Stowaway (A Pirate Novel) (Completed)

Chapter 53 Mint Tea

Elle woke slowly. She lay on her side in her room. The blanket pulled over her. She blinked as her gaze took in the white wall. With a thumb she wiped the sleep from her puffy eyes. There was no moment of sudden remembrance. It was there as if it had clung to her even in sleep.

Her mouth held a bitter taste and her stomach still felt like a swarm of bees had taken up residence. Her skin felt damp and too warm. But before she could shove the covers away she heard movement.

"Rachel?" A voice said behind her. Elle turned, used to the new name.

Sister Juliet sat in a chair by the bed. Her concerned blue eyes accented by her pale face. The fabric of the habit obscured her hair from view, Elle would say the woman's hair to be blonde or light brown at a guess.

The chair hadn't been there before. It sat there now with a large woven basket on the floor beside it. The basket looked full of scraps of dull and colorful fabric.

"Are you okay?" She asked as she placed the quilt block in a basket by the chair. Elle nodded. "Sister Abigail will be glad you're okay." The nun smiled. "She was so concerned. She said the two of you were talking and suddenly you got the most pained looked. She wasn't sure what ails you. We called a doctor. He should be back this afternoon."

At the mentioned of a doctor Elle sat up.

"Oh, no." She assured the other woman. "I don't need a doctor." She scrambled to come up with a plausible lie. "I'm fine. It's... I'm... I think it's just close to," she blushed, unable to voice the half-truth.

"I'm sorry, dear. Father Leo insisted. He said even if you seem fine when you wake we were to take no chances." She smiled reassuringly.

There was a knock on the door. The knob turned and a nun entered carrying a tray."Good. You're awake." She said as she entered the room. "You're to stay in bed." She said when Elle moved to help her. Her voice was kind but there was no room for arguments.

Elle settled back on the bed. "Yes, sister." She muttered. The woman placed the tray on the bed and told Elle to eat at least half of it. She then left with a nod to Sister Juliet

Moments later Elle's heart swelled in gratitude. The tray held utensils, dry toast, a copper pot of mint tea, a bowl of sugar, a bit of butter, a bowl of fresh blueberries and a bowl of hot, white, fluffy rice. Wonderful.

Elle stirred a spoonful of sugar in a cup of tea and took a grateful sip. She covered the food with the copper dome to keep it warm. After a few sips her stomach seemed to settle.

"Does the tea help?" Sister Juliet inquired. Elle made sounds of contentment. "My grandmother used to give us mint tea and toast when we were ill." The nun smiled in rememberance.

Elle had similar memories of her father. Thinking of him now called up the longing. Before she could start crying she shoved all those personal thoughts away.

"It's better then the bean soup planned for dinner tonight." Elle said jokingly.
Sister Juliet frowned. Her eyes studied Elle. "That was last night."

"Last night?" Elle said. She had been sure it that it was night.

"You slept for almost twenty hours, Ms. Rachel."

Elle sat the cup down on the tray. Nuns don't lie. Why would she have slept so long. She had been upset but that couldn't cause that. Surely.

"We a bathed you with cool water to bring down the fever." She glanced at the small table. A bowl and cloth sat atop it. "The doctor thinks you got sick from being around one of the ships crew. He's not sure what it is but said if you woke today you'd most likely be fine in a few days."

The doctor had been wrong. Elle was not fine in a few days. The only things her body would tolerate were mint tea, dry toast, sweetened rice, and chicken broth. All other substances that passed her lips were detained to pass them again in less then an hour. The fever lingered on and off. Some nights she woke in a bot sweat that made brain mush.

It was a week later that she was able to put a small amount of butter on her toast. A day later she kept down the slices of strawberries on her rice. That night she wasn't as lucky as she became sick shortly after eating chicken soup. Within two weeks she was much better. She no longer vomited or dealt with the fever.

She still felt weak after the two week sickness, little food, fever, and confinement in bed. The doctor advised her to stay in her room another day to be sure she was well. That afternoon she discarded his advice. Sister Juliet, her near constant companion the last two weeks, sat beside her on a bench.

Elle had her face tilted up. The sun warmed her cheeks. She took a deep breath of the fragrant smells. She reviled in the scent of trees and plants, mint and lavender. "This is wonderful." Elle said out loud.

"The weathers getting cooler. Winter is coming." Juliet said looking at the branches of a tree.

The next few weeks passed slowly. Elle had never been able to sit idly. She wondered the grounds, worked in the garden, the kitchen and read in the library, she would have volunteered to work in the orphanage but had been told it wasn't allowed. Still her mind found the idle nature boring. She found herself thinking too often of the crew and the captain. Mostly her thoughts lingered on the captain. Her newly discovered feelings making her heart speed up.

Today she sat in the library sipping mint tea and reading a book of poetry.

"Rachel? There you are. Father Leo request your presence."

Elle closed the book and sat it on the seat beside her. She stood. "Have I done something wrong?" She asked. She had met the preist only twice. Once when she arrived with Harv and a second time the day after she woke up ill.

The nun, who's name Elle couldn't remember lifted a brow. "I don't know, have you?" Her tone made it clear she wouldn't be surprised if she had.

"N-no. I. I'll just," she reached for the tea set but the nun waved her away.

"Leave it. He's waiting."

Elle gave her a nod and hurried out of the library. Her skirts swished about her legs as she moved quickly down the hallway.

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