Stormspell by Anne Mather Read Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Anne Mather
Ruth had suspected it was Joseph who was occupying that special place, but as Joseph already had a wife and six children, she had decided she must be mistaken. Now, however, she was not so certain, and Celeste's eyes narrowed as she realised it was not the emergency she had thought.
'Not your daddy?' she repeated, pursing her lips. 'What then? What you want waking me up at this time of night? I'se a working woman. I needs my sleep.'
'We all need our sleep. Celeste,' said Ruth, rubbing her bare arms as the coolness of the night air chilled her flesh. 'But I'm worried about—about Mr Howard. I think he's got a temperature.'
Celeste gasped. 'You come here, bothering me about that man!' she exclaimed indignantly, making to close the door, but Ruth would not let her.
'Please. Celeste.' she appealed, 'listen to me. He really is ill. And I don't know what to do. I don't want to wake Daddy, unless I have to. I thought— well. I though you might help me.'
'How you find out Mr Howard sick?' Celeste asked suspiciously. 'You sleeping in his bed?'
'Of course not!' Ruth was horrified. 'He cried out. that's all. And—and I thought it was Daddy.'
Celeste sniffed. 'You been attending him like that?' she grunted, and Ruth touched her night-shirt and the silken curtain of her hair with discomfited fingers. 'What you expect me to do anyway? I ain't no doctor.'
'He's thirsty.' said Ruth, glancing back towards the house. 'He said so. Perhaps, if we gave him a drink, and some aspirin—'
'Huh!' Celeste was sceptical. 'Why can't you do that yourself? You a big girl now. You don't need me to hold your hand.'
'I do. That is—' Ruther broke off in embarrassment. 'Please. Celeste, won't you come? I do need your help.'
Celeste looked doubtful, but she was hesitating, and Ruth pressed her advantage. 'You're so much more experienced in these things than I am,' she pleaded. 'I know he would appreciate it.'
Celeste sniffed. 'Well—' she murmured consideringly, 'all right.'
'Oh, thank you.'
Ruth's shoulders sagged with relief, and Celeste turned back into the cabin. 'I'll get my robe.' she said, scratching her head as she went, and Ruth breathed more easily as she walked back to the house.
By the time Celeste appeared, wrapped about in a scarlet woollen dressing gown that had once belonged to Ruth's father. Ruth had added shorts to supplement her provocative attire. She had no idea how Dominic might react faced with two women, but she hoped there was safety in numbers.
'He still sleeping in your room?' Celeste asked, bustling along the hall, and Ruth, trailing in her wake, nodded.
'I'm sleeping in the living room.' she added, her pulses racing as they neared Dominic's door. 'Daddy offered me his bed, but I refused. I'm quite comfortable on the couch.'
'Hmm!' Celeste snorted, reaching for the handle and flinging open the door. Then both women stopped, aghast. In the light shed from the hall they could see Dominic was no longer occupying the bed. He was stretched out on the floor, and judging by the way he was lying, he must have collapsed.
'Oh, gosh!'
Ruth turned anxious eyes in Celeste's direction, but the black woman was already moving forward, bending over the unconscious man. 'He have a fever,' she exclaimed, laying her hand against his forehead. 'Why you not tell me this before, Missy? Mr Howard, he poorly sick!'
Ruth expelled her breath unsteadily. 'I did tell you. Celeste.' she protested, pushing her hands into the pockets of her shorts and pulling them out again. 'Oh. lord, what are we going to do?'
Celeste straightened. 'It that cut in his arm.' she declared, her black face brooding as she considered her diagnosis. 'Sometime it happen this way. Feller feels okay, think it not going to trouble him. Then them little germs, they come along and throw you to the sharks.'
'All right. Celeste. I understand that.' said Ruth, trying to be patient. 'But what can we do?'
'I could have told you this was going to happen.' went on
'Not your daddy?' she repeated, pursing her lips. 'What then? What you want waking me up at this time of night? I'se a working woman. I needs my sleep.'
'We all need our sleep. Celeste,' said Ruth, rubbing her bare arms as the coolness of the night air chilled her flesh. 'But I'm worried about—about Mr Howard. I think he's got a temperature.'
Celeste gasped. 'You come here, bothering me about that man!' she exclaimed indignantly, making to close the door, but Ruth would not let her.
'Please. Celeste.' she appealed, 'listen to me. He really is ill. And I don't know what to do. I don't want to wake Daddy, unless I have to. I thought— well. I though you might help me.'
'How you find out Mr Howard sick?' Celeste asked suspiciously. 'You sleeping in his bed?'
'Of course not!' Ruth was horrified. 'He cried out. that's all. And—and I thought it was Daddy.'
Celeste sniffed. 'You been attending him like that?' she grunted, and Ruth touched her night-shirt and the silken curtain of her hair with discomfited fingers. 'What you expect me to do anyway? I ain't no doctor.'
'He's thirsty.' said Ruth, glancing back towards the house. 'He said so. Perhaps, if we gave him a drink, and some aspirin—'
'Huh!' Celeste was sceptical. 'Why can't you do that yourself? You a big girl now. You don't need me to hold your hand.'
'I do. That is—' Ruther broke off in embarrassment. 'Please. Celeste, won't you come? I do need your help.'
Celeste looked doubtful, but she was hesitating, and Ruth pressed her advantage. 'You're so much more experienced in these things than I am,' she pleaded. 'I know he would appreciate it.'
Celeste sniffed. 'Well—' she murmured consideringly, 'all right.'
'Oh, thank you.'
Ruth's shoulders sagged with relief, and Celeste turned back into the cabin. 'I'll get my robe.' she said, scratching her head as she went, and Ruth breathed more easily as she walked back to the house.
By the time Celeste appeared, wrapped about in a scarlet woollen dressing gown that had once belonged to Ruth's father. Ruth had added shorts to supplement her provocative attire. She had no idea how Dominic might react faced with two women, but she hoped there was safety in numbers.
'He still sleeping in your room?' Celeste asked, bustling along the hall, and Ruth, trailing in her wake, nodded.
'I'm sleeping in the living room.' she added, her pulses racing as they neared Dominic's door. 'Daddy offered me his bed, but I refused. I'm quite comfortable on the couch.'
'Hmm!' Celeste snorted, reaching for the handle and flinging open the door. Then both women stopped, aghast. In the light shed from the hall they could see Dominic was no longer occupying the bed. He was stretched out on the floor, and judging by the way he was lying, he must have collapsed.
'Oh, gosh!'
Ruth turned anxious eyes in Celeste's direction, but the black woman was already moving forward, bending over the unconscious man. 'He have a fever,' she exclaimed, laying her hand against his forehead. 'Why you not tell me this before, Missy? Mr Howard, he poorly sick!'
Ruth expelled her breath unsteadily. 'I did tell you. Celeste.' she protested, pushing her hands into the pockets of her shorts and pulling them out again. 'Oh. lord, what are we going to do?'
Celeste straightened. 'It that cut in his arm.' she declared, her black face brooding as she considered her diagnosis. 'Sometime it happen this way. Feller feels okay, think it not going to trouble him. Then them little germs, they come along and throw you to the sharks.'
'All right. Celeste. I understand that.' said Ruth, trying to be patient. 'But what can we do?'
'I could have told you this was going to happen.' went on