Page 48 of A Christmas Miracle for the Frosty Marquess
Clara gave her a tired, grateful smile and nodded.
“That would be wonderful,” she said.
Julian choked. He wanted to help, as well. But just as it was unacceptable for men and women to sleep in the same room, so was it inappropriate for men to disappear from the view of other people together. So, he stood in the middle of the worn living room of Agnes’s house, feeling uncertain about himself as Clara and Mary headed to the back of the small, rotting home.
“Are you all right, Cousin?” Thomas asked.
Julian considered lying to Thomas, but he shook his head.
“This is all too familiar,” he said, glancing at Agnes’s sickbed. “And I am unsure what it is that I am supposed to be doing right now.”
Thomas wrapped a firm arm around Julian and gave him a gentle smile.
“You are doing everything that you can,” he said. “And might I add that you are doing it very well. You got the doctor here just in time, and you have offered your time to stay and be of service. There is no better marquess in all of England, I can assure you.”
A smile flickered on Julian’s lips, and he nodded to his cousin. He wanted to believe those words were true. But what would become of those children if their mother died in the night? Was there anything else he could do to prevent them from seeing such an event, should things become so grave?
Suddenly, an idea dawned on him. He realized that the sleeping children could be taken to their beds. And he and Thomas could do just that without waking them. With a firm nod, he motioned toward the bed.
“Will you help me put the little ones to bed?” he asked.
Thomas grinned, pleased with Julian’s determination.
“It would be a pleasure,” he said.
As quietly and gently as possible, the two men each scooped up one of the smaller children, cradling them close as they walked down the narrow hallway. It wasn’t difficult to figure out where the children slept. In fact, there was only one bedroom in the entire house.I suppose that explains why Agnes’s bed is in the living room,he thought, surveying the sagging ceiling and the rickety beds and crib with a heavy heart.
The men carefully placed each child onto a bed, then went to retrieve the baby. He was curled up on his mother’s chest, but Julian was able to pick him up with little more than a tired grunt. Thomas pointed to the older children, who were still sleeping beside their mother’s bed.
“Should we move them, as well?” he asked.
Julian thought it over, then shook his head.
“I think they’ll be all right there,” he said. “They should be in their beds. But they are the most affected by their mother’s condition, as they are the ones who understand the situation better than their younger siblings. We can leave them be for now, and take them to bed later, if necessary.”
Thomas nodded.
“Good idea, Cousin,” he said.
Julian made his last trip to the children’s room, putting the baby in the worn crib. He prayed it would hold and that the child wouldn’t be injured by it collapsing. Julian made a vow to do something to help the impoverished family. He wasn’t sure what he could do. But he was determined to do something.
He was thinking of ways to help Agnes and her family when he nearly bumped into Clara. Mary and she were coming from the room at the back of the house, presumably the kitchen, and they were carrying a stained but intact partition.
“Do you two need help with that?” he asked.
Clara shook her head, giving him a warm smile.
“No, it’s all right,” she said. “It is big, but it’s not heavy.”
Julian nodded, stepping back inside the children’s room so that Mary and Clara could pass. Then, he followed them back to the living room and helped them pick a spot for the partition. They decided to split the living room exactly in half. The women would stay on the side of the partition where Agnes’s bed and two large chairs were. Thomas and Julian would stay on the other side of the room, where a dirty old couch sat. Once the women were situated, Julian looked at his cousin.
“You can rest on the couch,” he said. “I will stay awake and keep an ear out for any changes in Agnes’s condition.”
Thomas raised an eyebrow.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
Julian nodded.
