Rowan was burning up with fever. She curled into a tight ball, her brows knitted tightly together as silent tears streamed endlessly down her face.
A soft handkerchief gently brushed her tear-streaked corners, gliding lightly over her cheeks, neck, and bandaged wrist.
"Mabel, clean her up and change her into fresh clothes," a deep, steady male voice instructed the elderly maid beside him.
The kind elderly woman nodded in obedience. Rowan felt herself being lifted gently from the bed.
The door clicked shut, and the man left the room.
Shortly after Rowan was cleaned up and settled back into the dry, warm bed, he returned with a doctor in tow.
"She's running a fever. Give her a full re-examination."
The steady beeping of medical instruments filled her ears. A stethoscope pressed agains
