“He’s never dealt with things like burying a servant.” Pain in the man’s voice was all too clear. “I don’t know what he’ll do.”
“It’s all right, Denley. Don’t worry at all.”
“Thank you,” he said, his voice growing even quieter. “If only I could get off this ship. If only the rocking would stop.”
Denley uttered his last coherent word, mumbling a bit after, and then fell asleep. Waiting a moment, Edward got out of bed, his heart pounding, to see if the man had died. His own heart thundered with relief to find him still breathing. He climbed back into his bunk, feeling like he’d run a marathon. Once on his back, he prayed.
You have a plan here, Lord. I’m sure of it. Please help me to know how I fit in. Please touch this faithful servant and heal his body. If that is not Your will, Lord, help me to know how to help Osborne. I can’t see him wanting my help. I’m not sure I would know how to go about it.
Edward prayed for quite some time. He thought sleep would come quickly, but it didn’t. He took time in the darkness of the cabin, with only the ship’s faint noises around him, to commit this entire situation to God and ask for His help in the hours that lay ahead.
“It’s Edward Steele.” Edward stood in front of Osborne’s door for the second day in a row.
“Just a moment” were the words that came from within, and Edward waited until the portal opened.
“How is he?” Osborne asked the moment he saw Edward.
“Very ill but still with us. I don’t wish to overstep here, but we should be docking in Lisbon in several hours. I think we’d better get him off this ship.”
Osborne nodded.
“What will that do to your travel plans?” Edward asked.
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll take him ashore as soon as we dock.”
“I’ll go with you. I know of an inn where he’ll be comfortable.”
“Thank you,” Osborne said, adding, “for everything.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll make sure he’s still resting and then go to breakfast. Feel free to check on him whenever you wish.”
Osborne nodded and shut the door. Turning his back on the portal, he leaned against it, his head tipped back as he stared unseeingly at a spot on the wall.
This had never happened before. In all these months and years of travel and being on the move, they had never been forced to contend with an illness.
Osborne thought about Edward Steele. It might have helped their cover to look like the three were traveling together, but not like this, not with Denley unwell.
And then there was the matter of their plans. Steele had asked about those. It wasn’t strictly true that their travel plans didn’t matter. As a matter of fact, Osborne’s plans were very important. It was crucial to be back in England by Christmas, but he could never follow a direct path to his destination. However, there was nothing he could do about that right now.
Realizing he’d been standing there speculating for far too long, Osborne finished dressing—pulling his shoes on and buttoning his vest. After reaching for his coat for warmth, he moved to the cabin next door.
“Good morning, Mr Steele,” Berneen and Maura Ryan greeted him the moment he set foot in the dining room.
“Good morning, ladies. Was last night a little more comfortable?”
“Yes,” they answered, looking very relieved. The seas had calmed in the night.
“I’m glad to hear it,” he said kindly, thinking they both looked better.
Edward sat down and began to work on breakfast. A single page of news print had been left on the table, so after Edward had fixed his plate and tea, he began to read. It was a few weeks old and not about England, but he still enjoyed it. He was almost done when he realized the Ryan sisters were watching him. Edward briefly wondered what he had missed but went back to his reading. A moment later, however, he glanced up and found their scrutiny still in place.
“Is everything all right, ladies?”
“We want to be terribly bold,” Maura admitted, “but we’re afraid.”
“Of what exactly?”
“Of asking you to escort us into Lisbon. We know it’s presumptuous and rude, but we would so like to see it.”
Edward smiled his kind smile, the one that usually put hearts at rest.
“As a matter of fact, ladies, I would have no objection to escorting you, but Mr Osborne’s man, Denley, is quite ill. I’ll be going with Osborne when he takes Denley to town.”
“How awful,” Berneen said sincerely. “Do you think you’ll be able to locate a doctor?”
“I think so. It will help to get the poor chap off this rocking boat. I’m certain of that.”
As disappointed as the women were, they truly understood. They didn’t question Edward further, allowing him to go back to the newspaper as he finished his meal and enjoyed one more cup of tea.
The Waldengrave family came for their breakfast as he was leaving, all seeming to be in better shape, but Edward didn’t tarry. He thought Denley or Osborne might need him and headed that way.
“Denley,” Osborne tried again, working not to panic. “Please wake up, Denley. Please.”
Osborne stopped speaking when he heard the door behind him, but he didn’t turn away from the top bunk and the pale face that concerned him.
“When was the last time he spoke to you?” Osborne wished to know.
“Just before I came to see you.”
Osborne nodded, relief filling him. Edward stepped up and took the ailing man’s wrist. His pulse was strong, but his skin was still hot to the touch.
“I’m going to find the captain,” Edward said. “I’ll tell him of our plans to head into Lisbon. Once there, I’ll go ahead and secure some type of carriage or other conveyance to transport him.”
Edward half expected this specimen of apparent royalty to object or take umbrage, but he only looked tired and relieved. It made Edward want to ask who he was and what he was about, but that was not important at the moment.
Denley feared he might not make it. Edward thought that if they didn’t find a doctor, the servant’s fears might prove to be correct.
Lisbon
The soft moans that came from Denley as he was transported off the ship were nothing short of pathetic. Edward’s heart twisted a little as he watched the pair of them: Osborne as erect and proper as always, but his eyes glued to his man’s miserable face, and Denley, so ill he was unaware of where he was or who was taking care of him. The ride was short, but when one was in pain, time always seemed to stand still.
The name of the inn was the Silver Cup. Edward had not actually stayed there, but on his previous visit he’d taken a meal in their great room and been treated with respect. When he’d gone ahead of Osborne and Denley to secure a cart, he’d also spoken for two rooms and was treated well.
“It’s just up ahead,” he told Osborne, who nodded.
“Easy,” Edward said to the driver, who took a hole in the road rather fast and elicited another moan from Denley.
“Sorry, sir,” the driver said, trying to sound as though he meant it. He wasn’t overly fond of waiting on royalty—they tended to tip as though they couldn’t afford it—but the man next to him seemed of a different caliber.
“Here we go.” Edward didn’t speak again until they were in front of the inn. Two servants came to their aid, and with a minimum of jostling, they transported Denley upstairs to a bed.
“Fetch a doctor,” Osborne commanded, speaking some of his first words since disembarking. He’d completely packed all of Denley’s and his own bags, clearly willing to wait for a ship after his man was back on his feet.
Edward noticed that he missed little. His eyes had scanned the men helping him and even checked to make sure all bags were in place. Denley’s words from the night about Osborne’s needing special care came rushing back. Edward could not figure out what the man might require. He seemed capable and quite aware of his needs. And he certainly wasn’t afraid to tell someone what he wanted.
/>
“We need some towels,” Osborne said, as though he’d read Edward’s mind.
“Very well, sir,” the innkeeper, now on hand, replied. “My wife can find a nurse if you need one.”
“The doctor and some towels will do for now.”
Someone was already arriving with the towels. The innkeeper handed them off to Osborne, not looking put out in the least over Osborne’s tone, before taking himself back out the door.
Edward stood back while Osborne discarded his coat and went to work. He opened Denley’s shirt, and using water from the basin, sat on the edge of the bed and began to bathe the servant’s face and neck.
“How old is Denley?” Edward asked.
“He’s 31.”
“Have you known him long?”
“Yes.”
“Has he been ill like this before?”
Osborne turned to look at him, his eyes a bit hostile.
“If you were a doctor, it would have helped to know that on the ship.”
“I’m not.” With that Edward became silent. Osborne went back to his ministrations.
“Mr Osborne,” Denley said weakly, finally coherent.
“It’s all right, Denley. I’m right here.”
“You mustn’t do that.”
“The doctor is on his way.”
Osborne stood and went back to the basin. He soaked the towel again and returned to the bed. Denley was now wide awake.
“We’re off the ship,” the servant said with wonder.
“Yes, we’re in Lisbon.”
“I didn’t pack our bags.”
“I took care of it.”
Osborne stopped for a moment, his hand going to Denley’s brow. The servant’s eyes closed—Edward couldn’t tell if it was in pain or with relief. Osborne went back to his gentle bathing and was still at it when there was a knock on the door. Edward answered it.
“I’m Dr Mora,” a man said in thickly accented English.
“Please come in,” Edward invited, standing back.
Osborne had also come away from the bed, his eyes watchful and guarded as the man approached. He introduced himself again and went directly to the patient.
He asked Osborne some of the very questions that Edward had wanted to ask. He listened to Denley’s breathing and said they might need to bleed him if the fever didn’t break.
Osborne said nothing to this, and Denley was sleeping again.
“Are you from the ship just into harbor?” the doctor asked as he repacked his bag.
“Yes.”
“Well, it will be leaving without this man.” He closed his bag with a snap. “Keep him comfortable. Try to get fluids into him. Call me if he’s worse before dark.”
“Thank you,” Osborne said shortly, not moving as the doctor saw himself to the door.
Denley chose that moment to groan. Osborne went to him, the cool cloth in hand once again.
Edward made his first move since entering the room. He walked to the other side of the bed where he could see Osborne’s face.
“You did get all of your belongings from the ship?”
“Yes,” Osborne answered without looking at him.
“I think you may be here for a time,” Edward commented, waiting. Osborne finally looked up at him. “Clearly Denley is very ill and needs time to recuperate. I don’t know what your time schedule is, but I will inform you that he’s afraid he’s going to die and leave you alone.”
Osborne’s eyes were glued to Edward’s, but he said not a word.
“He asked that I keep an eye on you if something should happen to him. He said you have special needs. I’m not going to pepper you with questions at this moment, but I think there’s one thing you should tell me.”
“What is that?” Osborne asked, his voice guarded.
“Why are you dressed as a man?”
Chapter Three
Osborne stood slowly and stared across the bed at Edward. Neither moved for a full minute. Finally, Osborne spoke.
“How did you know?”
“I have three sisters,” Edward said simply, his voice a bit dry.
Osborne’s hand came to her face. Who was this man? Could he be trusted? It was almost more than she could take in. Denley had never spoken to anyone in such a personal manner; she was sure of that. Why this man? Did he really feel that he was going to die?
Her eyes suddenly swept to the prone man on the bed. He was her friend and often her protector. The thought of him dying was almost more than she could bear.
“Are you going to tell me?” Edward pressed her.
“It’s complicated,” she said shortly, her eyes still on Denley even as the air of royalty fell away.
“I assumed as much,” Edward said, his voice not divulging any of his feelings.
Osborne looked at him. “It’s not fair of me to ask your discretion when I’m willing to say so little, but there is no point in my telling you anything.”
“I see.”
The room was silent for a moment, Edward seeing that he would get no more at the moment and Osborne still trying to recover from her surprise.
“Well, I’d best get back to the ship and gather my things.”
Osborne, whose mind had been casting about for something to say, turned swiftly in surprise.
“You’re staying here in Lisbon?”
“Not just in Lisbon, but right here in this inn. Denley asked me to look after you. I told him I would.”
Osborne was still framing a reply when Edward went for his hat and coat. “I’ll be back,” he said quietly before slipping out the door.
Osborne didn’t move from her spot for a long time. She had dealt with many unpleasant situations, but never something like this. Her eyes went to Denley again. He was out cold. If he wasn’t, she thought she might be tempted to cry on his shoulder.
“What made you decide to stay?” Captain Spencer asked before Edward could disembark.
“Denley might not make it. He’s very ill. I’m not sure that Osborne has dealt with burial details and such. I still think I’ll be home before Christmas so it won’t hurt to alter my plans a bit.”
“Well, the St James should pass this way in another week or so. Maybe you can find passage with her.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Edward didn’t waste any time. Needing the walk, his bag in hand, he set out for the inn. He didn’t know when he’d ever had an experience quite like this. It was only natural for him to wonder what was going on, but he couldn’t exactly force it out of Osborne.
Edward’s swift pace slowed to a crawl. He had absolutely no reason to believe her name was Osborne. If she could travel as a man, she could easily change her name. But none of that answered why. Was she guilty of something, or was she the victim?
Edward’s thoughts had been so active that he was back at the inn almost before he was ready. He entered, gave a small nod of his head to the proprietor, and then took the stairs that led to the rooms. He knocked quietly on the door and waited for Osborne to answer it.
She did so without comment or ceremony, stepping back to let him in and then shutting the door behind her.
“I don’t know if you should do this,” Osborne began.
Edward set his bag down and looked at her.
“I mean,” she tried again, “I don’t know what motive Denley had for asking you such a thing. You don’t need to take care of me.”
“When Denley is well enough to assure me that he can be the escort he’s been to you in the past, I shall go on my way.”
It was not what she wanted to hear, but she didn’t argue. On ship she had thought it might help to have a third member in their party, but she had not counted on this.
“Has he stirred?”
“Yes.” Her voice sounded relieved for the first time. “While you were gone he drank a bit of water.”
“Good. Do you want me to sit with him for a time?”
Osborne hesitated. She had just been thinking that she needed to t
ake care of a few things but hadn’t been willing to leave Denley alone.
“Are you certain?” she asked, unaccustomed as she was to help from anyone aside from Denley.
“Yes, very.”
Edward was headed to the chair by the bed when he noticed Osborne moving directly for the door.
“Wear your coat,” Edward commanded quietly.
Osborne looked down at the front of herself, checking to see if her vest still lay flat against her. When she found all in order, she looked back to Edward.
“You don’t look like a man from the back.”
She didn’t blush, at least not where Edward could notice, but her face told of her embarrassment. In truth, she rarely went out without some sort of long coat, but her distraction over Denley’s illness was very real.
Wishing she didn’t even have to turn her back to the room in order to retrieve the coat, she went for the garment and slipped into it the moment it was in her hands. She left the room without further word.
Edward looked down at Denley, his mind running in many directions. He simply couldn’t leave these two on their own; it went against every part of him. But with whom was he aligning himself? And how would he explain to his family if he landed himself in trouble with the law because his actions might be seen as aiding a criminal?
Playing the part of a young gentleman, when you were, in fact, a young gentlewoman, was something that took constant work, Osborne decided. Her guard had been down since arriving in Lisbon, and she knew she could not afford to relax. It was too easy to make mistakes.
Some would call her paranoid, but then they might not understand what was at stake. She didn’t expect others to agree with her. She was doing what she felt she had to do. Her mind swept into the past for a moment, a past filled with loss, betrayal, and pain. Some things she had no control over; others were within her power to change. To that end, she was drawn into desperate circumstances.
“Did you wish to see me, Mr Osborne?” the innkeeper suddenly broke in, bringing Osborne back to the present.
“Yes.” The haughty air was back, hanging on Osborne like a cloak. “I need a servant girl, someone clean and responsible. I will need her to sit with my man morning and evening while we take our meals,” Osborne said quietly, only just remembering to include Edward Steele. “After today we will take our lunch in our rooms, but then we will want the girl to sit for a time while we take a bit of exercise. I am willing to pay well if the job is done as I desire. Are you able to find someone?”