Told me what? That she was having hallucinations? That she was seeing ghosts?
The possibilities hung in the air between us, and I couldn’t give voice to any of them. I wanted Catherine to tell me the truth from her perspective.
“I can see by the look on your face that Charles has already spoken with you.” Catherine still wore a smile, but it was wistful, and she couldn’t hold my gaze. “I’m all right, Alice. Really.”
Nurse Gray took that moment to clear her throat, and I didn’t know whether it was a coincidence or her way of letting me know Catherine was not all right. Either way, I ignored it.
I wanted to tell the woman to leave, but it was Catherine’s room and she was Catherine’s nurse, and it didn’t feel like my place.
“There is no look on my face. I’m just tired from travelling,” I lied. “I’ve been on a ship for too many days to count. I’m not even sure what month it is.”
Catherine rolled her eyes, but even that small movement seemed to cost her energy. “Did you write to Mama and Papa before coming?”
“Actually, I stayed with them for a night.”
Catherine’s eyes went wide, and for the first time since coming into the room, I caught a glimpse of the same level of alarm that had been in her telegram. The look was gone in an instant, but I’d seen it. She was afraid to know what I’d told them.
“I told them I wanted to come and visit you and Hazel. Mama wanted me to wait and come with her and Papa later, but I simply explained we needed some time alone as sisters, and they understood.”
“Papa maybe, but certainly not Mama.” Catherine laughed. “I’m surprised you made it out of the house at all.”
“Me too,” I admitted.
I wanted to ask Catherine what she’d been doing lately and how little Hazel was, but based on what I’d seen and heard thus far, my sister hadn’t been doing much beyond sleeping in this room. I was afraid if Catherine had to voice that reality, she would be embarrassed. So, instead of asking her questions, I talked about myself.
I told Catherine about my time in New York, leaving out the more excitable bits since Nurse Gray was still hovering in the corner, and about the letter I’d received from Sherborne Sharp.
“Did you write him back?”
I nodded. “Just before coming here. I’m sure he has gotten it by now.”
“Did you tell him you loved him, too?” Catherine’s eyes were wide and bright. She looked almost like the sister I’d always known. Almost.
I furrowed my brow. “Why would I say a silly thing like that? He didn’t tell me he loved me. It wouldn’t make any sense.”
“He nearly said it,” she scoffed. “He told you he cares about your safety and misses you when you aren’t around. That is love, dear little sister.”
“It’s friendship!”
Again, Catherine rolled her eyes and pursed her lips. “I’ve failed you as an older sister. Really, you should know better than that.”
She teased me a bit more before I managed to turn the subject back to my time in New York City, which unfortunately included the death of one of Catherine’s old friends.
“I’m sorry to have told you the information in a telegram, but I didn’t know what else to do,” I said. “I didn’t want you to find out some other way before a letter could arrive.”
Catherine laid her hand over mine and squeezed. “I’m just glad you told me. And I’m sorry you found her. That must have been horrible.”
Moisture filled my eyes, and I blinked it away. It had been weeks since the accident, and I hadn’t known the woman as well as Catherine had. Still, the trauma felt fresh in my mind, and I hadn’t realize until that moment how badly I’d needed someone to hold my hand and tell me all would be well.
“Mrs. Cresswell?”
We both jumped at Nurse Gray’s voice, having forgotten she was there.
Somehow, she’d silently stood from her chair and walked towards us without making a sound.
“Perhaps it is time to rest,” the nurse suggested.
Catherine’s shoulders fell in disappointment, and I looked from my sister to her nurse and back again, trying to understand their dynamic. I waited for Catherine to say something, to tell her nurse to leave us alone for a few moments. But she didn’t say anything.
My outspoken sister, who had always let people know exactly what she thought about them regardless of how it would embarrass or shame them, nodded her head in solemn agreement.
The scene was so absurd I could have laughed.
“I thought we could go for a walk before the sun sets,” I said suddenly, squeezing Catherine’s fingers before she could pull her hand away. “It is a lovely day.”
“A bit brisk,” Nurse Gray cut in.
“Nothing a warm shawl can’t fix.” I smiled at the nurse, and I hoped she could see the malice behind it. Whatever was going on in this house, I had the distinct feeling my sister’s nurse was doing more harm than good.
At my push back, Catherine seemed to come alive a bit. She sat up straighter and pushed her blankets aside. “Actually, I think a walk would be very good for me. I can’t remember the last time I was outside.”
“This morning,” Nurse Gray said. “I wheeled you out to the patio.”
Wheeled?
Catherine looked at me out of the corner of her eye, and then shook her head as if to dismiss a thought. “I would like to walk. I’m strong enough.”
I helped my sister shrug into a coat and shoes, and then she promptly stood up, grabbed my arm, and pulled me towards the door. “Come on, Alice. Let’s go.”
She was so determined, and I enjoyed the look of shock on Nurse Gray’s face so much that I didn’t mention to my sister that she was about to go on a walk through the moors of Yorkshire
