and
he wanted
to
ease her
fear.

“Please, leave her be!  Leave her be,”
Myra
pleaded
.

“
Myra
,
”
he softly called out.
  With a feathery touch, he lightly patted her cheeks with his fingertips.  “
Tis
only a dream
caused
by
t
he fever,
Myra
.  Don’t
fret
, I’m here.” 

At the sound of his voice, she stilled.  Her face, which con
torted with torment and rage
moments before,
now
found
peace
. 

“Much better,
” he
soothed
.  “That’s it,
Myra
, rest easy, and I promise I’ll not leave.”

Seth looked at the door and contemplate
d
his next move.  Get the
physician
, sense urged, but he
couldn’t
leave her. 
He worried the dreams would return and he wouldn’t be there
to chase them away
. 
He
knew
Lucia would
check on her friend and
then she
w
ould
help
him
.
  If not alr
e
ady aware of her illness, she’d
still make her way back
,
set
on
protecting
Myra
from him
since he left the kitchens with such
anger
.
He noticed th
eir friendship ha
d
grown insomuch that they were near inseparable.  Aye, she’
d
come, he thought with relief.

The door
crashed
open
and b
iting whirls of cold wind
delivered the warmth of the room
to the
outside.  Seth used the bulk his
body
and
shield
ed
Myra
, protecting
her
from the
gust of cold that flooded the room
. “Close the door, you little fool!”

“What is the meaning of this?” Anvil shouted
.  S
eth flinched
at
the intensity of his
father’s
anger.
 
“You know better than
being
alone
with
this girl!”

Seth
was
startled by his father’s
sudden
arrival
and
he
quickly rose.
  A large lump in his throat quick
ly
form
ed
.  “I
didn’t know
t’was
you.  I
thought
—” he
started, but
remembered his father’s
order of never hearing Lucia’s name.  It offered
Anvil
assurance
that he’
d
not be
remind
ed
of his promiscuity—or
reminded
of the woman who bore her.