He nodded.
She averted her gaze. “I’ve been so poorly as of late that I don’t have the energy to read or study properly, not as I used to. I tried to start studying again, but I’m having problems stayingfocused. I get tired easily and have to read a passage a few times before I understand it. I guess my brain needs a respite from what happened.”
“You’re sitting under the mistletoe, Edith,” Marianne said, playing a Christmas song. “And Perry is right next to you.”
An instant flicker began in his chest, spreading warmth to his neck and face.
Edith flushed to the roots of her hair, glancing at him. “It wouldn’t be appropriate.”
Marianne leant forwards from the piano stool. “They aren’t paying attention, and Mother can’t see you from where she sits.”
Perry craned his neck. Marianne was right. The sofa where he and Edith sat faced the hearth while Dr. Winkworth, his wife, and Albert were in a corner on the opposite side of the room. But concern about privacy might not be the reason Edith didn’t want to kiss him.
“I’ll turn away as well.” Winking, Marianne faced the piano again, pressing the keys with more energy.
Edith trapped her bottom lip between her teeth. “Do you want to kiss me?”
Hell, yes. He nodded.
“You know, mistletoe is actually a parasitic plant. It steals water and minerals from the host.”
He laughed, but the sound was croaky and spooky, so he shut his mouth. Only Edith could say something like that.
He took the pencil again; just holding it caused his fingers to stiffen. He meant to ask her if she wanted a kiss, considering it would be a sloppy one, when a strong tingle started to bother the tips of his fingers as if needles pierced his skin. A flash of white light filled his vision, and the pencil and notepad slipped out of his grip.
The next thing he was aware of was that he was lying on the carpet between the sofa and the piano, surrounded by everyone.Edith, Marianne, Dr. Winkworth, Mrs. Winkworth, and Albert stared at him in shock.
He had no idea what had happened to him.
“Perry.” Too much worry filled Edith’s voice.
He propped himself up on his elbows, but Dr. Winkworth stopped him.
“Stay down, my lord. You had a seizure.” Dr. Winkworth touched Perry’s wrist, taking his pulse. “Do you remember anything?”
He shook his head. A seizure. His muscles were indeed sore.
Edith put a cushion underneath his head. “You dropped on the floor. Your limbs went completely stiff at first.”
“Then you were twitching and kicking, and your eyes rolled back,” Marianne added. “Goodness, you scared us all.”
“What is it?” Fear carved deep lines on Albert’s forehead. “What kind of new malady is this?”
Perry breathed hard. Not even the seizures on top of everything else.
Dr. Winkworth checked Perry’s eyes. “A strong head trauma might cause seizures. Sometimes, the seizure is an isolated event, and it won’t repeat itself. Other times, the seizures persist. My lord, if I may suggest something.”
“Yes?” Albert sounded desperate and horrified.
Dr. Winkworth squeezed Perry’s hand in a gesture that seemed to say, ‘I’m sorry, lad.’ “You should leave for Geneva tomorrow. Don’t wait for the spring. The sooner your brother starts his therapy, the better.”
Edith blinked watery eyes at him, and at that moment, Perry realised he didn’t have a say or a choice.
WatchingPerry twitching on the floor had been one of the most shocking sights Edith had ever seen.
She’d read about people who endured fits and seizures since they were born and were afflicted by the little-understood disease for all their lives. Those who suffered from seizures were often considered lunatics and either shunned or locked up in an institution, never to be mentioned again. She had no idea a blow in the head could start them.
Standing on the pavement in front of Perry’s house the day after the Christmas dinner, she wondered if she’d ever see him again. His condition required a difficult, long treatment. He wouldn’t return any time soon.
