Page 47 of Earl of Excess
Bethany was totally unprepared to see what greeted her when she opened Matthew’s door.
Matthew was sitting up in bed, with Grandmère sitting across from him in the chair she vacated hours earlier. They were engrossed in conversation. He glanced at the door and smiled at her.
“I thought you must be beautiful, butyou aretruly lovely!” he said, shamelessly staring open-mouthed at her.
Bethany gulped, unsure of how to respond. Her face and neck colored.He can see!She looked from Grandmère to Matthew and saw his eyes twinkle.
“I should have let you know, but he just sat up ten minutes ago. His fever appears to have broken, and he was asking me if I had only teased him about shaving his face.” She gave a quick nod of her head towards the patient and whispered loudly. “I’m uncertain, but I think your colonel can see!” Grandmère said.
Bethany cringed. She should have insisted Grandmère and Aunt Theo stop teasing. Her face had to be blood-red. Thankfully, everyone filed into the room and began talking excitedly, almost at once.
“He is not completely out of the woods, but it appears the fever has broken,” Grandmère said.
Dandie heard his voice and bounded into the room. She sniffed his face, but backed off and curled up at the corner of the bed. Matthew laughed. “I think she just gave me the cut direct,” he said, tugging at his beard. “I smell bad. Even I can smell myself. How long have I been in this bed?”
“Over a week.” Sinclair stuck his head in the room and grinned. “Good to see you alive and well, my lord,” he said jovially. “When Dandie stopped staring at the fish on the table and shot off down the hall towards your room, we had to follow. Then, we heard your voice down the hall.”
“She is as adorable as I imagined,” Matthew said, still looking at the dog. “I could feel those bottom teeth and knew she would make me smile if I ever saw her.”
“Look who’s awake!” Aunt Theo said, tapping her walking stick into the room. “We are glad to have you back, Colonel.”
“Can you see, son?” Sinclair inquired.
“Not perfectly, but much better. I can make out faces,” he intoned. “Things beyond a few feet are still a little blurry, but the shadows are gone, and everyone doesn’t look like a colorful blob.” He sobered. “I am hopeful all of my sight will return. I will never take the gift of sight for granted, again.”
Sinclair walked to the end of the bed. “You look much improved,” he said. “The ladies are right. You need to give yourself plenty of time to get stronger before we attempt a long voyage.”
Bethany felt her heart tug. Too soon, he would take a long voyage back to England. His words came back to her and she felt more confused than ever.Come with me,he had said. At first, she had dismissed them. It was ridiculous. What would she do? But then, he had never made the offer again.
“Perhaps we should leave you and Mr. Sinclair to talk,” she offered, dropping her eyes. “You got little time before.”
“No. Everyone stay,” Matthew pleaded. “I feel like all I have done since you’ve found me is rest,” he laughed. He looked beseechingly at her grandmother. “Grandmère, please tell me there is nothing else I can catch while I am here.”
Her grandmother’s face crinkled with mirth. “Young man, you have certainly kept your life full, if not well. Once you clean up and we trim that beard, you might feel more alive. And in the future, I hope you catch nothing more than an occasional fish,” she guffawed.
They all laughed.
“I will see about that bath, Grandmère mentioned,” Bethany offered. She needed to leave. The walls felt like they were moving in on her. As happy as she was to see him awake, she did not want to see him leave. She nearly sprinted down the hall to her aunt’s bathroom, where she closed the door and sucked in huge gulps of air, fighting tears.What was wrong with her?
“Bethany, wait. Let me help you,” Grandmère said.
Her grandmother’s footsteps came up quickly behind her. Bethany tried to clear up the tears from her face, choking down the sobs that begged to come forward.
Grandmère opened the door and pulled her to her, allowing Bethany to sob on her shoulders. “It’s fine, Bethany. You can let it out. This has been hard.”
Bethany could never hold back. When Grandmère coaxed, she allowed herself to cry. “Grandmère, I do not understand what is wrong with me. It should thrill me he can see better. For an entire week, I’ve been so worried that I would lose him. He gets better and I cry selfish tears.”
“You are not being selfish, girl. You are mourning a loss that you feel is coming. But you need to let him go back to his family. He has responsibilities,” Grandmère said gently.
Bethany sniffled and tried to stem the tears. “I understand,” she said in between hiccups. “I do. Yet I cannot help these feelings. They feel so... physical, so painful.”
“Ah. That is the heart,mon petit. Your heart is engaged, and it will require some time to adjust.”
“You were right. I should have been more forthcoming when Mr. Sinclair first showed up. But I truly did not know the lord he was looking for was the same man I had rescued. Had Matthew left then...”
“He might have died on that voyage back. He certainly could not see,” her grandmother interrupted her and finished the sentence. “His wounds were serious. He might have had more trauma. And the ship’s doctor, they only know to cut and bleed a person. The colonel was much better off with you. Do not second guess yourself. You followed your heart and did what you knew to be right.”
She sniffled. “I guess we should at least shave him. He will be too weak to bathe himself in a tub. Perhaps he can wash himself off by sitting on the edge of the bed.”
