Page 57 of Romancing Daphne

“Another tea?” James asked.

Daphne added a generous pinch of dried black-elder flowers.“It isextremely helpful but tastes terrible. I only hope we can convince her to take it.”

He stood mute at her side as she ground the herbs together. She’d learned over the years just how fine to make them. The crushing released necessaryoils, but if she ground them too much, they would not steep properly tomake the tea.

A kettle of boiling water, along with a cup and strainer, arrived in the next minutes. Daphne worked at the tea but looked a few times at James. His thoughts seemed miles away. Lines of tension creased his face.

“Perhaps you should sit a moment, James,” she said.“You look ready to drop.”

He shook himself.“I am tired is all. And worried.”

“Your brother is doing a fine job of tending to Lady Techney. This tea will be ready shortly. And I have complete confidence in the timely arrival of your physician.” That last bit was something of a stretch, butreassuring him seemed more crucial in that moment than blunt honesty.

“I will be more at ease if you can give me something useful to do.”

Heavens but he looked near to bursting.

Daphne took his hands in hers. For just a moment, the feel of holding his hands paralyzed her. Though she’d dreamed of having his attention and affection, she’d not been truly prepared for this closeness. She pulled her thoughts together and led him to his mother’s bedside, opposite Bennett.“Your assignment,” she said,“is to sit here and think of a way to convince Lady Techney to drink the foul concoction I am about to bring over for her. Are you up for the challenge?”

He managed a halfhearted smile at her teasing.“I will put my mind to the puzzle.”

He pulled off his jacket and hung it over the arm of his chair, clearly preparing to settle in. She’d not had to tell him the night would be a long one; he seemed to understand without words. How many such illnesses had he seen his mother through?

Lady Techney objected to the tea as much as Daphne had expected andas quietly, considering her lack of voice and energy. James spoke patientlyand quietly to her, easing the steaming liquid past her lips a sip at a time.

Daphne stood out of the way, watching him. His kindness to her so many years earlier had not been an oddity, it seemed. He treated his mother with the same consideration. A woman would be fortunate indeed to win the devotion of such a man.

He looked back at her.“There is only a bit of dregs left in the bottom. Does she need to drink that?”

“No. Let her lie back and rest.”

She took Bennett’s place at Lady Techney’s side, insisting he go get his sleep. James sat a bit limp in his chair, head resting in his upturned hand. He looked spent. Just how bad had his argument with Lord Techney been?

The feverfew tisane had not yet taken effect. Daphne would see to Lady Techney when it did. In the few minutes until that happened, she would do what she could for James.

She fetched a fresh cloth from the pile brought up by the maid. In a clean bowl, she poured some hot water from the teakettle, then added a chip of ice to cool it to pleasantly warm. She added a drop of her lavender oil and dipped the cloth in, then wrung it out. She folded the cloth in a long rectangle and crossed to where James sat.

“Lean forward a bit,” she softly instructed. He looked confused for only a moment before complying.

His cravat had long since come loose, leaving his collar hanging limp.

She set the warm cloth against the back of his neck. The warmth combined with the lavender would relax him.

“Now sit back.” She pulled a light blanket off a chair near the windows and brought it back to James, laying it over him.

“I cannot ask you to care for Mother alone,” he objected.

“I will let you know if I need help. Rest assured, this is nothing I haven’tundertaken before, and I am doing so now willingly.”

He closed his eyes and leaned his head far back.“Thank you, Daphne,” he said.“And I am sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?”

A beat passed before he answered.“Too many things.”

The poor man was obviously exhausted.“Rest a bit, James. You’ll feel better if you do.”

He must have taken the suggestion to heart; he was asleep within minutes. Lady Techney began to sweat shortly after that, a clear indication that the feverfew and black-elder tea were working as they should. Daphne sat at her side, dabbing Lady Techney’s flushed cheeks.

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