Charles walked into his study, leaving the door open behind him. He dropped down into his chair with a sigh and ran a hand down his face. There appeared to be a patch of gray hairs clustered at his temple, hiding amongst the blonde. “She takes several naps.”
“Every day?” I asked, trying to remember a time when Catherine had ever napped. “That cannot be normal. Have you spoken with a doctor? Sleeping that much could signify another issue? She looked pale. Perhaps, she is suffering with some illness and it is making her tired and delirious and—”
“She is given a sleeping draught several times a day,” Charles explained, holding up a hand to quiet my rush of concerns. “She takes it willingly, and it makes things easier.”
“On whom?” The charge was out of my mouth before I could pull it back in, and for the first time since we met at the train station, Charles didn’t look sad or tired. He looked angry.
His nostrils flared, and he stood up, palms flat on the desk. “I’ve done everything I can to care for your sister—my wife—and I am doing my best. There is a new baby to look after—”
“Who I still haven’t seen yet,” I added. I’d only just arrived, and biting my tongue seemed like the wise thing to do in this case, but I couldn’t do it. Not after seeing my sister wasting away in a dark bedroom. “And who was the woman in the room with her?”
“Nurse Gray,” Charles snapped back. “She has been caring for Catherine diligently for months.”
“Have you seen improvement?”
Charles pressed his lips together, and I knew the answer.
“Has she grown worse?”
His lips were mashed together so tightly they were white. I pinched the bridge of my nose and shook my head. “Something must be done, Charles. Catherine is wasting away up there.”
“You’ve only just arrived, Alice!” Charles snapped.
I stepped back, surprised by the outburst, and Charles released a sharp exhale through his nose. Then, he flopped down into his chair. “I’m sorry, but you don’t know the entire situation, Alice. Ask Catherine. Go and speak with her for yourself, and you’ll see what I mean. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“I would speak with her, but there is a woman guarding her bed.” My voice was still sharp, but I looked down at the floor as I delivered the words. I wanted to be angry and blame someone for the uncomfortable scene I’d witnessed, but it was clear to me that person couldn’t be Charles. He looked like a man fresh from battle, battered and exhausted. He needed help, which was why I’d been asked to come. Not to beat up on him even more. “I’m sorry.”
He waved my apology away. “Just try and help your sister. Please.”
“I’ll try my best.”
And I would.
As she said she would, Nurse Gray came down half an hour later to tell Charles that Catherine was awake. I overheard the announcement and rose from where I’d been waiting on the sofa in the sitting room.
When Nurse Gray turned from Charles’ study door to go back upstairs, she studied me with narrowed, assessing eyes for a second and then disappeared without a formal introduction.
“You go on ahead,” Charles said. “Catherine will be anxious to see you.”
“Don’t you want to come with me?” I didn’t know why, but I was nervous to go and see my sister on my own. Charles had said repeatedly she wasn’t ill, but Catherine looked ill lying in that bed, and I’d never been good around the ailing or grieving. The humanity of it left me feeling small and inconsequential, and I never knew what to say.
Charles shook his head. “I’ll see Catherine later. You are the one she has been waiting for. Go ahead. Nurse Gray won’t throw you out of the room for awhile yet. You’d better see Catherine while you can.”
His mouth turned up in a small smile, letting me know he was only teasing, but I wondered how much of it was a joke? Considering Nurse Gray had just thrown us both out of the room half an hour ago, I took Charles at his word and walked up the stairs to see my sister.
The door was cracked open, and I could hear voices on the other side. I hesitated outside the door to try and listen in on the conversation, perhaps hear something that would help me better understand what was happening in this house.
As soon as I pressed my ear to the door, however, the voices stopped.
“You may come in,” Nurse Gray said.
My cheeks reddened, and I pushed the door open and stepped inside.
“Still eavesdropping after all these years?” Catherine’s voice was creaky from sleep, and her eyelids were still heavy, but she was sitting up in bed now, the blankets pooled around her waist. “Will you ever grow out of those nasty habits?”
“Never,” I said, grinning as I crossed the room.
I could see now that Catherine was not thin or undernourished. In fact, she was still slightly round in the middle from having given birth only a few weeks prior. Still, her lips were dry and colorless. As if reading my mind, she licked them and waved for me to sit next to her on the bed.
As I approached, I looked to Nurse Gray, expecting her to tell me to keep my distance, but even though it looked like that was exactly what she wanted to say, my sister’s nurse sat back in her rocking chair and took up her knitting.
“I’m so glad you’re here, Alice. I’ve missed you.” Catherine grabbed my hand, and I couldn’t remember the last time we’d shared such an intimate moment.
My relationship with my sister had always been warm, but we teased one another and played. Rarely ever did we divulge our deepest feelings. It felt strange, but given the circumstances, I indulged.
“I’ve missed you, too,” I said. “I came the second I received your
