“Benedict, we have guests, I need to—”
“Do nothing. I’ll deal with them,” Benedict replied. He tucked me back in, stepped back, and touched my head. “You’re notrunning a temperature. Maybe it’s one of those twenty-four-hour bug things.”
“Possibly. I’m not surprised, as there are a lot of bugs and colds going around.”
Benedict offered me one more worried look before leaving.
Benedict
“Cat!” I called as I left the bedroom.
“Yes?”she asked, appearing.
“Mariah is ill, please keep an eye on her while I get her some broth,” I said.
“Of course,”she replied and disappeared. I heard a startled noise and realised Cat had surprised Mariah. A small smile crossed my lips as I headed downstairs.
Julie was in the kitchen cooking up a storm, and everything smelled wonderful.
“Sir?”
“Mariah has picked up a stomach bug. Do we have any broth?”
“Yes, I’ll get that for you,” Julie said.
“I can do that. Thanks, Julie, just point me in the right direction.” I didn’t want to distract Julie.
“It’s okay, sir.” Julie turned and headed for the fridge.
“Benedict,” I corrected for what must have been the one thousandth time.
Julie offered me a smile. “Sir. Respect where respect is due; we all know how you protected us. Let me prepare a tray for Mariah. You take a seat.”
I did as ordered. Everyone knew you didn’t argue with the cook. They could withhold scrumptious food from you, and I wasn’t about to mess with that. Julie deftly prepared a light lunch for Mariah.
“Here you go, sir. I hope Mariah feels better soon. I’ll make her something easy for dinner,” Julie said, pushing it towards him.
“She’ll be disappointed; she was looking forward to tonight.” Julie had cooked one of Mariah’s favourites, Hunter’s Chicken with seasonal vegetables and sauté potatoes.
“Do you need anything?” I asked, and Julie shook her head.
“Everything’s fine here, sir. We’ve plenty of food and fresh produce. Terry has agreed to collect my Christmas order, so we’re all prepared.”
“Thanks, Julie. I’ll bring these down later. What time is dinner?”
“I’m going to begin serving at half-past six. That lets the new guests unpack and get settled. They seemed jet-lagged. I also let the Maddons know the evening meal would be a little delayed.”
“Were they okay with that?”
“They appeared to be. Only Mrs Maddon is here. The rest of the family is still in town shopping, I believe. You get on now, sir, and look after Mariah,” Julie replied, and I nodded.
I left the kitchen and headed back upstairs. I hoped that whatever was ailing Mariah would be cured soon. Mariah rarely got ill, and when she did, I was helpless.
Mariah was awake and lying on plumped-up pillows. I was slightly surprised because Cat was not the most maternal of women. Cat preferred to give you a swift kick rather than a hug. Mariah looked pale, which only made me worry more. I placed the tray on the bed as she pulled herself more upright.
“That smells good,” she said, and I heard her stomach rumble.
“How do you feel?”
