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Authors: Tricia Schneider
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different from the girl he left behind. Like another woman. The difference reflected in her eyes. The warm gentleness of untried youth had vanished, and in its place resided a serious, worldly gaze. The eyes of a wounded woman. A woman heartsick with grief.
With her father dead, she had no home. No prospects for a decent future or an advantageous marriage. If his aunt had not rescued her from the streets… Basil shuddered to think what might have become of her.
His shudder seemed to restart the shivers that for a moment had subsided.
“Bloody hell!” he muttered as he fought to force his muscles to obey his commands. For a short time in the beginning he managed to delay the shivers, to mask his symptoms and other signs of the disease. But no longer. With each passing year, with the sunset of each day, he grew weaker as the disease grew stronger. And Basil knew what would happen one day, if he didn’t find the cure.
“Basil, what is this? What’s happened to you?”
He glanced at her face. Her eyes were wide with worry and concern and a trace of fear. That she held any compassion for him at all amazed him. He never gave her any explanation of why he left. He never even said good-bye. She had every right to refuse to ever speak to him again.
Yet, here she stood, by his side, worrying over him.
He sighed. This very situation he had tried to avoid ten years ago. He didn’t want anyone to worry over him.
“It’s nothing,” he said, fighting to sound blasé as if this were such a trivial thing. “Comes and goes. Nothing to fret over, my dear. A good night’s rest is all the cure I need.”
Oh, if only that were true!
“Basil.”
The doubt in her voice cut through his heart. For a moment, he felt weak enough to tell her the truth. He imagined how relieved his shoulders would feel to tell someone else of his troubles, his fears and grief. To share the pain and heartsickness instead of holding it bottled inside him until he burst.
He looked into her green eyes. Such a lovely shade of jade. Like the precious gems he collected during his brief stay in China years ago. The moment he had seen those gems, he’d thought of Julia.
No, he could not burden her with his secrets. She held too much pain already from her father. He would not add to that grief.
“I just need sleep, Jules.”
She tilted her head to the side as if to argue.
“I promise you, I’ll feel better in the morning.”
Julia sighed, heavily. Releasing his hand, she folded her arms across her chest.
“Very well,” she said. “And how do you presume to traverse to your room if you cannot walk? I’m not adverse to carrying you, but it might seem awkward if someone should see us.”
“I’m a bit much for you, aren’t I?” Basil regarded her tiny frame against his larger one. When standing, the top of her head barely touched his chin.
“We’ll make do.” She placed her hands on her hips with determination. Then her face brightened with an idea. “Unless you know the spell I spoke of? I’ve seen your aunt use it on those days when her knees ached something terrible. She can disappear and reappear in her room. Do you know the spell?”
He did. It was something he learned years ago. It was also something that took a great deal of strength and concentration. Both, he severely lacked at the moment.
“I do. But, in my condition, I doubt I could muster the strength to transport to the library door let alone the chamber above us.”
“Oh,” Julia said, crestfallen. Then she rallied. “Well, we do what we must then, shall we?”
He smiled at her determination. “I suppose.”
“Come along,” she said, holding her hands out. “Best get to it.”
He smiled, grimly.
Taking her arm, he allowed her to assist in hoisting him up.
****
It took a great deal of strength to help Basil walk to the doors and into the corridor. He began stumbling just as they arrived at the foot of the stairs. When they stopped at the bottom and looked
With her father dead, she had no home. No prospects for a decent future or an advantageous marriage. If his aunt had not rescued her from the streets… Basil shuddered to think what might have become of her.
His shudder seemed to restart the shivers that for a moment had subsided.
“Bloody hell!” he muttered as he fought to force his muscles to obey his commands. For a short time in the beginning he managed to delay the shivers, to mask his symptoms and other signs of the disease. But no longer. With each passing year, with the sunset of each day, he grew weaker as the disease grew stronger. And Basil knew what would happen one day, if he didn’t find the cure.
“Basil, what is this? What’s happened to you?”
He glanced at her face. Her eyes were wide with worry and concern and a trace of fear. That she held any compassion for him at all amazed him. He never gave her any explanation of why he left. He never even said good-bye. She had every right to refuse to ever speak to him again.
Yet, here she stood, by his side, worrying over him.
He sighed. This very situation he had tried to avoid ten years ago. He didn’t want anyone to worry over him.
“It’s nothing,” he said, fighting to sound blasé as if this were such a trivial thing. “Comes and goes. Nothing to fret over, my dear. A good night’s rest is all the cure I need.”
Oh, if only that were true!
“Basil.”
The doubt in her voice cut through his heart. For a moment, he felt weak enough to tell her the truth. He imagined how relieved his shoulders would feel to tell someone else of his troubles, his fears and grief. To share the pain and heartsickness instead of holding it bottled inside him until he burst.
He looked into her green eyes. Such a lovely shade of jade. Like the precious gems he collected during his brief stay in China years ago. The moment he had seen those gems, he’d thought of Julia.
No, he could not burden her with his secrets. She held too much pain already from her father. He would not add to that grief.
“I just need sleep, Jules.”
She tilted her head to the side as if to argue.
“I promise you, I’ll feel better in the morning.”
Julia sighed, heavily. Releasing his hand, she folded her arms across her chest.
“Very well,” she said. “And how do you presume to traverse to your room if you cannot walk? I’m not adverse to carrying you, but it might seem awkward if someone should see us.”
“I’m a bit much for you, aren’t I?” Basil regarded her tiny frame against his larger one. When standing, the top of her head barely touched his chin.
“We’ll make do.” She placed her hands on her hips with determination. Then her face brightened with an idea. “Unless you know the spell I spoke of? I’ve seen your aunt use it on those days when her knees ached something terrible. She can disappear and reappear in her room. Do you know the spell?”
He did. It was something he learned years ago. It was also something that took a great deal of strength and concentration. Both, he severely lacked at the moment.
“I do. But, in my condition, I doubt I could muster the strength to transport to the library door let alone the chamber above us.”
“Oh,” Julia said, crestfallen. Then she rallied. “Well, we do what we must then, shall we?”
He smiled at her determination. “I suppose.”
“Come along,” she said, holding her hands out. “Best get to it.”
He smiled, grimly.
Taking her arm, he allowed her to assist in hoisting him up.
****
It took a great deal of strength to help Basil walk to the doors and into the corridor. He began stumbling just as they arrived at the foot of the stairs. When they stopped at the bottom and looked
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