“Thank you. I’m sorry to bother you so late.”
He shook his head and ushered her down the corridor back to the kitchen, where she’d arrived. “Think nothing of it. And please, do come back and tell me how she’s getting on.”
“I will,” Katherine promised. In the kitchen, she turned to the door then paused. “You don’t think Mrs. Campbell would be willing to cook and bring by meals, do you?”
Dr. Gammon laughed. “Tell you what, my dear. I’ll ask her when she’s over again in two days.”
Katherine felt not a hint of guilt over that. “Thank you. And you will rest tonight?”
He raised an eyebrow. “With the way you fuss over Emma, I ought to be the one worrying about you. I’ll be fine, I promise you. In fact…” He reached for a clean plate resting on a rag on the counter. “I believe I’ll help myself to the snack Mrs. Campbell left and then run along to bed. Goodnight, Lady Katherine. I’m sure Emma will be as right as ninepence come the morning.”
Katherine braced herself against the gust of February wind as she opened the door. Tossing her cloak over the dog in her arms to shield them better, she left her neighbor and friend behind. However, the detective in her couldn’t help but wonder which mistake in his past was worrying him and how she could help.
Chapter Two
Emma’s enthusiastic yips pierced the fog of Katherine’s sleep. Groaning, she rolled over in bed and shoved her face under the pillow. Even muffled, her dog’s excitement needled into her ears. What time is it?
Emma barked again, and Katherine’s sleepless night returned to her in vivid clarity. She’d stayed up with her dog until Emma vomited. Even then, she’d feared the pug wasn’t cured. After all that activity, Emma had simply curled up and gone to sleep. With a sinking feeling, Katherine had done the same. But if Emma was barking…
Katherine bolted up in bed. She threw off the coverlet, sliding her feet onto the chilly wooden floorboards. She hadn’t purchased bed curtains yet, so the only thing separating her from where Emma had climbed onto the trunk beneath the windowsill was the pink rug she had taken from her father’s residence. It was the only rug in the house, as Katherine was far too preoccupied to go shopping for furnishings, let alone decorations. Her bare toes curled against the floorboards and soft rug as she raced to her dog.
As she approached, Emma peered over her shoulder with a wagging tail. Her eyes were bright, and she seemed in good spirits. Relief quickened Katherine’s heartbeat, and she snatched her dog from the windowsill, twirling her around until Emma started to wriggle free. She hugged the dog to her chest. “You’re well again!”
So well, in fact, that she had returned to announcing the arrival of strangers in the neighborhood. A month had passed since they’d moved to Charles Street, and Emma had grown accustomed to the residents. The staff of the various houses and frequent visitors, she’d learned to ignore. However, Emma continued to announce the presence of strangers and dogs, no matter the time of day.
This morning, Katherine didn’t mind being roused from a fitful sleep. It was a sign that Emma was healthy once more. Grinning, she turned to the array of trunks housing her clothes due to the lack of a wardrobe. Thoughtfully, Harriet had laid out the day’s clothes.
Despite the fact that it took her half an hour longer to don the dress and fashion her hair without Harriet’s help, Katherine’s spirits buoyed as she carried Emma downstairs for breakfast. An enticing smell of cooked oats met her nose. Following it, she reached the Spartan breakfast room. Harriet was already there, laying out two place settings for breakfast, as she’d taken to eating her meals with Katherine. In a house with no other servants, there was no need for formality.
Tucking her unruly brown hair behind one ear, Harriet smiled at Katherine. “You’re awake. I was about to see if you wanted some breakfast.”
Katherine balanced her dog on the swell of her hip. “Why didn’t you wake me sooner? Pru and Lord Annandale arrive within the hour.”
Harriet shrugged sheepishly. “You were up so late with Emma… I thought you needed the extra sleep.” She held out her hands for Emma. “Come here, girl. I have something for you too.”
As Harriet fussed with the dog, straightening the ribbon decorating her neck, Katherine took a seat. She couldn’t restrain the grin that split her face. “She’s completely recovered. I can’t believe it.” Though why she had doubted Dr. Gammon’s expertise, she didn’t know. He’d always given her cause to believe him skilled at his work.
“Not entirely recovered. I had to take her outside at least three times this morning, but she is in far better spirits today than she was yesterday. I’m going to try her with a little fresh meat and see how her stomach handles it.”
Katherine nodded and peered into her empty bowl. “You mentioned breakfast?”
Harriet set the dog in the corner by a dish, where Emma happily lapped up the morsels left for her. Turning back, Harriet hefted a pot with triumph. Skillfully wielding the ladle, she scooped up the contents and deposited them into Katherine’s bowl.
The porridge was thin and watery with clumps of unpalatable mess. Truthfully, it looked like something Emma had regurgitated. Beholding it, Katherine lost her appetite. Forcing a smile, she dipped her spoon into the gruel and stirred it around. Cheerfully, Harriet helped herself to the dish and poured a frugal amount of honey over the top. Although Katherine doubted that honey or milk would make the breakfast edible, she held herself to both.
She lifted a spoon halfway to her mouth before she thought better of it and set it into the bowl again. “While I was at Dr. Gammon’s house last night, he was boasting about his housekeeper, Mrs. Campbell. It seems she cooks him meals and leaves them in the larder.”
Without a cringe, Harriet dug her spoon into the dish and tasted the porridge. She nodded, as if she found it a sumptuous meal. She couldn’t possibly think her cooking divine, could she? Katherine fought not to pull a face.
“It’s good that he has someone to help. He is getting on in years.”
“This house is very large for the two of us. Don’t you think we ought to employ a housekeeper as well? Or perhaps… a cook…”
Harriet’s hair bobbed as she bolted upright in her chair. “What do you mean? Hire a cook? You don’t enjoy my cooking?”
Katherine stumbled over her tongue. “No, it isn’t that. I only thought perhaps you might need some help and…”
From the mulish cast of Harriet’s chin, she wasn’t willing to hear a single word. Katherine’s spirits plummeted. Harriet was her constant friend. She didn’t want to offend her. Even if her cooking was horrid.
“Speaking of Dr. Gammon, I’m worried for him.”
Although suspicion lingered in her maid’s eyes, Harriet resumed eating. “In what way?”
“While I was with him last night, he seemed preoccupied. He told me that he was poring over notes from an old patient, afraid he’d made a mistake. I’m worried that he might not have enough to occupy him. It isn’t healthy to second-guess yourself.”
Harriet cocked an eyebrow. “You mean like you do?”