A Chaotic Courtship (Rough Draft)

Chapter Thirteen

"You have quite the lump forming there," she said, kneeling in front of me. "Now look at me and follow my finger."

She held her finger close to my face and moved it from side to side, seemingly satisfied with how I reacted. "It doesn't look too bad. I shall send Mary to help you settle in while I see Mr. Richfield out. I will be back."

I hadn't realized he was still in the room and I lifted my head. For the first time, I saw the concern on his face. "Thank you," I said. Somehow, the words felt inadequate, but I couldn't think of anything else to say.

"It was my pleasure, Miss Forester," he said, stepping forward. He took my hand and brought it to his lips as he bowed, but froze for a moment. "Not that you were injured. That I was able to help. I return to see how you are feeling tomorrow."

I managed a smile as Mother shooed him out. I moved to unlace my boots but decided bending over was not a good idea when my head pounded. Instead, I waited for the maid to help me. Thankfully, I only had to wait a few moments.

"Oh, Miss Diana!" Mary, a maid who had worked in our home for as long as I could remember, exclaimed as she bustled into the room. "Let's get you tucked away. The mistress said you hit your head, and what you need is some rest and a great deal of quiet."

She kept talking as she unlaced my boots and pulled them off my feet. Apparently peace and quiet did not include her. I couldn't complain, though, because she helped me undress. In a matter of minutes, she had me in bed, the drapes pulled tightly closed, and the room thankfully dim.

"Thank you, Mary," Mother said as she came in, interrupting a story about what the cook had planned for dinner. Mary bobbed a curtsy and left the room. Mother took a seat on the edge of the bed. "How do you feel?"

"I have the worst headache imaginable. And I feel like a fool."

"A fool? Why?"

I shouldn't have said anything. Now I had to think about the reason. "This is my fault, right? I slipped on something and fell, didn't I?" That was the only thing that made any sense. Far too often, I tripped over my own feet. But Mother was frowning, so that must not have been what happened. "Mother? What is it?"

"Don't worry about it, Diana," Mother said, avoiding my question. She leaned over and kissed my forehead. "I will keep Sarah out of here. You get some rest, and I will check on you later."

Sleep sounded wonderful. I closed my eyes and pulled the blanket up closer to my chin. Maybe all of this would make sense when I had some rest.

****

There was no way of knowing how long I had been sleeping. I could recall having some strange dreams, the content of which I did not remember. The sound of Will and Sarah's voices was what woke me up. "Mother says we're not supposed to be in here," Will said softly.

Sarah's slightly louder response soon followed. "It's my room too! I can be in here if I want!"

Thankfully, my head was no longer pounding; however, it still was one of the worst headaches I had ever had. I knew if I didn't open my eyes Sarah and Will would keep arguing. And their whispers were becoming louder and louder.

"Would you two stop?" I asked, peeking open one eye. The room was still dim, but I could see the flicker of a candle on the dressing table.

"Oh, good, you're awake!" Sarah exclaimed, bouncing on the bed. "I thought you were going to sleep all day."

Will snorted. "She did sleep all day. It's well past dinner time. And Mother will not be happy you woke her up."

"She woke herself up!"