Somebody wrapped a strong arm around me as I fell. 'Give her air!' That was Captain Rogers' voice, barking orders. 'Move aside, there!'
I can't recall much about the next few moments except a confusion of faces and a blur of movement. I know I was perched on a heavy wooden chair in the inner hall under an old portrait of a stern-faced matriarch, with Captain Rogers on his knees at my side and Emily fanning me and making anxious enquiries.
'I'm sorry to make such a fuss,' I tried to rise, only for Captain Rogers to put a gentle hand on my arm.
'Give yourself a minute to recover.'
'I'm all right now,' I said.
Somebody put a glass to my mouth, and I drank, spluttering when I tasted brandy where I expected cool water.
'That's the way,' Emily said. 'Drink it down, Dorothea. It will help.'
