Old times with old love

Elizabeth couldn't be sure, but sometime later she woke, she was in a different bed and in a different place. And she was still miserably hot. She shoved the covers off and rolled onto her side.

"She is awake!" she heard someone shout to the hall. Elizabeth groaned as the noise hurt her head unbearably.

"Miss Elizabeth?" a voice said, "Miss Elizabeth can you hear me?"

She nodded although she had no idea who she was talking to. And immediatly after she regretted it, the slight shaking of her head caused it to feel like it was about to explode. She withered.

Gregory

"You are? Or are you not? Oh you poor creature!" Martha exclaimed, still dithering about the room, moving blankets and generally being very unhelpful.

"Go tell my cousin that she has woken," I urged.

"Oh yes, miss Isabelle but oh, will you be okay in here with her? What if she were to feel ill again?"

"Then I would call for the doctor. Go now and leave us." I ushered the maid to the door and breathed a sigh of relief when she was gone.

"Would you like some water? No - don't nod your head. Just blink." Elizabeth closed and opened her eyes gratefully and I carefully poured her a glass of water from a jug someone had left on the side.

"I could have some tea brought if you'd prefer that? Just blink once for yes and twice for no. Moving your head will only hurt you."

Elizabeth blinked twice, she didn't want tea, she didn't want anything really, except an asprin. Which hadn't been invented yet. She wanted to go back home. She felt something cool on her lips and reconized it as water, she gratefully took a couple sips.

Her throat wasn't dry anymore, which she was grateful for and she managed to say, "thank you" before she slipped back into unconciousness.

Isabelle

"She is awake?" I asked softly as I preceded Martha into the room.

"No longer, now she sleeps," Gregory replied. "Go back to your room, I will watch her." I smiled at him and shook my head.

"No, Gregory, you are just as ill as her and you forget what is proper. This is my house and she is my guest. I will watch her. Martha, if my brother returns, you will send him hither."

"Yes, miss Isabelle," Martha promised, curtsying and leaving the room. Still Gregory hovered in the door.

"Forgive me my intrusion," he said at last with a brief dip of his head before leaving.

Sometime later Elizabeth woke again, she opened her eyes and looked to where a faint noise was. She saw Gregory picking up Isabelle and carrying her out. She must have fallen asleep again because the next time she woke the sun was shining through the window and Gregory was sitting in the chair that he had picked Isabelle out of, and he was reading.

Elizabeth managed to force herself to a sitting position, but had to grip the ends of the bed, she was still dizzy but her head didn't hurt quite so bad.

Gregory

"You should lay back," I said absently, not lowering my book.

"I feel better now," Elizabeth retorted.

"That's reassuring," I replied, looking up briefly. She frowned and tried to edge closer but paused and raised a hand to her head.

"What are you reading?" she asked.

"Do not cause yourself harm over something so trivial," I replied.

"I would not if you told me what it is called." For a moment I was once more stunned by her audacity.

"What tone of auxiliary thou dost possess," I exclaimed quite cheerfully. "It is merely a children's book I read. Nothing of interest to the educated like my cousin or yourself."

"What is it called though?" Elizabeth asked, "I enjoy all kinds of books." Once again she tried to force herself to rise but couldn't. She fell back against the bed breathing heavily. "Maybe I am not quite as well as I had thought I was."

*Yeah...Heathers turn! one liners count!*

Gregory

"Then you should sleep," I told her.

"I do not wish to," she replied stubbornly.

"Then what do you propose? A game of tennis?" She laughed at this and shook her head softly.

"No. Read to me."

"Read to you?" I echoed.

"Yes. Read me the book."

Elizabeth listened, not really listening to the story but more of just the sound of his voice as he read to her. He had said it was a children's story, but it was something she would have read in highschool. When she listened and paid attention she realized that she had. That surprised her, she had an unusually high reading level in high school.

She settled back into the sheets, finding the heat gone from her skin. She desperatly clung to conciousness, not wanting to seem like too much of a child. Even if she was ill. She was losing the battle between her and unconciousness she barely noticed when Gregory had stopped reading.

Gregory

I waited until I thought she was asleep before placing the book on the chair and crossing to the window. I drew the curtain back an inch and peered out across the moonlit lawns, watching the landscape idly. That was how I was the first to spot the carriage.

I exited Elizabeth's room, closing the door behind me softly and went down to the maid's quarters to wake the woman. I knocked on her door twice before she answered.

"May I help you?" she asked rather sourly.

"Master julian has returned with the carriage. The door will need to be..." at my first words, the foolish woman had flung herself downstairs so I saw no need to keep talking to myself and instead followed at a much slower speed to greet my cousin. He came bursting through the door before Martha had a chance to open it for him and at his side came a very timid woman who I vaguely recognised from earlier. The married one. Abigail was it?

"Martha, have another room prepared."

"Whatever is the trouble, Julian?" I asked him.

"I will not have her stay with that foul beast a moment longer. Go to Martha, go prepare a room!"

Martha

"Good morning, miss. The mistress bid me bring you some soup," I entered the room and placed the tray upon her lap. "Do you want the fire starting?"

"That would be pleasant," she replied. With a slight sigh, I bent down and began to rake the coals and then spent some time attempting to light it and almost burning myself when at last it took flame.

"Thank you," the girl said.

"That's quite alright. If I may be so bold... do you believe you will marry my masters' cousin?"

Elizabeth blinked and leaned back slightly, "I do not truly believe so." A flat out lie, she knew they couldn't be married if she had to go back to her time. "He has no feelings for me."

"But..." the maid paused, ovbiously wondering if it was too bold to speak.

"You were about to say something?" Elizabeth inquired.

"Do you have feelings for him?"

Elizabeth blushed and looked at her soup, "perhaps some."

Gregory

I smiled to myself as I listened outside the door. Oh how fun it would be to stride in now and have them wonder if I'd heard! But perhaps more fun to wait longer, to draw it out. Perhaps more fun to play with her emotions. I confess myself to be an irksome man but heartless I am not. I would not entertain the thought if I did not return such favours. If the thought of marriage had not already passed my mind.

I quietly walked away from the room and downstairs towards the kitchen where I inquired for Isabelle.

"She is in the parlour with her brother and his guest," the cook sniffed disapprovingly.

"Then I shall go and speak with them," I declared.

Soon after the maid left and Elizabeth finished the soup she fell asleep again. When she woke this time it was because Isabelle was knocking on the door frame.

"Did I wake you?" she asked.

"No not at all," Elizabeth assured.

"Ah, well...I was hoping we could talk about something."

Elizabeth forced herself up slightly, "yes?"

"Do you have any feelings for my cousin?" she asked.

"Some, but not all are good."

Isabelle turned his head to the side. "What on earth do you mean?"

"I find him an arrogent, insensitive, condesending, beast," Elizabeth said slowly trying to figure out what else to use other than the word "jerk". Then she blushed and looked at her knees, "but he is handsome."

Gregory strode into the room, "not talking about me are you dear cousin?"

Isabelle

"Merely scolding you for your conduct last night," I replied with a slight frown in Elizabeth's direction.

"My conduct? And which part of it displeased you?" Gregory walked further into the room and took my hand in his, bringing it to his lips to kiss it softly. I smiled and returned that gesture with a kiss for each cheek.

"You should not have removed me from this room. I am sure you are tired and you have a long journey today."

"Journey?" Elizabeth echoed.

"Yes, I am going to see if I can't end this strike and get back to work," Gregory said for the benefit of Elizabeth and then he turned back to me. "I will send word by three but otherwise expect my return at five."

"Expect it? I will look forward to it and have the cook make something special for then," I replied.

"How pleasant. Come let us finish our farewells outside, it would not do to wear miss Elizabeth out."