Hello everyone! It will only be a short chapter today. I am almost finished with the entire story, and I think I should have finished writing by the end of the week. We are only at 1/4 of it at the moment, so you can expect daily updates until the story is complete. Thanks for your comments.

Enjoy!

Chapter 13

Kitty started feeling ill within a few hours. Nothing too serious, but she spent part of the night shivering, sneezing and coughing. She was awoken very early the next morning by some movement outside her bedroom. She opened her door and found Lady Julia's maid, Hannah, in the hallway.

"Is something the matter?" she asked.

"Yes, Lady Julia has taken ill. She has a fever. I was just going downstairs to check if there is anything we could give her. Do you have any willow bark tea?" She then sounded unsure "But maybe we should call for a doctor"

"Of course, Aunt Owen should be back in the morning. I suppose she will tell us whether we had better call for a doctor or the apothecary. I am quite new to the area, so I am not sure" she added. "Is Lady Julia asleep? I would like to check on her."

"No, she is not. You may go in Miss, I will take care of the tea of some other concoction."

Kitty knocked on the door and entered. "Are you unwell? Your maid tells me you have a fever" she asked worriedly.

Lady Julia smiled wanly "I feel dreadful. How about you?"

"Not perfect by all accounts, but not as bad as you. We will have some tea brought to you. It should do you some good. You should rest in the meantime, and drink a lot. Do you need anything? Another blanket maybe?"

"No, I feel very warm, I think the fever still has not broken. But I shall feel better soon."

"You shall be up and about very quickly, I am sure. I will ask your maid for directions to send a message to your family. They will probably wish to be informed."

"My mother will be here in no time if you do that. I do not want to trouble her" Lady Julia said in a weak voice.

"Well, she is your mother, so I dare say, she would rather be troubled. You should try to get some sleep. And do call for me if you need anything" Kitty replied firmly.

Kitty then went back to her room to get a shawl, and headed down to the kitchen. She wanted to see if the maid had managed to get some tea done, and get some for herself. After which, she went to the drawing room and fell asleep on the sofa. She was awakened by Mrs Owen.

"How are you my dear? You look fatigued" enquired the older woman.

"I have a bit of a cold, but nothing too serious" she smiled thinly. "But Aunt, we have guests, I hope I have not overstepped in bringing them here" she said second-guessing herself. Kitty went on to explain what had happened, and remembered she had quite forgotten about Mrs Stuart. Mrs Owen reassured her on all accounts. Kitty introduced her to Lady Julia, whose fever was getting worse, so Mrs Owen sent for the doctor immediately. She gave her a strange beverage, which, she said was her secret recipe, and would help her recover. The physician came later that morning. He recommended she drink more of the concoction, and try to have some broth later. He ordered that she not be removed for a few days and try to sleep. He said he would come back to check on her the next day and to call him in any doubt. He also advised Kitty not to overtax herself, so she was sent to bed for the remainder of the day. Mrs Owen was about to send an express the Lady Julia's family and in Staffordshire, when Mr Tuner came with the coachman. They were informed of the last developments and offered to take the letter to town, as the coachman wanted to send out a message to his master. The footman, it was confirmed had a broken leg, and could not be moved either. The carriage had been recovered earlier in the morning, but it had been quite damaged in the accident, so his master had to be informed of everything.

The rest of the day went by quietly. Kitty slept through most of it, and only awoke when she was brought some broth. She felt a lot better within a day. That much could not be said for Lady Julia however. Her fever was still very high and she barely woke, so it was hard to get her to drink any herbal tea. She felt very faint, and even speaking was a huge effort, which got their hosts to grow very concerned. The doctor came and said all they could do was wait and keep giving the tea. Kitty and Mrs Owen and the maids kept turns to watch over the young lady and feed her. This lasted for another two days. The doctor would come twice a day, but there was not much he could do. Mr and Mrs Turner came to see if they could be of any help and brought news of their own patient. Miss Barnes came to call, but did not stay long. She explained to a surprised Kitty that the whole neighbourhood knew about their guest. In fact, Miss Hayward and Lady Marianne even sent a note with their best wishes for a quick recovery. Kitty wondered why they had not left for Bath. Lady Julia's mother had also sent an express informing them of her arrival. Given the distance, she was not expected before another day or two.

The fever eventually broke. Kitty had spent the night in Lady Julia's room and was awoken by the maid who had come in to check on the fire. Kitty had been checking the lady's forehead the entire night and was despairing of feeling the burning skin, so when she touched it that morning, she sighed in relief and told the maid who was equally reassured. The patient opened her eyes and became wary of her surroundings. Kitty took her hand and told her softly "Good morning. It is Miss Bennet. You have given us quite a scare Lady Julia. But you shall feel better soon." The young lady merely sighed in reply.

"Would you like to try and eat something? Some tea, or some broth maybe?"

"Tea would be nice. Thank you" she said weakly.

"I will be right back then".

Kitty went downstairs and found Mrs Owen "Aunt, the fever has finally broken" she told her happily.

"That is very good news indeed. Is she awake?"

"Yes, I was just on my way to get her some tea. Maybe biscuits would do too."

"You are a good girl, Catherine" she smiled.