Her eyes widened. “I feel the same about you.”
He swallowed the lump in his throat. Why couldn’t he just speak in a coherent manner? He felt like a schoolboy caught doing something wrong.
“I wish ... that is, I hope we might ... well, get better acquainted.”
“Ah ... yes.” She seemed rather breathless. Was she getting sick? “I’d like that.”
“I suppose I should see Aunt Mary.”
She nodded and stepped away. “I’ll, uh, leave you to visit.” She appeared flustered.
“Wait!” Roman’s gaze narrowed. “You sound ... well, you sound uneasy. Is the heat causing you distress?”
Judith stared blankly for a moment. She shook her head. “No. I’m fine. You should see Mary.” With that she hurried away.
Well,you made a mess of that, he chided silently. Roman watched her until she disappeared down the stairs. He pulled himself together and reached for the door. His hands were shaking slightly. What was this power she had over him?
He drew a deep breath and gave a light knock. There’d be time to assess the matter later.
“Come in,” his aunt’s voice called.
He stepped into the room and glanced down at the woman who was propped up in bed. “I heard you were unwell.”
“Judith shouldn’t have sent for you.”
“She didn’t. Reverend Knickerbacker told me you were ill.” He pulled up the chair to her bedside. “But seriously, you should have sent for me.”
“I knew you didn’t want to come here.”
“But I would have, and now I have. Reverend Knickerbacker said you are having gallbladder trouble. Judith confirmed this.”
“Mr. Ashton’s doctor said there’s nothing to be done.”
“Mr. Ashton’s doctor doesn’t know everything. How long have you struggled with this?”
“Several months now. It comes and goes.”
Roman nodded. “And is it a little worse each time?”
“Yes. I usually have great nausea with the pain. Sometimes fever too. This spell was the worst yet. I was in severe pain all last night.”
“It might sound frightening, but there is a surgery to remove the stones. It seems to give instant relief to the patient. It is of course a risk to do surgery on anyone, but you can hardly allow it to continue getting worse.”
She frowned. “Can this kill me?”
He let out a deep breath. “Actually, yes.”
“Are you able to do this surgery?”
“I’ve never done it before, but I have read a great deal about it.”
“If you think I should, then I would trust you to do it.” His aunt smiled. “I believe in your abilities, Roman.”
“Better to keep your trust in God and ask Him to bless my abilities. You say you’re feeling better. Is the pain gone?”
“Mostly. Judith has taken good care of me.”
Roman nodded. “She told me what she’s been doing. She’s actually done all of the right things.”
