Realm 07 - A Touch of Honor by Regina Jeffers Page A

be thin to none as long as she remained in her position as a lady’s companion. Although her dowry was adequate, by English standards, she was essentially without fortune. Essentially without immediate family. In addition, her Irish ancestry would be a detriment to her finding marital bliss among the English. Mayhap it is time to return to my homeland and to find a man who holds the same values and speaks the same tongue, as do I, she thought. While the gentleman bid his wife a “good evening,” Isolde made herself a pallet upon the floor from the bedding the baron had used over the three previous evenings. Instinctively, she brought the linen to her nose. It retained the essence of him…of sandalwood and masculinity.
    Shaking off her maudlin, she folded the linens into a makeshift mattress before returning to Lady Swenton’s side. “What may I do to make you more comfortable, Baroness?”
    Her mistress waited until the baron had made his exit before she responded. “I would like a few drops of the laudanum.”
    Isolde frowned dramatically. “Are you in pain, Ma’am?”
    Lady Satiné’s petulance had returned. “Certainly, I am in pain. I am miserable. These marks…” She gestured wildly to the reddish-colored rash upon her skin. “They itch constantly.”
    Isolde knew Lady Swenton’s words an exaggeration, but she said, “As you wish, Ma’am.” She prepared the laudanum in a bit of the cooled tea. The rash had begun to spread from her mistress’s hairline and down Lady Satiné’s trunk. From what she knew of the disease, Isolde expected Lady Swenton had been exposed to the sickness a week or so before their leaving Vienna. That particular fact bothered her for Miss Satiné had rarely left her quarters, nor had Miss Aldridge accepted company from those outside the house. Lady Swenton had left the house only twice in the time before she spoke her vows to the baron, Isolde mused. Miss Aldridge said she had called upon her man of business. However, Isolde wondered, With whom could she have come in contact? “Drink this, Lady Swenton.” She handed the cup to the girl.
    Perhaps it was best for both her and the baron if Satiné Swenton slept through the worst of the illness. In administering to the girl, Isolde noted Lady Satiné’s nose had taken on a reddish tint. That fact would signal the second phase of the disease had arrived. Isolde must remind the baron of the dangers of his wife’s respiratory difficulties. Pneumonia could be an issue if they were not observant to the baroness’s changes. She would also warn Baron Swenton to be aware of convulsions, hearing loss, and a stiff neck. It pleased her she could recall so many details of her grandmother’s teachings. Mayhap I have Gran’s touch, after all . If so, I could find an exulted position in one of the villages.
    When the baroness finally found her labored sleep, Isolde slipped from the room long enough to beg the ship’s cook for a pail of hot water. Returning to her mistress’s quarters, she systematically scrubbed the exposed items, including the chess set she and the baron had shared. Afterwards, she had washed Lady Satiné’s soiled gown and three handkerchiefs. Finally finished with her cleaning, Isolde bedded down upon the pallet. It was comforting to know the room cleaned of her mistress’s mark and more than heartening to be surrounded by the scent of Baron Swenton upon the bedclothes.
    *
    John had made his way along the darkened passage to the small room in which his mother’s body rested. When he had declared no qualms regarding spending the night with Lady Fiona’s remains, his had been false bravado. It was not as if he feared ghosts; in fact, John was quite certain he had long ago banished any ghosts, which meant to plague him. His hesitation came from the idea he and Fiona Swenton had never known an easy time together.
    He entered the room and locked the door behind him. Removing a flint from his inside pocket, he lit the