The Guild Master's Daughter by Price Geneva

Author:Price, Geneva
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Geneva Price LLC
Published: 2023-11-17T00:00:00+00:00

No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings.

-William Blake, The Marriage of Heaven and Hell

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

The Plea

CHARLES paced the parlor, hands clasped behind his back. His footsteps made angry thumps as he crossed the carpet. Faith had never seen him in any but an easy mood. She was chagrined to be the cause of his agitation, but not enough to keep from pressing her case. It would be even more upsetting if he did not agree.

“Please, Charles. I’m only asking because I have so much to learn,” she said.

He stopped and rounded on her, a finger raised, hot words on his lips. He stopped himself before they issued. He folded his arms across his chest. Deciding it would be better not to provoke him further, Faith stayed silent and waited for him to speak.

Faith was perched on the edge of the settee in the Astor’s parlor after several days in bed. She was woozy and her head hurt, but she poured her limited energy into looking well. Her memory after the confrontation with Leviathan was spotty. Alternating periods of light and dark were stitched together with a constant thread of pain. She had fuzzy visions of Charles and Mr. Dunlap hovering over her and the lurching of a carriage. She could remember Charles carrying her through the house, the smell of his coat and the feel of his arms beneath her before laying her gently on the bed. From then, all of her moments of clarity were populated with the Astors, her maid Jane, and the kindly concern of Dr. Hosack.

She had been tormented by cold sweats that left her shivering under blankets piled so high she could barely move beneath the weight of them, only to become feverishly hot as though Leviathan’s flames washed over her. Bright light spawned a crippling headache that concentrated behind her left eye. But, every time she closed them she saw glowing eyes amid a tapestry of scales and a needle lined jaw lunging toward her. Of course, she shared none of these thoughts. Apparently Charles had only told them that she fainted, which, in due course, they took as the precursor of a mysterious infection. There had been cold compresses and warming pans, vile tinctures and infusions, weak broth and plain bread. Fortunately, she had not been bled.

Faith had steadily improved, but even when she could tolerate un-curtained windows, the world was still colorless and heavy. When she was well enough for visitors, the only one she wanted to see was not among them. She had missed Charles and, even with the serpent lurking in the depths of her imagination, she missed Phantasia.

When Mrs. Astor had told Faith that Charles had finally come to see her, she had insisted on getting out of bed and dressing. She knew she would have much to answer for about Leviathan, but she also could not delay her training much longer. For all she knew the Colonel was already on his way home. The more recovered she seemed, the easier things would be on all fronts.

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