Rosalyn found Dorcas Blessing in the dining room, having a cup of tea. “May I join you?” she asked.
Dorcas smiled. “Please do.”
Rosalyn fixed herself some tea and took a seat across from the chaperone. “I feel that sometimes we haven’t gotten on well together, and I want to apologize for that.”
Dorcas blinked and studied her cup. “No, it’s not entirely your fault. I’ve become overly protective of Kerry even though I know there is no reason to now. And I do understand that I must leave here for her to begin to grow.” She gave Rosalyn a wan smile. “I’ve been her protector for a long time. It’s hard to let go.”
“And Kerry would prefer that you stay here indefinitely, I imagine.”
Dorcas nodded. “I warn you that once she learns I’m leaving, there will be hell to pay, so to speak. I’ll talk to her, though; she’s just at a difficult age. I’ve been in the employ of other families who had daughters Kerry’s age, and somehow, as awful as they seem at the time, they eventually become wonderful young women.”
Rosalyn smiled at the thought. “I hope you’re right.”
• • •
Kerry stormed into the stable, her face pinched with fury. “She made you do it, didn’t she?”
Fletcher continued grooming one of the horses. Unflappable, he asked, “What are you talking about?”
Kerry stamped her foot. “You know what I mean. Your wife talked you into getting rid of my friend, my only friend on this stupid island.” Her voice cracked with the threat of tears.
Fletcher stopped and narrowed his gaze at his baby sister. “It’s time for Miss Blessing to return to America.”
“Then I want to go with her.” Kerry stood before him, her arms crossed over her chest, her gaze threatening.
Fletcher had had enough. Setting the grooming brush on a stool, he turned to give her his full attention. “You are going to stay here with your family.”
“I don’t want to!”
His own temper rising, he said, “That’s enough, Kerry. That’s quite enough. I don’t know what’s going on here, but we’re all quite tired of the way you’re treating anyone who doesn’t do what you want them to. Miss Blessing is going back to America, and you’re staying here and becoming a part of this family.”
Tears sprang into Kerry’s eyes. “She doesn’t like me.”
“Who doesn’t?”
“You know very well who.”
“If you mean Rosalyn, you’re wrong. She wants very much to be your friend. You just have to give her a chance, and that will happen once your chaperone is gone. And,” he added, “you’re going to start helping the nurse with her patients once she’s settled into her new office. It will give you something worthwhile to do, along with your studies.”
Kerry was breathing hard. She appeared to want to say something more, but instead she turned on her heels and stomped out of the stables.
Fletcher watched her go, wondering how that final decision had entered his mind. Mrs. Begley had taken Geddes’s offer eagerly, so that wasn’t the problem. The problem was that no one had even suggested that Kerry work for her. But the more he thought about it, the better he liked the idea.
He shook his head. She was only twelve; what kind of trouble would she cause him when she turned sixteen? He shuddered to think.
• • •
Rosalyn was returning from one of the neighboring women who had picked some herbs for her, now beside her in the one-horse buggy. She was still thinking about the wonderful news regarding the new clinic. Last week, Fen had been struck speechless when Geddes had made her the offer, which was surprising enough since Fen rarely was found without something to say on a subject.
Immersed in her thoughts, Rosalyn didn’t see Kerry until the girl jumped out from the scrub bushes along the side of the road, causing the horse to skitter and rear up on its hind legs. Rosalyn had trouble settling him down—in fact, she was thrust sideways and her temple smacked the wooden brace. She briefly saw stars.
“You did this! You’re to blame!” Kerry screamed.
Rosalyn shifted upright, drawing on the reins to settle the horse. Fortunately, she knew how to handle this particular animal. “What is it, Kerry? What’s wrong?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know. Why don’t you want me to be happy? And don’t think my brother really cares about you. He doesn’t. And I’m not going to work for that witch in her hospital, either. I’m not. I’m not!”
Kerry stumbled away, bawling and wailing into the wind.
It wasn’t until Rosalyn was at the castle door and Evan took the rig that she understood the full meaning of Kerry’s rage. Obviously she’d been told that Miss Blessing was leaving, and in Kerry’s mind, it was Rosalyn’s fault. Which was true enough.
Fletcher met her at the door. “What happened?”
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“Your temple is bleeding.”
She touched it and came away with some blood on her fingertips. “Oh, it’s nothing.” Now was not the time to start blaming Kerry for the near accident, even though it was the girl’s fault.
He gripped her wrist. “It’s something, dear wife, and I want you to tell me what it is. If you’re going to be traipsing around the countryside carrying my heir, I want you safe.”
Rosalyn’s heart skipped a beat and she automatically placed a protective hand over her stomach. “How did you know?”
He gave her a wry glance. “It would have been nice if you had told me, but I figured it out without your help, Rosalyn.”
“How?”
“Little things, like you napping during the day, for one thing. And you’ve grown pale; you aren’t eating. Before this, nothing has slowed you down.”
She flushed and glanced away. “I would have told you, but the children came and things got hectic and, well, I guess there just didn’t seem to be time.” When she looked back at him, she saw a rare tenderness in his gaze.
“And now you’ve gone and hurt yourself,” he said softly. “What happened?” he asked again.
She hung her cape on the coatrack. “Really, it was nothing.”
“Rosalyn, answer me.”
It sounded like an order.
“Well, if you must know, Kerry inadvertently startled the horse—”
“Damn it!” He strode off.
Rosalyn went after him and grabbed his sleeve to stop him. “Fletcher, please. She resents me enough as it is; she’ll really hate me if she thinks I ran to you and tattled on her.”
“But she can’t go around scaring horses and almost maiming people.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I impetuously told her she was going to work for Mrs. Begley. She needs to understand that she’s not so terribly put upon. That there are many others in this world who are far worse off than she is.”
“You told her she would work for Fen? Does Fen know?” Rosalyn asked, curious.
Fletcher heaved a sigh. “I hadn’t gotten that far yet. I’ll ask Geddes to do that for me.”
Rosalyn smiled at him. “I think it’s a brilliant plan. Fen can use the help and she doesn’t put up with children who have tantrums. I think it will do Kerry a world of good.”
Fletcher returned her smile. “Evan said he heard Kerry call Mrs. Begley a witch.”
“If she is, she’s a good witch. And maybe she can cast some sort of spell over Kerry and bring back the wonderful little girl I know is in there somewhere.”
“I hope you’re right, and I haven’t just loosed a twelve-year-old plague upon the island.”