An Ardent Friendship by Elizabeth Bailey

Author:Elizabeth Bailey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2000-10-07T04:00:00+00:00

A pulsing throb penetrated into Timothia’s unquiet dreams, and she shuddered into wakefulness. The throb continued, and at length she identified its source. Her ankle! Oh, yes, she remembered now. She had fallen from Faithful’s back. Leo had brought her to Wiggin. She was on the sofa in the parlour downstairs.

Her lashes flickered on surroundings she did not recognise. What was this? A tester above her head? Daylight streaming from the windows, two of which were open to the sun-filled air. Between them, a chest of drawers, and a large armoire across the room. She was in a bedchamber! Lifting the sheet in sudden question, she discovered that she had been stripped of her habit and every garment under it, barring only her shift.

Timothia started up, and saw that her bared foot and ankle were protruding from the blankets, resting upon a pillow. To her fascination, despite the continuous throbbing ache, she discovered the huge puffy goitre that protruded from her ankle.

‘It is twice the normal size!’ she uttered in a dazed voice, noting that quite half her foot had grown.

‘I’m afraid that was my fault,’ came Leo’s voice.

She started, looking frantically about. He was standing by a small table on her other side. He grinned at her shocked expression.

‘You need not look like that. All the proprieties have been observed. Mrs Salcombe is here. Look!’

Timothia followed his pointing finger, and discovered that the elderly housekeeper was seated in a chair on the other side, just out of the periphery of her immediate vision.

‘What a turn you gave us, Miss Timma,’ said the woman, clasping pudgy hands against her tubby waist over the bombazine gown. ‘Thank goodness Mr Leo was able to fetch you back safe!’

She was well known to Timothia, who knew her to be well disposed towards her, as were most of Leo’s staff. Her kinship, as well as her special friendship with the scion of the house, had ensured a warm welcome whenever she came to visit. Which, in the past, had been oftener than she could count.

‘You are very good, Mrs Salcombe,’ she said with a smile, sinking back onto the pillows. ‘I trust that it was you who put me to bed?’

‘Gracious me, ma’am, I should think it was! You was still in the swoon you fell into when Mr Leo took off the boot—which I can’t say that I was sorry for.’

‘Nor I,’ put in Leo ruefully, perching on the other side of the bed. ‘It was the very devil to get the thing off. I had to hack it about quite dreadfully, and I am very sure that the injury has become even more inflamed because of it.’

He sounded distressed, and without even thinking what she was doing Timothia put out her hand to him. His fingers closed about her own, and warmth enveloped her.

‘You have done altogether too much for me, Leo, and I am very grateful. Thank you.’

‘Nonsense!’ he said curtly, and withdrew his hand. Did she suppose he could have done less? He saw that her eyes had clouded, and was instantly conscious of regret.

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