“The nurse said the same,” he said wryly, nodding his head in her direction. “I must admit, I do feel calmer. I don’t know why. I used to get very upset whenever I came here. In here.” He patted at his own chest. “But as the week has gone on, I have felt more at home. Maybe because the others are not here anymore. It was not a happy home. But my hands don’t shake so much. Look.”
He held out both hands, and she was stunned to see how straight they were and pale.
“They used to hurt as well.” He rubbed them against each other and put them back on his middle. “Not anymore.”
“Well, whatever is in your medication, I think we all need some,” Rose smiled.
“Do you play cards?” Ernest asked suddenly.
Rose was immediately reminded her years of playing cards with Will and his family. She had always been highly competitive, and the weekly card games became a hard-fought tournament. It was ironic that she was so good at it when her father was so bad.
“I do, actually,” she said.
“I thought maybe we could have a game to pass the time.”
“That would be very nice.”
“Piquet or Vingt-et-un he offered.”
“The latter,” Rose chose.
They passed an enjoyable afternoon, each trying to better the other. Rose found their skills very evenly matched, much to Ernest’s surprise, and she took more than a few hands off him until he began to wince more often and his skin paled.
“I think I have worn you out,” she said, concerned.
“Not how I had hoped to wear you out this week,” he smiled, wincing again. It was innuendo, but not said in a threatening way.
The nurse came up behind Rose.
“I think His Grace needs a rest,” she agreed.
Rose stood up and moved away from the head of the bed as the nurse removed one of his pillows.
“Thank you for coming,” Ernest said as the nurse helped him lay down.
“Get some rest,” Rose said gently, and he nodded, but he was obviously distracted by the pain.
She took her leave in a much better state of mind than she had arrived earlier. She wondered if this change in Ernest was a temporary respite; either way, it was welcome.
“And your plan is?” John asked, scrutinizing Will across the table between them.
“Well, he might be up for a forty percent cash injection which would open up all manner of avenues.”
John shook his head.
“You know very well I was not talking about the Duke.”
Will smiled at his friend.
“Maybe I did.”
“Well?”
“We had a couple of enjoyable days.”
“Did you clear up the confusion over your disastrous marriage proposal?”
“It was not disastrous. She was perfectly at liberty to pick out of it what she wished.”