And now, the real possibility of living through that again threatened to overwhelm Serena. When her sisters were out of earshot, she succumbed to her own fear of losing Papa and what that would mean, and quietly sobbed into a pillow. She must not allow Julianne and Rachel to see how worried she was.
Mercifully, in the early hours of the morning, Papa’s fever broke. The fact brought relief, but he would still have much recovery ahead of him. He slept deeply and for extended periods of time, with little energy to converse when he did wake.
‘You’re here,’ he murmured when he was lucid enough to recognise her.
‘Yes, Papa. Always.’ Serena smiled affectionately at him.
He swallowed, with obvious difficulty. His throat must have been so dry. ‘But, I thought ...’
‘Hush.’ She held a cup to his lips, which he sipped gratefully. Serena held back a sigh of regret and disappointment, and forced another smile. ‘As it turns out, they didn’t need me as much as they thought.’
Papa seemed to accept this and soon dropped back to sleep.
Later that day, a knock reverberated through the house. Assuming it was the doctor come to check on Papa, Serena sent Julianne to the door. But when she returned to the bedroom, she shook her head. ‘Just a parcel from Aleron House, returned with the courier I sent yesterday.’
‘Oh,’ Serena nodded. ‘I suppose I left everything behind when I rushed out of there.’
‘Why did you leave in such a hurry if you weren’t running to our side?’
She fidgeted with the lace trim on the bed quilt, and keeping her eyes lowered, shrugged her shoulders. ‘I cannot say, Julianne. Something happened, and I had to leave at a moment’s notice, but please do not ask more of me.’
She lifted her head to find her sisters watching her. Clearly, they wanted more information. She could see the questions flashing across their faces. ‘It matters not, anyway. What matters is us, our family, and seeing Papa well again.’
All eyes returned to her father. For now, she had successfully diverted their attention away from Edward King and Aleron House.
Papa’s recovery was slow, and while he convalesced, Serena kept herself busy keeping house. As the weeks passed, it became clear that ongoing complications from the fever were here to stay. He often complained of pain in his knees and hands. He often became short of breath and succumbed to fits of coughing. Eventually the doctor pronounced that Papa suffered from the rheumatism. There was no guarantee he would ever fully recover and Serena worried over how he would continue to provide for the family. They needed her now more than ever.
Serena tried to hide her fears as they spent many hours reminiscing over days gone by when they lived in the big house and Mama was still with them. So many happy memories, like buried treasure.
Serena released a wistful sigh. Those days when she believed her dreams were a future reality, not just the fantastical imaginings of a child. And those dreams came crashing down when Mama died and then Papa despaired for so long, resulting in so much loss. But, she shouldn’t dwell on the past. She must focus on the present. A handsome, broody face popped into her mind. Especially not on possibilities with Edward. Only now mattered.
With another sigh, Serena gathered empty teacups from around Papa’s chair in the parlour, and the half-empty pot of tea, long gone cold. It was time to clean dishes, and perhaps wash the linen, if the weather permitted. She shivered as she peered out the window. A fine mist of rain fell from heavy clouds. Perhaps she might hang a few small items in front of the stove and the fireplace.
As Serena placed a tea cup on the tray, her eyes alighted on a discarded parcel in the corner. Oh, she had forgotten about that. The package the courier brought back from Aleron weeks ago. She had never thought to unpack her belongings amidst the trials with Papa. After taking the tray to the kitchen, she took the parcel to her bedroom, and placed it on the bed to open it. It was a large bundle, larger than she remembered come to think of it, and why they hadn’t put her things in her bag and sent that, she wasn’t sure. Serena untied the strings and pulled the brown paper away from the contents. She caught a folded letter as it slid from the pile of garments. Opening the folds, she at once recognised Edward’s hand, and recognised the scent of tobacco and cinnamon that must have been on his fingers. Her heart fluttered and her breath quickened. What had he to say to her?
My dearest Serena,
I wish to apologise most sincerely for the way I spoke to you last. My behaviour was reprehensible and unforgivable. You did not deserve to be sent away in such a harsh fashion. If I could justify myself, I would beg your forgiveness and ask you to return, but I shall not. I cannot. You have only ever shown me kindness, and I have repaid you with contempt and insult.
So, all I shall do is offer this gift and release you from any obligation. You shall never hear from me again and your father can be at peace. I will not inform the police of his trespass. I hold you in too high esteem to put any further burden on you than I already have.
Please accept this as a token of my earnest remorse and believe me when I say I love you with all my heart. I do solemnly wish things had ended better between us. One thing I ask of you, Serena—try to remember me
