Marriage By Arrangement

‘Where are all the rugs?’ Linus asked, glancing at the landing and then down at the hall.

‘I was afraid Felicia might trip on them so I moved them out of the way.’

Linus’s eyebrows rose a little but he merely gave a brief nod.

Climbing the stairs had exhausted her, and Felicia made only a token protest when Red said, ‘How about a rest till lunchtime?’

She got to her room under her own steam but then was glad to let Red help her undress and get into bed. Red closed the curtains against the morning sunlight and went out, quietly closing the door behind her.

Linus was pacing the hall downstairs. Turning, he walked into the kitchen so that their voices wouldn’t carry upstairs. ‘She’s worn out,’ he said roughly.

‘I’m not surprised, if you’ve been arguing with her all morning.’

He gave her a glare, but said, ‘When she wouldn’t have the nurse I tried to get her to go into a convalescent home for a while, but she wouldn’t have that either. I know she’ll try and do too much too soon. I want you to call each of her students and tell them that she won’t be available for at least a couple of weeks.’

‘I already did.’

‘What?’

‘Well, I told them she wouldn’t be available for a week at least. I didn’t think she’d let me get away with two weeks.’

A glint of surprised approval came into his grey eyes for a moment, but his voice was still curt when he said, ‘Have you any nursing experience?’

‘I haven’t had any training, if that’s what you mean. But I helped to look after my mother when she was ill.’

‘How long for?’

She dug her fingers into her palms, not wanting to remember that terrible time when her mother had fought so hard against the cancer that had eventually killed her, and managed to say matter-of-factly, ‘Several months’