Page 40 of Earl of Excess
“He is hot to the touch, Grandmère,” Bethany added. “Aunt Theo, do you still have that willow bark? I feel we should make some tea with it.” A slight chuckle escaped. “He does not like it but tolerates it.”
He heard her and gave a weak laugh. “I fear that was my first actual memory when I gathered my faculties—Bethany feeding me this horrid tea. But it made me feel better.”
“Yes, let’s get you to your room, Matthew,” Aunt Theo agreed. “I will brew you some of that favored tea.”
He laughed again but took his cane and made his way to the back bedroom that he had used the night before. “I feel like I have been a tremendous burden,” he muttered. “I do not know if I will ever be able to repay the kindness you continue to show me.”
“Nonsense, young man. You are our guest and Bethany’s friend. This is the very thing that we enjoy doing... helping others,” Grandmère replied.
Matthew sat on the edge of the bed, and Bethany helped with his shoes and helped him move his legs back onto the bed. His eyes closed nearly immediately, and his shoulders relaxed. She had dragged him out to the neighbors when he was sick. Bethany felt terrible.
Grandmère smiled and gently touched Bethany’s shoulder, showing her approval when she noticed the shoes Matthew had been wearing.
“Perhaps we should get this willow bark into him before he gets to sleep,” Aunt Theodosia said, tapping her cane into the room, holding a mug of tea in her free hand.
“That’s a good idea,” Bethany said. “Leave it with me, and I will get it into him.”
“Oh, and I have this for him.” Her aunt dug into her pocket and withdrew a small pot of aloe. “Put a little of this over his eyes. Perhaps it will help. Not using his eyes, they could be dry.”
“You don’t need any help, then?”
“No, just find Dandie. She wandered out with us, and I did not see her when we came into the house.”
“I’ll get her,” volunteered Grandmère. “You take care of Matthew.”
Bethany tugged on his shoulder. “Matthew, drink this before you doze off.”
At her urging, Matthew opened his eyes and accepted the cup of tea. He sipped it, looked at her in between tastes. “Thank you, Bethany. Please tell your grandmother and aunt how sorry I am for this.” His voice was thick and slow. She could tell he struggled to focus.
“Nonsense. Drink up and let us hope you feel better after a nap.” Bethany wondered what he would think of her when he could finally see her—if that ever happened. That he could see at all seemed a miracle. She would not worry about what he thought of her, she decided, taking the empty cup from him. She watched his eyes shutter as he fell asleep and leaned in and kissed his forehead. “Sleep well, Matthew.”
Chapter Nineteen
“How is thecolonel feeling, child?” her aunt asked her when she returned the cup to the kitchen.
“He fell asleep after he drank the willow bark tea and so far, does not appear better. He seems worse than when he went to bed last evening. I’m worried,” she replied.
“I agree,” Aunt Theo said.
“Your grandmother plans to trim his beard when he wakes up from his nap. It could make him feel better, less hot.” Aunt Theo turned to her. “We need to determine his symptoms and make him more comfortable, even if we don’t know what is wrong, just yet.” She reached out and touched Bethany’s hand. “Your colonel probably has something that will pass quickly. Just keep an eye on him.”
“He isn’tmy colonel,” protested Bethany, suppressing a smile.
Aunt Theo chuckled. “If you say so,mon petit. I cannot see, but I can hear. And I hear his heart in his voice when he talks of you, a softening.”
Bethany felt the heat rise on her neck. She knew her aunt stopped short of commenting on Bethany’s obvious feelings. “I just want for him to feel better. I had hoped we could fish today. That reminds me. Grandmère must still be in the yard looking for Dandie. I will join her. Excuse me, Aunt.” With that, Bethany shot out the door, her heart in her throat. There were untold dangers out here for her little dog. It had been very careless of her to forget that Dandie was behind her. As she thought about it, the little dog had not gone over to the Duplantis’ place, either. Panicked, she ran around the house calling the dog.
“Dandie, where are you?” It was February, but snakes never sleep in the Bayou. “Dandie! Where are you?” Panicking, she felt bile rising in her throat.
At the sound of Dandie’s familiar bark, Bethany rounded the back of the house and saw her grandmère reaching down and patting the little dog. Johnny stood next to the two of them. She relaxed and let out a sigh when she saw her dog was safe and unharmed. “Dandie, you worried me. You know better than to take off like that.”
“She was with me, Miss Bethany,” the little boy cheerfully piped up. “I came through the back gate and she spotted me, she did.”
Her grandmother gave a slight nod and walked back into the house.
“BonjourJohnny! I’m so glad to see you. I asked Mr. Duplantis if he had seen you. I have a friend I cannot wait to introduce you to, but he became ill, so maybe later,” she said excitedly.
“My pa came home yesterday morning. I was helping him in the fields. He’s leaving to go back to New Orleans soon.” He slapped at his left arm before reaching down to pet Dandie. “Darn skeeters.”
