Microsoft Word - Jenny dreamed by kps Page B

attacked her stomach, caused by need for the same drug that was commonly prescribed by doctors to cure diarrhea. She had lost count of the number of times she'd bolted from the bed to the chamberpot.
    By the afternoon, she was too weak to move. Mavis returned, and she watched dully as the maid cleaned and freshened the room, retrieved the untouched tray, and again filled the bath. The tray she had brought back from the kitchens had only a bowl of clear soup and a glass of water, and Jenny stared at her in dazed anguish, questioning the absence of the laudanum she had expected. She desperately needed it now, just to drive away the misery wracking her aching body.
    "I was told not to bring it this time," Mavis explained. She frowned as tears slipped from Jenny's closed eyes, then hurried to the door and locked it before returning to the bed.
    "Here, girl," Mavis whispered, drawing a dark green, rectangular bottle from her apron pocket, along with a tablespoon. Jenny's eyes fluttered open, a look of wonder lighting them as she realized the woman's intentions.
    She was too weak to hold up her head, and Mavis. sat beside her, supporting her with one arm around her shoulders, while she held a spoonful of the laudanum to Jenny's lips. She only allowed her two tablespoons of the drug, but it was enough to ease the symptoms of withdrawal. "I never disobeyed orders 'fore this," Mavis commented, almost as though she were trying to convince herself she was doing the right thing. "Can't see why that woman wants you to suffer so!"
    When Jenny looked more relaxed and her coloring was more normal, the maid propped pillows behind her back and insisted she swallow some of the soup. Jenny couldn't get much down, but at least her body was receiving some nourishment. She was stronger when Mavis helped her into the bath water but her limbs still shook with weakness.
    Jenny thanked Mavis, refusing to test the woman's patience by questioning why she had offered to help. It felt so wonderful to wash away the salty feel of sweat from her skin that she stayed in the bath until the edges of her fingers were drawn and wrinkled with moisture.
    Mavis had changed the bed while she bathed and when she was finally dry and dressed in a fresh gown of pale lilac satin, Jenny was more than grateful for the feel of clean sheets against her skin. It was surprising, she thought to herself, how many comforts she had always taken for granted. She had endured so much the past days that the clean bedding, gown, and bath had taken on the aspect of luxuries.
    She was able to take a bit more of the soup before Mavis left, and almost before the maid had locked the door, her eyes had closed with the first pain-free rest in the long hours that had passed since Beau Stanner had departed.
    She awakened again an hour later when the sound of the key in the door drew her attention.
    Her hopes rose. Maybe Beau had come back to fulfill his promise. An older woman entered, dressed in a cheap, clinging gown that revealed too much of her ample figure.
    Even before the woman reached the circle of light that the lamp cast, Jenny felt a shudder of apprehension. This must be the woman Beau had mentioned; her name was ... Lil. He had implied that she was the person behind Jenny's abduction, the one who had hired Beau to accomplish it.
    For minutes, silence reigned in the room as the woman stared down at Jenny, her bright blue eyes revealing a malignant satisfaction. Jenny clutched the covers tightly with; both hands, sensing the unspoken malice in her visitor's manner.
    "It seems you're holdin' up better'n most," Lit grudgingly commented. "You must have inherited a stubborn streak from that bitchy mother of yours!"
    Jenny reacted immediately to the unexpected jibe. "What do you know of my mother? She's never harmed a soul in her life!"
    "I know plenty, Miss High 'n' Mighty," Lil sneered, pleased that her taunt had gotten a reaction. "You think she's some kind of lady, sweet and perfect, with