Page 64 of The Quiet Wife
Frances hugged her back, and just for a moment, let the tears she had been holding fall. She gave a convulsive sob, and Anna Whistler held her tight, one hand stroking her back to calm her.
“There now,” she murmured. “There now.” In that moment, she missed her own mother horribly and was so desperately glad of Anna and Jemie’s presence.With them beside her, she didn’t feel quite so alone.
Frances struggled to stop crying but pulled herself together. Jemie handed her a large handkerchief, and she wiped her eyes and blew her nose.
“Now I want you to listen,” Anna said, one arm about her waist, staring straight into her eyes. “Scarlet fever is bad. We all know that, but to my knowledge, it’s most dangerous in small children and babies, particularly the undernourished. Your girls are all healthy, and they are almost grown women, so they are much stronger.”
Frances held her gaze, clinging to it and clinging to her words.
“Truly?”
“I give you my word.”
“I think I need to tell the girls that. They are so scared. Elinor asked if she was going to die.”
Jemie put a hand to his mouth as he squeezed his eyes shut.
“The poor darling,” Anna murmured. “Is your husband coming to see them?”
“He’s busy,” was all she could manage without crying, not wanting to meet Anna or Jemie’s eye for fear of the pity it would hold for her.
“Come, let’s talk to them.” Jemie steered them to the stairs.
“Jemie said you wanted them all together?” Anna said as they walked.
Frances nodded. “I thought they might be company for each other.”
“Then we have work to do!”
Anna sallied forth and Frances followed with Jemie beside her. He caught hold of her hand and squeezed it.
She gripped it tight, taking comfort from his presence before letting go, and they strode along the corridor to the girls’ rooms.
A flurry of maids, footmen, the housekeeper, and Nanny Jenks met them as they prepared Fannie’s room, as that was the larger of the three. It didn’t take too much to move the furniture to accommodate the beds and move the children, particularly as Jemie helped with the heavy lifting too.
“Are they settled?” Frances asked Nanny Jenks when the last of the staff disappeared, leaving a sense of calm.
“They are ma’am.”
“Perhaps we should speak to them now?” Anna suggested.
“I won’t come in with you. I don’t think young ladies will want to be seen when they look less than their best,” Jemie said.
Frances smiled at him. “You’re probably right.”
Frances opened the door and peeped in. Each girl lay in bed appearing fatigued, but they were talking to each other. Frances was sure they would find comfort in that and hopefully it would bolster their spirits in the difficult days ahead.
“Mama, Anna!” Fannie struggled up onto an elbow.
Anna beamed at them and immediately mopped brows, stroked heads, and fluffed pillows. She also opened the window a smidge.
“We need to make sure that you have some fresh air in here. My mother swore by it.”
Elinor pulled her blankets up to her chin and nodded.
The door opened, and Nanny Jenks came in. “Look who I brought,” she tucked a battered rabbit in with Elinor, a bald-looking teddy bear in with Florence, and a stuffed owl in with Fannie. All the girls managed a chuckle and hugged the motley crew tightly.
“I want you all to listen to me,” Anna said firmly.
