The plan came to me the moment Nurse Gray walked into Catherine’s room.
Her eyes had been narrowed in displeasure, like she was our mother and had caught us sneaking puddings before dinner. But when I’d told her our revelation, she’d been amazed. As had Catherine.
“What are you doing?” my sister had whispered as we walked down the stairs to the sitting room, the rest of the household gathering at the behest of Nurse Gray, who was eager to show off the success of all of her work.
Catherine didn’t have as many worries now that Hazel was in her arms, though. Her daughter was bouncing on her lap, her husband was stroking his finger along her knee, and for the first time in a very long time, there were smiles in the room.
Except for Camellia.
“Is this really true, Catherine?” she asked softly. “You seemed so certain of your story just earlier this week when your sister arrived. What changed your mind?”
“Clearly it was Alice,” Charles said, winking at me. “Catherine called for her sister because she knew what she needed more than we did. Alice arrived and helped set things right.”
“But just last night—”
Charles cleared his throat and turned on his sister, shaking his head. Everyone knew what had happened last night, but he still didn’t want to dampen the happy moment with talk of the past. Which was how I knew no one in this house would ever talk about Catherine’s accident again if I didn’t do it. They would never think twice about the shadows and the robes and the blow to Catherine’s head, because it was easier not to.
Which was exactly why the task had now fallen to me.
“Alice and Nurse Gray both helped me tremendously,” Catherine said, tipping her head towards the nurse. “Without her care, I likely wouldn’t have survived my accident.”
Nurse Gray stepped out of the shadows and smiled, grateful for the recognition, though I could see the reality of her situation dawning. Soon enough, she’d be released from her position and sent to the next house.
“Speaking of my duties, it is time to tend to Miss Beckingham’s injuries.” The nurse laid a hand on my shoulder and directed me out of my chair and towards the stairs, tipping her head to her employers who were cuddling their baby girl in their laps. Camellia Cresswell was the only one who watched us go, her brow lowered in thought.
Nurse Gray wasn’t the only one who would be out of a job soon. Now that Hazel’s mother was cured, Camellia would once again be simply an aunt. I wondered how the women would acclimate to their new roles.
12
Catherine’s recovery was announced on Saturday, and by Sunday, she was ready to get out of the house.
“I haven’t been into town in too long to remember, and I haven’t set foot in the little church even longer than that,” she said.
“She was so uncomfortable at the end of her pregnancy that we didn’t even consider making the drive into the village,” Charles explained to me as he handed his wife another scone with a large dollop of cream atop it.
“Now,” Catherine continued eagerly, adding a spoonful of jam before taking a large bite. “I want everything to return to the usual.”
Charles clapped his hands together, smiling like I hadn’t seen him smile since my arrival. “In that case, it seems like today would be a lovely day for us all to attend services together.”
Catherine nodded in agreement.
“All of us?” Camellia asked.
For a moment, I thought she was asking whether she would be going with them, but then she turned to me, and I understood. Her eyes flicked from the large scratch I knew was on my forehead to the series of smaller scratches along my chest and neck.
“I don’t think I’m feeling up to it today,” I said, saving everyone the awkward conversation of whether or not I should attend. Not only did I not want to explain to a group of strangers that I’d scratched up my arms and face while running from ghosts through the moors, but I also wouldn’t mind the time alone. With Camellia, Nurse Gray, Charles, and now, even Catherine, constantly watching me and monitoring me as though I was a spy sent to ferret information out of the house rather than a guest invited to come here, having time to myself where I didn’t have to constantly fret over what I said and did would be nice.
“Nurse Gray can stay with her,” Charles said, laying a hand over Catherine’s, easing her concerns before they could even be spoken.
Catherine frowned. “But she hasn’t been to a service for just as long as I have. And you know how devout she is.”
“I do not need a nurse,” I said. “Nurse Gray helped me clean and dress some of the deeper cuts this morning, and they won’t need any tending until this evening. I can manage myself.”
“Are you sure?” Catherine asked.
“Yes,” Camellia agreed. “I don’t know if it is wise to leave her here alone.”
“She will be fine,” I said, doing my best not to roll my eyes at Camellia. I had never enjoyed being spoken of in the third person, and I especially didn’t like when it was done by Camellia. “I’m a grown woman, remember. I know how to keep myself busy for a few hours. All of you, go into the village and stay as long as you like. I’ll find ways to occupy my time.”
And once everyone was dressed—Catherine donning a fashionable crepe paper dress that fell in tight ruffles around her shins and a cloche hat with a matching green flower—they loaded into the car and pulled away, leaving me
