To Defy A Duke

Chapter 52

Eliza tosses and turns in her bed. The doctor leans over her and listens to the beat of her heart. He places a hand to her forehead but retracts it almost instantly, he takes one if her wrists in his hand and listens to her faint pulse. He picks up his notepad and scribbles a few words down. He turns around to find Thomas, Charlotte, and Benjamin right in front of him wearing identical expressions of worry. He clears his throat and looks pointedly to his leather medical bag, they all take a step back, he reaches into his bag and pulls out a small bottle of a thick white liquid.

"She has tuberculosis." He says solemnly. "Her fever has set in so there's not much I can give her but if she does wake, give her a teaspoon of this every few hours." 

He shoves the little bottle into Charlotte's hands. 

"I am afraid I cannot help with the hallucinations, coughing or vomiting until she is awake."

"Is there anything we can do?" Charlotte asks as Eliza turns over in bed and moans. 

"There's nothing you can do until her fever breaks, just keep her comfortable, try to cool her fever and make sure she drinks plenty of water." The doctor says as he packs up his equipment. "If her fever breaks call me immediately." 

"What if...." Charlotte's question chokes her throat. The doctor looks grim but he answers calmly.

"She has two days, if the fever hasn't broken by then, then it won't." 

The room is silent for a moment except for Eliza's breathing. 

"Thank you, doctor." Benjamin says finally, "I'll show you out."

They leave the room and Charlotte turns to her husband, tears in her eyes, he hugs her close to him. She sobs onto his dressing gown, he strokes her hair and holds her until she has no more tears left. 

"We need to send word to Jasper, he will want to be here." He says. "I'll do that now."

"I am going to stay with her," Charlotte says, giving her husband a quick kiss, Thomas is almost out of the door when she voices a feared question. 

"Do you think she will make it?"

Thomas grimaces but doesn't turn to face her. "She fought it once, she can do it again."

Charlotte nods, she watches Eliza shudder and fidget in the bed. Her face is white as ice and she is shuddering violently. Charlotte opens the wardrobe in the room and takes out four blankets and pillow, she places three of the blankets on top of Eliza and makes herself a rough bed on the carpet out of the other. She lies down on the listens to her friend's slight moans. Charlotte closes her eyes and tries to concentrate on her own beating heart than her friends failing one. 

Thomas shuts the front door on the messenger, he leans against the door for a moment. Servants run past him with bowls of water, cloths, and blankets. Thomas hasn't seen Benjamin since he saw the doctor out, he passes through the corridors, he decides that his night warrants him a drink, he heads down to the kitchen to find one of his prize bottles of whiskey instead he finds Benjamin sitting in the corner of the kitchen with a glass of whiskey. The bottle of whiskey sits on the table, a third empty, it is the cheap one that the chef uses for cooking, strong and harsh. Benjamin looks up as Thomas joins him on the floor.

"Why didn't.....?" He trails off, unsure what to even ask.

"Charlotte said that they fell out, Eliza thought some space would be good so she left on her own."

Benjamin lets out a half-strangled sob, his tears drop into the amber drink.

"I can't lose her." He cries. Thomas just sits silently, he places his hand on Benjamin's shoulder who cries even harder. They sit until the clock strikes half three in the morning, the whiskey bottle is now down to one fifth. Thomas stands up and stretches his spine, his legs feel weak. 

"Get some sleep, you are welcome to stay here." He says, "Charlotte's staying with her, I'll update you if necessary."

Benjamin sniff and nods, he struggles to stand so Thomas pulls him up, he sways slightly but doesn't collapse, he leaves the kitchen taking the bottle of whiskey with him. Thomas walks back up to the room, his wife is sleeping on the floor, he steps over her to where a maid is crouched by the bed, she is cooling Eliza's forehead with a damp cloth. She looks shattered as she dampens the cloth and wipes it across Eliza's face, her kneeling position must be very uncomfortable.

"I'll take over." He whispers to her, "Go back to sleep."

She nods her thanks and hands him the bowl of ice water and the cloth, she shuts the door as she leaves. On the side table, there are a few more cloths, the medicine, and a tea set. Eliza murmurs something and fidgets. He dips one of the rags into the water, wrings it out and places it on her burning forehead. She mutters something incoherent, the fever has taken hold of her completely, she shudders but is also sweating. Thomas takes off three of the blankets and chucks them in a corner. He moves a chair from the corner of the room and places it next to the side table, he settles in. Charlotte stirs from the floor at the sound and sits up.

"Is everything alright?" She asks, 

"Everything is fine." He reassures her, "Why don't you back to our room?"

She shakes her head, her face has lost its bright complexion and there is no light in her eyes. 

"I am staying with her."

From the determined look on her face, Thomas reasons that there is no use arguing.

"At least try to sleep." He whispers. 

Charlotte lies back down on her pillow but her eyes remain open. 

"Charlotte?" A thought occurs to him. 

"Mmmh." She rolls onto her stomach to look at him, her eyelids droop. 

"Before she fainted, Eliza said to me, Charlotte, baby." 

Charlotte's eyes snap open in alarm. 

"She did?" 

"Yes, do you know what she meant?"

"I have no clue, it was probably the fever taking hold, the doctor did say that she might hallucinate. " She lies smoothly, her heart beating fast. 

Satisfied with her answer Thomas doesn't bug her, he nods to himself and watches Eliza breathe shallowly. Charlotte's heart hasn't calmed down yet, the escape was to close for comfort. The silence lulls her to sleep with Thomas watching over both of them. Around six, Eliza's condition hasn't changed and Thomas has sunk into a light sleep. 

The night creeps by and the dark sky bleeds into a glowing pink and orange sky. Eliza is still tossing restlessly as Thomas comes to his neck aching from the angle he slept in. His wife is sleeping soundly on the floor, her hair spewed across her face. He steps over her and leaves to the room to fetch Charlotte breakfast and replace the towels and bring up some fresh water. Before he can get very far he hears hushed whispers downstairs in the hall. Thomas walks down the stairs, Benjamin stands there in a quiet argument with a man in a ruffled coat and ripped cap. They both stop talking as they notice his approach.

"What is going on?" He asks. Benjamin gestures to the stranger to explain, the man takes his cap off in respect and lower his head. 

"My lord I was sent to deliver a message to Duke Harrington in Oxford." His voice is rough and cracked. 

"And?" Thomas says impatiently. 

"He wasn't there."