Page 45 of Sleepless in Saunton
“Did the trouble start around the same time as …” Aurora gestured to the cup on the table. “Perhaps when you began to drink coffee?”
Jane folded her arms and settled back to think. “I arrived in London. Then I tried coffee the following morning for the first time.” She narrowed her eyes as she tried to recollect the sequence of events. “Yes. That was the first night I could not sleep. Why?”
“When Barclay was a young man doing his studies, there would be nights he needed to … not sleep. To stay awake to study or complete a design overnight. When that happened, he would drink coffee. Pots of it. He told me that the coffee kept his mind and body alert and allowed him to work through the night.”
Jane glared down at the cup while her thoughts raced. She recalled how she had begun having trouble sleeping. Then how she had developed a routine of drinking coffee in the afternoon because it helped her feel better when she had had too little sleep. Then how she started drinking it before dinner when she grew so weary her eyelids threatened to seal of their own accord during dinner.
“Damn!” She gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth as she realized she had just cursed in the presence of a lady. Her twin brothers, Oliver and Max, were little terrors with a large vocabulary of uncouth words they liked to use when their parents were out of earshot, so Jane knew many words that were not fit for polite company. She rarely used them, but her lack of sleep and gloomy mood …
Aurora shook her head, raising a hand to wave her lack of concern. “It is all right. We are all family here.”
“I think you are right! The coffee is causing me to stay awake. I have never had trouble sleeping before. In fact, my family has always expressed their envy that I could sleep anytime and anywhere!”
“What do you plan to do?”
“What would you suggest?” Jane found she really did desire input from the older woman. She missed having Emma or her mother to talk to, and Aurora made her feel at ease. Then, too, she respected that this woman had survived years of censure to keep her family together. Aurora could so easily have done what other women would have done in her position—had her child raised by strangers to protect her reputation.
“I would recommend you stop drinking it if your sleep is so poor.”
Jane bit her lip. It would seem the only method of confirming that the coffee was the cause of her insomnia would be to stop drinking it and observe if her sleep improved. “I shall do that, then. I thank you for advising me.”
Aurora nodded. “I must warn you that when Barclay stopped drinking coffee, there was some trouble.”
“What kind of trouble?” Jane was already agitated at the thought that she had to give up the dark brew, which was currently the only joy she had felt all day. Now there was to be more to the problem? She shuddered.
“Barclay complained of experiencing the worst cravings when he stopped drinking it. He also complained of headaches for several days, which only were improved with a small amount of coffee. To hear him speak of it … it put me in mind of the troubles that some people have with laudanum … to a lesser degree, of course. I feel it is worth mentioning in case you notice any effects.”
Jane dropped her head into her hands. “What have I done?”
“Do not trouble yourself. My mother was from Florence, and she told me it was commonplace for young men there to become reliant on coffee.”
“How long will it take to recover?”
“Only a few days after you stop drinking it. Just expect some headaches and perhaps a foul temperament as a result.”
“Thank you.”
“It is nothing. I felt I had to tell you about it.”
Jane pushed the coffee away and then pulled her plate back. Resolutely, she forced herself to eat. “How has your stay been so far?”
Aurora beamed. “Excellent. The earl and the countess are so gracious. It has been wonderful to enjoy such exalted company.”
“I am so happy to hear that. I do not wish to be indelicate, but I think it is quite unfair for a lovely lady such as yourself to …” Jane was not sure how to finish the sentence.
“To be cast out of good society because of a mistake I made once as a child?”
“Um … yes. I apologize. It is just that my cousin Kitty—Ethan’s mother—was in your position. There are barely any consequences for the father, yet the mother is never allowed to forget she erred.”
Aurora sighed. “I am fortunate that my family supported me as your family supported Ethan and his mother. It is difficult for me, but it is Barclay who has had to live under that cloud of shame his entire life. He is blameless, yet it still affects him and Tatiana. He has struggled with it, and I would do anything to ease his burden.”
“He has struggled?”
“Very much so. He blames himself. I was overjoyed when the earl came to find him to acknowledge him as his brother. It will balance out over time—that he is a brother of a powerful earl cannot be ignored. My father is very pleased about the improvement in Barclay’s situation.”
“I am so happy to hear that.”
“More than that, I want to see Barclay make a suitable match. My son relied on his late wife more than he cares to admit. It has been difficult for him, and this new connection to the earl will open up new possibilities of courtship.”
