Ring of Fire(92)

Anne related the circumstances while the elder Abrabanel performed a brief exam. He left her to pick up the leaves Harvey had thrown on the floor, and examined them for a moment before he returned.





"I fear this was not caused by lily of the valley, Anne." He displayed a dark green leaf tinged with purple. "This, I believe, is the source of your illness."





At the sight of the plant, she stirred. "Is that what I think it is?"





"Digitalis purpurae." Balthazar gave her a sympathetic smile. "A very dangerous substance for a healthy woman to digest."





"Foxglove—Jesus Christ, no wonder I can't move. She called it fairy's glove, and I thought it was a diuretic." Anne closed her eyes. "Maybe Harvey is right."





"Tibelda." Sharon's voice snapped across the room. "Come here. Now."





The old woman reluctantly left the priest and came to the hearth. "She was not supposed to drink the tonic herself."





"Will it kill her?" Sharon demanded.





"I don't know." Tibelda lifted her chin. "I do not give it to people who are well."





"What concentration did you use, and how many leaves?" Balthazar listened as the old woman gave him her measurements, then nodded. "That would be sufficient for someone of Drud's size. Anne, as long as you do not take another dose, the effects will wear off. However, you must rest and someone should stay with you. Sharon, I will need you here with me."





"Allow me the honor, sir." To Anne, Adam said, "The villagers have made rooms available for Dr. Harvey and me, and I insist you take mine for as long as you need it."





"Insist all you want." She swayed as he helped her from the chair. "Just hold on to me or I'm going to fall flat on my face."





Hans stood by Sharon to watch them go. "They look good together, ja?"





"Sure they do," she said. "Not everyone falls in love at first sight, like Jeff and your sister, though."





He gave her an odd look. "Are you so certain of that?"





* * *



"This is silly, Ambassador. Put me down, I can walk."





He shouldered the door to his room open. "I thought we agreed you would call me Adam."





"Put me down, Adam."





"Dr. Abrabanel insists you rest, Lady Anne." Olearius carried her the last few yards to his bed. "You do not wish to make more work for him, do you?"





"No wonder you're a diplomat." As he eased her down, she struggled to sit up. "No, let me. I'll lose consciousness if I'm prone."





"Prone to what?" He sat down on the edge of the mattress. "Independence? Stubbornness? Determination?"





"All of the above." Anne edged backward until her shoulders rested against mound of pillows he piled behind her. "I meant if I lie down, I'll fall asleep."





"Sleep then, my lady." He smoothed some rumpled hair away from her cheek. "I will watch over you until you awake."





"I don't need a baby-sitter either." She caught his hand, and focused on the fine scars crisscrossing his palms and fingers. "Where did these come from?"





"Sharpening quills, scraping vellum, grinding inks." He made a seesaw gesture. "A scholar's work is oftimes hazardous."





"Tell me about it. I nearly poisoned myself in the name of nursing today." She licked her lips. "Lord, I'd kill for a cup of coffee right now."





"No need to plot a murder." Adam disappeared for a moment, then brought back a steaming cup.





The rich, familiar smell made Anne blink. "I'm hallucinating." She took the cup, inhaled, then took a cautious sip. "I'm not hallucinating. Oh, my God. This is real coffee." She sipped again, and moaned. "Adam, I'm in love with you."





Amusement made his eyes gleam. "On so short an acquaintance?"





"Forget that. This is honest-to-God coffee here." She took a third sip, then forced herself to hand the cup back to him. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I can't drink it, not on top of Tibelda's tonic. I'll throw up."





"Perhaps later, when you are feeling better." He set the coffee aside. "You have a fondness for the brew, then?"





"I was a confirmed addict, until we ran out about a month ago. Where in the world did you get it?"





"Dr. Harvey introduced me to the drink in Holstein." Adam reached behind her to adjust a pillow. "Apparently he carries a prodigious supply of the beans, wherever he goes."