Now that Violet’s birthday had come and gone, the festivities were over and we were forced to return to our regular routine.
Mother and Father Fisalis went home to Le Pied. Quince went back to his boarding school, and Tinctorius returned to the royal palace. It felt a little lonely to watch as our ranks thinned out.
The servants who had gone home for the holidays came back to the manor and took over the shifts of those taking a belated New Year’s break.
Then, one day...
I found Violet languishing on the parlor sofa after breakfast, which was strange. That little bundle of energy was always asking what we were going to play the second she’d seen Daddy off at the door.
That sofa must be awfully comfy! Okay, something tells me that’s not the reason.
She didn’t move an inch from where she lay flopped over the couch. I figured she was probably sleepy, but it was too early for her afternoon nap.
“Lettie?”
“Yeah...”
Her answer indicated that she was awake, but she sounded lifeless.
“Lettie’s acting strange today, huh?”
“Yes—I think so too.”
Even Mimosa and Daisy were looking at Violet with concern.
“Lettie? Are you sleepy? Don’t you want to play?”
“Mm... My head’s heavy. Can’t get up.”
“What?!”
Her head feels so heavy that she can’t get up?
I placed a hand to Violet’s forehead in surprise...and it was burning up!
“Mimosa! Lettie has a fever!” I announced, looking over my shoulder at the maid.
“Oh no! Let’s get her to her room right away!”
The parlor erupted into a flurry of activity.
“I’ll have Rohtas call the doctor!”
“I’ll get some ice from the kitchen!”
“We need a towel and washbasin!”
It was reassuring to see how quickly the maids swung into action.
“I’ll bring Lettie up to her room,” I said. “I’m counting on you guys to handle the rest.”
“Yes, ma’am!” everyone shouted back.
I left things in the hands of my capable servants and hurried to the nursery, cradling Violet in my arms.
✦ ✦ ✦
“The fatigue must have caught up to her—it’s been one fun activity after another, after all. Once she ran out of steam, she must’ve caught a cold.”
The doctor had rushed over straight away, and that was his diagnosis after performing a full check-up.
The cold medicine he’d given her first thing must have done its job, seeing as she’d drifted off into peaceful sleep.
She got sick from exhaustion, huh?
That made sense. It’d been a non-stop marathon from the New Year’s holidays to her birthday. She’d been in a state of excitement the whole time, too, so of course she’d feel worn out once the dust had settled.
“So it’s not a serious illness or anything, right?”
“Not at all. If she gets some rest and takes her medicine, she should be better in a matter of days. I’ll leave you a second cure to try in the event her fever doesn’t go down.”
“Thank you.”
“The bug that’s been making the rounds lately tends to linger; her temperature might fluctuate through the course of the day, so be sure to keep a careful eye on her.”
“Got it!”
The doctor left us with the cold medicine and backup fever reducer and took his leave.
“She seemed so listless that I was worried she’d come down with something serious. I’m glad it turned out to be a plain old cold.”
I changed the towel on Violet’s forehead. Her fever had gone down, but her face was still pretty red.
She wrinkled her brow for a fleeting moment when I pressed the fresh, cold washcloth to her skin, but she didn’t wake from her slumber.
“You said it! Though I won’t stop worrying until she actually gets better,” said Mimosa, the look on her face a complicated mix of relief and concern.
“That’s fair. The doctor said it’ll be a few days before she’s recovered, so I’ll tend to her in the meantime.”
“What? But—”
“Who else is going to do it? We’re short on staff, so I know you’re all extra busy.”
Though we hadn’t quite lost half our servants to the New Year’s shift, we still had fewer people around than usual.
Lettie might have come down with nothing more than a mild cold, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t worried. I wanted to personally nurse her back to health. Besides, I was the one with the most time on her hands around here!
“Very well. We’ll provide support however we can, of course.”
I could rest easy knowing I had Mimosa and the rest of Violet’s maids to help me out.
The one most devastated over the news of Lettie’s sickness was Mr. Fisalis.
“Are you sure it’s just a cold? Is she running a fever? Oh, my poor baby!”
The second he got home, he made a beeline for the nursery, took Violet’s hands in his, and grieved like the world was coming to an end. And I’d literally just told him it was only a cold!
My husband looked like he was going to burst out crying any moment now. I put a hand to his slouched back.
“I’ll look after Lettie until she gets better,” I told him.
“You will? Couldn’t you leave that to Mimosa and the rest of the maids?”
“I could, but I’d be worried the whole time. Better to handle it myself.”
“I suppose so. I only wish I could do the same.”
“Not happening. You have to go to work.”
“I knew you’d say that! Fine—just promise me you won’t overdo it.”
“Sure thing!”
Now that I had Mr. Fisalis’s permission, I’d put my all into nursing Violet back to health!