Chapter Ten
A sharp cry had Elizabeth flailing, arms and legs jerking beneath the covers. Her heart beat like pistons in an engine as her mind grappled with where the cry came from. Another cry had her out of bed and scrambling into Madeline’s room.
The little girl had tossed the covers off and lay shivering in the middle of her bed. Her forehead was beaded with drops of perspiration, her features twisted, brow scrunched. She cried again, thrashing one way, then the other.
Elizabeth dashed over to her bed, placing her palm on Madeline’s forehead; it was warm, but not hot. Not a fever. A nightmare, then. She stroked her fingers through Madeline’s hair, with what she hoped was a quiet, soothing, shushing sound. Madeline whimpered and then settled, her breath becoming deeper.
Elizabeth se
