Heaven Made (12 page)

"Help me get this couch into the bedroom. I don’t want
Mrs. Tremaine waking up and not being able to see Alice." Although taking
command of a situation wasn’t exactly one of Ford’s strengths, doing what was
necessary seemed to come easily to him this time.

Roland nodded and helped Ford carefully move the sofa with
Sabrina on it, into the bedroom to sit alongside the bed. Her breathing was
even and although Ford wanted to attend to her, he had his hands full with
little Alice at the moment.

The child’s forehead was hot, too hot. Ford reached for the
bowl of ice water and dipped the cloth in, then squeezed out the excess liquid.
Gently, he ran it over little Alice’s face and neck. She was so small and
vulnerable, just like Piper had been.

But Piper had died and he had been helpless to do anything
about it. This time he had his medical training and years of experience to help
this other little girl recover.

He could almost feel his own mother’s presence. It was as if
she were leaning over his shoulder, whispering encouragement in his ear. But of
course, that was ridiculous. After all, mother had died last year. He could
easily explain the feeling way as simply that this situation was so similar to
what he had experienced in his youth, and his mother had been the most important
adult in his life at that time, it was natural he should think of her now.

They had both prayed and mourned for Piper. It had been so
hard to lose the little girl then, Ford was sure he couldn’t bear to repeat
such a thing again. Even though he didn’t know Alice, he felt certain he would
adore her just as much as he had his own little sister. Some things were just
universal, and loving little girls was one of them.

Ford took the bowl he’d emptied the mixture of herbs from
the glass jar into and stirred it a few more times, making sure it had cooled
down sufficiently. He had already added a few heaped teaspoons full of sugar to
make it easier for the child to swallow.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, he began to spoon the
concoction down into Alice’s mouth. Then he gently stroked her throat to coax
her to swallow. It took time and he lost a good portion of the medicine out the
sides of her mouth, but in the end, she got enough inside her.

Ford sat back next to Sabrina on the couch that he and
Roland had moved into the bedroom earlier, and waited. Looking at the mother’s
prone form, he couldn’t help but admire her. Sabrina Tremaine was beautiful
when awake, but when she was sleeping, she was breathtaking.

Her long midnight black hair was loose, and the shimmering
strands caught the light from the lamp like some sort of silk fringe on an
Asian shawl. Her ample breasts rose and fell gently beneath her white nightgown
and dressing gown. It was a very plain and proper gown that served as an
enticement itself and it couldn’t help but be more attractive covering her
perfectly rounded bosom. Ford longed to reach out and caress her softness, but
he didn’t dare give in to such a very indecorous yearning. He was here, in this
very desirable woman’s bedchamber not to seduce her, but to save the life of
her little girl.

There was something he hadn’t even contemplated when he had
first hired Mrs. Tremaine. Maybe he should have guessed though? After all, she
was a widow. Many widows had children from their first marriage. And a woman as
beautiful as Sabrina certainly would have had relations with her husband. But
the thought of another man touching Sabrina’s soft, lovely form and knowing her
carnally wasn’t something he wanted to think about. It brought a simmering rage
to the surface that Ford couldn’t decipher or reason. He had no claim on this
woman, therefore he had no right to be offended by her past relations.

Little Alice coughed, bringing Ford’s attention back to his
patient and away from her intriguing mother.

The small sound must have penetrated Sabrina’s subconscious,
because she came awake a few moments later, her dark eyelashes fluttering open
over those deep blue eyes.

"Alice," Sabrina said the child’s name as she sat
up and rubbed her eyes. "Is she all right? What happened?"

"Alice is stable," Ford said, swabbing the child’s
hot skin again. "And you fainted."

"I never faint," Sabrina said emphatically,
sitting up and smoothing her hair back.

"Have you eaten today?" Ford asked in his most
doctor-like voice. "You have to keep up your strength if you plan on
helping Alice recover. Besides, you don’t want to get sick yourself."

"What is the sofa doing in here?" Sabrina asked,
seeming disoriented. "How did it get here?"

"Roland and I carried it in, with you on it." Ford
grinned at her. "When you fainted I carried you into the other room and
laid you on it. But I thought you wouldn’t want to be that far away from your
daughter, so I had Roland help me carry you and it in here. I hope you don’t
mind."

"Actually, it’s a good idea," Sabrina said,
reaching over and grasping Alice’s small hand. "And more comfortable than
the chair. How is she doing? Did you give her the medicine?" Sabrina
asked, no longer concerned for her own comfort.

"She’s the same, but I only just got her to take the
potion." Ford listened to Alice’s heartbeat again. "We’ll have to
wait a day, maybe two to know if it’s working."

"A day or two?" Sabrina cried, real panic in her
voice. "I don’t know if I can take it. That’s too long. What will I do in
the meantime?"

She was begging for guidance and Ford wasn’t sure how to
give it. This was all new to him. A patient, an anxious parent, waiting for
results that mattered.

He stood and began to pace. Starting at the foot of the bed
and moving around the room from the window to the fireplace.

He finally stopped and sat on the sofa next to Sabrina. He
wanted to take her hand and reassure her that everything would be fine and that
Alice would fully recover, but he didn’t want to give her false hope either.
After all, it would be bad enough that Sabrina would hate him if Alice didn’t
make it, he didn’t want to add lying to his possible sins.

"I wish I could promise you that she’ll recover fully,"
he said, searching for the right words. "And I do think we gave her the
serum before the infection set in too deep. But as I told you in the
laboratory, I’ve never given it to a human before."

Sabrina looked at him with her huge blue eyes brimming with
unshed tears. "I know you’ve done the best you can. I just wish there was
something I could do."

He did reach out and take her hand this time. It was as cold
as the ice chips Mrs. Dixon had brought up. Ford hoped his own warmth could
reach her. "You are helping, just by being here. Alice responds to you
completely. Even though she seems insensible, she is really totally aware of
what is going on in this room. Just watch the way she seems to be listening to
our conversation."

Ford moved closer to Sabrina, still holding her hand, and
turned her so she could see Alice.

"I think you’re right," Sabrina said, with a catch
in her voice. "Will you pray with me?" she asked turning her head so
that she gazed up at Ford.

He wanted so desperately to lean down and kiss her and sooth
all of her fears. But he dragged his attention back to Alice. "Of course I
will."

Sabrina leaned back into Ford’s broad chest and he wrapped
his arms protectively around her, where she put her hands on either side of
his, palms together. He rested his chin on the top of her head and they sat
like that for what seemed like hours, but was really only a few minutes as
Sabrina whispered a plea to God to help Alice get better.

Then, just as Ford thought the exercise was over, Sabrina
added a prayer of thanks to God that He had brought her to the Northcliffe home
and then thanks for Ford himself. He was shocked that she would include him in
her invocation. But then, it had been years since he himself had prayed, so he
didn’t know what was considered normal.

"Amen."

"Amen," he repeated after her.

Sabrina pulled away from him and Ford felt the loss as if it
were his own skin being taken from him. She had felt so good, so right sitting
in his embrace like that.

"You should go and get something to eat and sleep,"
Sabrina said, glancing at him almost shyly.

"I ate already today, and I don’t require much sleep."
Ford wasn’t about to leave his first and only patient. "I’d rather stay
here and keep an eye on Alice. If that’s all right with you?"

"Of course," she said, letting out a sigh as if
she had been holding her breath. "I’m so grateful for your knowledge. Mrs.
Dixon swears by your powders, and I just know this one will work too."

Ford was surprised that she knew about his other dabbling in
medicines. But of course, the servants loved to gossip. And after all, that’s
what Sabrina, Mrs. Tremaine, was. He had nearly forgotten that little bit of
information and he couldn’t allow his thoughts to wander in that direction
again.

It was far too easy to imagine that Sabrina was the lady of
the house, in all the ways that he could want. She was so genteel, and
educated, and refined. Putting her in the category of hired help seemed absurd.

Once again the notion that Sabrina Tremaine was hiding from
someone or something, occurred to Ford. She was far too beautiful, with her
raven hair, sapphire blue eyes, and a figure that made a man’s mind go to mush,
to be on the shelf. And yet, here she was, in his house, acting the part of
servant.

Maybe after Alice was better, he would ask Sabrina why she
had gone into service instead of remarrying. But for now, he wanted to give his
full concentration to saving a little girl who even though he’d never formally
met her, had thoroughly captured his heart.

The next two days blurred together as they took turns
watching Alice, bathing her forehead, feeding her broth and giving her small
amounts of the Ford’s tincture. Each leaving only to change clothes, eat or for
other necessities.

By the second night they were both completely exhausted. Sabrina’s
captivating eyes had dark circles beneath them, her glorious hair was loose
around her shoulders, and her blouse and skirt where hopelessly wrinkled. Ford
had never seen a more beautiful woman.

He also wondered how awful he must look. He hadn’t shaved
and his hair was still too long, and it was more tangled than ever. His
clothing was at least as creased as hers. But he doubted she looked at him with
the same kind of admiration that he was feeling toward her.

"How much longer?" Sabrina asked, obviously referring
to how long before they could anticipate knowing if Alice had turned the
corner.

"Another day, two at the most," Ford answered.

He really had no idea how long before the medication might
take effect. If it did anything at all. Piper had lasted a week before
succumbing to the disease.

Ford’s mind whipped him back in time to that horrible week.
He had been a young man, looking forward to all that life had to offer.

His sweet baby sister was the light of his life. Piper could
charm the squirrels out of the trees with her smile. She had been such a joyful
child, so full of happiness and energy.

Then, one day, she had come home from visiting with the
neighbor. They had been staying at their country house and Piper had enjoyed
playing with the crofter’s children. But this time, the servants had claimed
she came home looking pale and drawn. She collapsed before she was halfway up
the stairs. Ford was the one who found her like that, shivering and sweating,
completely oblivious to her surroundings. Their mother had been in town when it
happened. Ford sent word right away, but by the time she returned, Piper was
too far gone and there was no help to be had.

Ford had been desperate while the girl was suffering.
Calling on every doctor, surgeon and apothecary for miles. But no one knew what
to do and he had watched his sister die, helpless to do anything at all. Only
the old Chinese pharmacist even tried to help. But, he had told Ford that he
didn’t have all the herbs and powders necessary to cure Piper. It had been the
most frustrating thing to endure. Knowing the Chinese herbs might have saved
his sister yet having no way to acquire them. Ford had found out later that
shipments from China were infrequent and unpredictable. He spent the next ten years
studying every facet of the ancient medical practices and collecting rare
specimens for his research.

He hadn’t been able to save Piper, but he was determined to
make up for that with Alice. She had to get better, she just had to. And not
just so he could be relieved of the burden of his sister’s death, but also so
that Alice’s exquisite mother could smile again. Ford would rather die himself
than allow Sabrina to lose her daughter. He knew it would destroy her and he
could never forgive himself if she sank into the depression that would surely
follow the death of her child.

He sat next to Sabrina on the sofa and watched as she ran
the cool cloth over Alice’s small, sweet features. Mother and child, the most
natural combination in the world. Ford’s eyelids were heavy. He hadn’t slept
more than a few minutes in the last three days and he couldn’t fight the
gravity tugging his eyes closed any longer. He sunk back onto the couch
intending only to rest for a moment.

What must have been hours later, Ford felt himself waking,
but he resisted with all his might. The dream was too good to let go of without
a struggle. In the other realm, he was laying on his back, half propped up on
some pillows. Sabrina was draped over his body, quite snuggly, with one hand resting
on his chest and a leg tucked intimately between his thighs. He could feel her
even breathing heating his neck and chin, and if he turned his head just one or
two inches, he would be kissing her. Why not? He thought to himself. After all,
this is just a dream. It would have to be enough to sustain him since in real
life he would never be able to kiss his employee.