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The pool gli And there was Piers, his lean, sardonic, lovable face grinning at her

For that ain, she concentrated on loving hiony but never stopping The way he sives up, she thought Little speckles, black speckles, were gathering before her eyes so that she could hardly see the weather-beaten boards at the bottom of her pallet

Then the fever claiain

Chapter Thirty

The next day

Bythere was no question but that the epidemic was contained Only three new patients arrived at the castle, and they weren’t in extrean, Sébastien and Piers actually paused for luncheon, falling into chairs in the slasses of wine

"This is civilized," Piers said with a sigh "Have you brought some of this to my parents, Prufrock?"

"Yes,it inside, once I had moved back a safe distance, of course" He cleared his throat "He seeiven him" And somehow, he had too Life hat it was It was tiet on with it, defective leg and all

"Happily ever after," Sébastien said, taking a deep draught of wine "Christ, it feels good to be clean again I didn’t want to get out of that bath"

Prufrock offered Piers a plate of tender, young asparagus "Dr Bitts is out of bed He’s still quite weak, but hisquestions about the patients"

"Bitts," Piers said entleman Better than Penders That fool ca patients’ tongues I couldn’t see any harentlemen make the best doctors," Sébastien said "Look at the two of us" He grinned, exhaustion shadowing his eyes, but still triumphant "We did a hell of a job with the scarlatina outbreak, Piers And it didn’t even involve cutting off people’s limbs, which is e’re best at Or I a his wine and trying not to think about Linnet Which was futile, because the only ti on a patient "Most men, like Bitts, at home in the ballroo with Linnet, laughing down at her Bending his neck toward her Breathing on her Every night, alht He shoved back from the table so hard that his chair fell over "Linnet!"

Sébastien opened his mouth

"She danced with Bitts I’ht before he fell ill, and then she left in that carriage by herself" The blood was gone from his head; he felt dizzy "Where’scane?"

It had fallen to the floor Prufrock rushed to pick it up Sébastien was standing now too, frowning

"Bitts’s symptoms appeared the next day," Piers said hoarsely "The next day, Seb! She could be anywhere, sick She could be--"

He turned, pushed Prufrock out of his way so roughly that the butler fell back against the sideboard "I’ after her"

"Wait!" Sébastien shouted "We have to think this through"