Without waiting for a response, Laura whirled and stalked out the door.
chapter 26
Unsurprisingly, James attacked getting well as if it were a business. Laura watched him go through each day, methodical and persistent, taking the drafts she gave him and downing the food laid before him. He even forced himself to rest.
He was equally intent on rebuilding his strength. The first few days he limited himself to trips up and down the stairs and along the hallways, but he soon began to venture farther—to the terrace, then the gardens, increasing the distance with each trip. Sometimes he had to sit and rest on a bench before starting back to the house, but he doggedly kept at it.
At least the weariness made him sleep. Laura wished she could say the same for herself. She told herself she tossed and turned because the cot on which she lay was uncomfortable, but when they disposed of the mercury beneath James’s bed and he returned to his own room, she found sleep even more elusive.
James, of course, was not bothered at all. He was smoothly polite, giving Laura his arm as courtesy demanded, but never touching her in any other way. He spent little time with her except at meals and in the evening, when they were surrounded by his family.
At first Laura reacted to his new aloofness by withdrawing into an equally stiff silence. It was not long, however, before she realized that this path led only to permanent separation. She could not bear to lose James entirely, as she had lost Graeme.
If their relationship could not be all she wanted, she could at least regain what they had had before. She forced herself back into her former amiable, light attitude, and James’s manner began to relax.
Laura knew the evenings spent in conversation with the others in the household were deadly dull for James—after all, they were equally boring for her—so she strove to enliven the gatherings. Sometimes she played the piano and Tessa sang along with her, which had the advantage of making it difficult for all of them to snipe at each other.
She suspected from the twinkle in his eyes that James guessed her reasons for the musicales, but it served its purpose. Laura knew he liked to hear her play, and though he refused to join in their singing—unlike Walter, who surprisingly turned out to bask in the attention—it warmed her to see James happy amidst his family. Well, happy might be too strong a word, but at least comfortable.
However, the music gave her little opportunity to be with James, so she frequently suggested a game instead. She feared at first that he would not join in, for he was bound to be annoyed by the play of most of the others, but to her surprise, James readily agreed whenever she suggested it.
It turned out that their most frequent companions at the game table were Adelaide and Patricia. It was not an ideal arrangement, as Adelaide was a foolish player and Patricia a terrible loser, but at least Adelaide’s saccharine conversation usually suppressed some of Patricia’s sniping.
After a few evenings spent playing cribbage, however, Adelaide protested, “No, not that game again, please!” She turned large soulful eyes on Laura. “I can never keep up when James is playing. The pegs are moving so fast, and everyone’s saying all those numbers.”
“Whist, then?” Laura asked, glancing at James and his sister.
Adelaide nodded enthusiastically, James shrugged, and Patricia said sourly, “It doesn’t matter. James will win whatever we play.”
“You could partner with James,” Laura offered, suppressing a grin at the look of alarm on her husband’s face.
“Goodness, no, that’s even worse. Then James is sitting there the whole time, judging my poor play.”
“Is he?” Laura sent him a teasing glance. “I suppose I should worry, then.”
“Not you.” Patricia’s lips thinned. “He thinks you’re perfect.”
Laura chuckled. “Hardly.”
“Laura remembers which suit is trump,” James told his sister with a pointed look. “Which makes it vastly easier to play with her.”
“Claude’s the same way,” Adelaide put in, smoothing the waters as she often did. “He knows every card that’s been played. He thinks I’m dreadfully silly.” She seemed more pleased than not at this evaluation. “He prefers the play at the tavern in the village. That’s why he took Walter and Archie there this evening.”
“They’re going to gamble?” Patricia’s brows pinched together. ”I thought it was just to have a drink.”
“Don’t worry, I doubt the play is very deep,” James told her. “Not like in London. Claude won’t let Salstone get into trouble.”
“I wasn’t worried.” Patricia glared and began to deal out the cards.