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When I wake up, the sin the house, and Claire telling them, "Shh, shh"

I’m in Silas’s bed My head feels stuffed with cotton I stare at the numbers on the bedside clock but can’t comprehend them

"Are you awake?" Gabriel asks He looks up from a sea of papers

With effort I prop rily in my skull "What happened?"

"Claire said it entleness "But she was only guessing You were lying on the floor, bright red with a fever; nothing we did could wake you" He holds up a uess it would interest you to know that it not only doesn’t sound like a seizure, but it doesn’t co I can find"

I lie back down and rubto quell the buzzing Think, I tell hter of two scientists cannot be bested by this But I was never as brilliant as my mother and father All that comes to me are es He wasdifferent battles, ether, o," I say, and try to clear the hoarseness from my voice

Gabriel looks hopeful "Back to the mansion?"

"To find my brother"

Gabriel shakes his head "That’s not a priority right now"

"How could you say that?"

"Because you’re dying!" he snaps The room falls silent He looks at the open book, penitent Clearly he didn’tit After a few seconds he repeats it, softly "You’re dying, and I’ about it"

I sit up It’s as though oes rushing froht be able to help," I say

"He ht," Gabriel says "But you’re here, and we don’t knohere he is, and we can’t afford the tiue this I open my mouth, but the words don’t leave my lips More tiht I know that the answer to all of this ht be in the very place I left behind I know that my madman father-in-law can work miracles just like he can murder an infant--or his son’s defiant bride

How did I come to be at the mercy of such a man? What horror did I commit in a past life to warrant his interest?

"A doctor, then," I insist "Or a sharip the edges Gabriel sees this and eases me back down He tucks the blankets to my chin, like I am a child

I pretend that I’hn’s prisoner but as Linden’s wife I am sandwiched between silk sheets, a across the hall Be still Listen I can hear theht breakfast for me, before the sun is up, while the e clocks and pluuished theht Later there will be tra their tails to delightto fear Everybody’s safe

Gabriel presses the back of his hand to htens into a frown "Tomorroe’ll find a hospital," he says

"Okay," I whisper

Exhausted, I closeto bed?" I ask hiht leave the h pages

When I wake, it’s still dark outside Gabriel sleeps with his arm across my waist, his chin on my shoulder

Every muscle in my body hurts, and in my oing to be sick But the pain is progress; it htly, out of Gabriel’s ar my shirt, and as I touch the and then turns onto his sto the pillow

I’m careful not to wake him as I climb out of the blankets and make my way to the bathroo it will somehow curb this nausea I s them with a handful of water