Tailor Made by Annette Lyon

Author:Annette Lyon [Lyon, Annette]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance, Grand Duchy of Finland, historical romance
Goodreads: 28669620
Publisher: Kindle Worlds
Published: 2016-01-20T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 14

Antti’s dreams of Sofi were rudely interrupted in the morning, not by his clanging alarm clock, but by the sounds of moaning and retching. Confused, he opened his eyes and listened, but the sounds stopped. Odd. He was probably hearing things. He checked the clock on the end table by the head of his bed. With another half hour left to sleep, he intended to use every moment of it. He punched his pillow into shape and closed his eyes.

The retching sound resumed. A bit more awake now, Antti realized that they seemed to be coming from the other side of the wall, from the room he let to Matti. Sitting up slightly, and resting his weight on one elbow, Antti knocked on the wall with the knuckle of one finger. “Matti? Are you well?” He leaned close to listen and made out heavy breathing that bordered on moaning, followed by the fellow tailor’s weak, “I... I don’t think so.”

“I’m coming,” Antti called back. In a trice, he got out of bed, put on a robe, and left his room before he had it tied. Instead of knocking, he turned the handle on the door of the flat’s second bedroom. When he pushed the door open, he expected to see Matti sitting at the base of the bed, leaning over the chamber pot, but something else assaulted the senses first. The sour stink of vomit — and likely something else he didn’t want to think about — hit him with such strength that Antti felt as if he’d walked straight into a stone wall of stench. He tried to hide any sign of disgust that might have shown on his face.

He went inside two steps, and that’s when he took in Matti’s appearance. His friend’s nightclothes were soaked with sweat, his hair matted. His face looked yellow, bordering on green, and his eyes had dark circles beneath them. Antti had heard of people turning green, though he’d assumed the sentiment was figurative. But no, Matti’s face had a green cast to it.

Matti tried to speak. “I don’t... think...” He closed his mouth, pressing his lips together as if trying to keep from vomiting again. He took a few shallow breaths. “Don’t think I can work today.” Every word took effort.

The workshop had begun the wedding preparations without Tiina and Mari, and while Tiina had returned, Mari wouldn’t be back from her father’s funeral until tomorrow, and now the shop was losing Matti. The time until the wedding could be counted in days; they needed as many working hands as possible.

Sofi is worth two people all by herself, Antti thought. We’ll make it work. Matti will be healthy as a goat, and we’ll all be basting and stitching again before I know it.

Or so he tried to assure himself, but his thoughts were interrupted by Matti heaving again, now leaning over the chamber pot.

“You rest,” Antti said. “I’ll go send for a doctor.”

“Thank you.” Matti pushed his sweaty hair out of his eyes and eyed Antti miserably.

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