He looked down at the hand he was still holding and at the skinny arm attached to it. “Do you feel you would be able to eat?”
“I guess I could try.”
Jeremiah let go of her hand almost reluctantly. “I’ll go get Bruna.”
*****
A meal of clear broth later, Mary was able to almost sit up on her own, a development that Bruna appeared quite pleased with.
Irish Mary pushed into the room just as Mary settled herself. “There ya are, Lass. We was thinkin’ you’d not be with us nae more. Kitchen physic will do you more good now than anything else.”
“I don’t think I would be here without you and Bruna.”
“And your Jeremiah. The lad sat with you every night, reading God’s word to you to ward off the Devil himself.”
Even though she suspected as much, Mary felt an uncharacteristic flush trickle through her. “He did?”
“Aye, he did. Sat in that chair. Slept in it too. Every night. Attending like a proper husband, he was. Every night, then off ta drillin’ and patrollin’ with his men every day, just like he is now.”
Mary avoided looking in her eyes, embarrassed by the thoughts she was having. A Yankee. A damn Yankee and she was, well, probably married to him. Which brought up a question. “What was the name of the minister that married us?”
“Your man asked that already. I don’t know. Bruna was deep in her cups and didna ask his name. Had a drink or two meself, medicinal, what with the Fever running here. It’s nae matter I’m sure’n he was a proper Minister. Too Pecksniffian to be anythin’ else, he was.”
Mary bit her frustration back, not pointing out that the missing minister was the only one who could answer the looming question of whether Jeremiah really was “Mary’s man.” Irish Mary didn’t even notice, continuing on without missing a beat. “As bad as the Fever held you, you’ll be a couple months coming round. You’ll need yer rest for a good while. Ya cannae see yerself, but you’re just shadows and eyes right now, near ta nothin’ left of ya.”
The room darkened as evening fell, the night held off only by the lamp Bruna lit before leaving. Despite her utter exhaustion, Mary laid wide awake in her bed, unable to even close her eyes, much less sleep. A creeping unease began to fill her thoughts, growing larger and larger until she was afraid to even blink. She felt pinned and trapped by the shadows.
She gasped when the door to her room silently opened, trying to build the strength to scream.
“Miss Green, may I come in?”
The amazing relief at the sound of Jeremiah’s voice pushed the fear and darkness away at once. She caught the scream in her throat before responding. “Yes. Please…please come in.”
He carefully stepped around the door. “I, uh…” He paused, obviously at a loss. “I just wanted to look in on you. I’ve been….” He stopped, not sure what to say.
“They said I’ll be better in a month or two.”
Jeremiah nodded. “Do you need anything of me? Or I can go get Bruna if you would prefer.”
The thought of the darkened room sent a chill through Mary; the idea of being alone at night was horrifying. “Did you really read the Bible to me every night?”