1 week later…

After my prescribed week of bed-rest, Louisa decided to whisk Isabelle and me away to Bath for two weeks. Candace and two of our maids would be accompanying us.

“The sea air will set you right again, dear,” Candace said as she picked up the vase on my table. She hummed as she took out the bouquet of withering red roses from inside the vase and threw it into the wastebasket in the corner. Somehow, the bright bunch of daisies now filling the vase didn’t cheer my spirits as it normally did. I reasoned it was because I was still feeling listless from my being sick.

“Will you be wanting the white valise or the pink, Miss Samantha?”

I turned away from the wastebasket, distracted. “Hmm? Oh, I think the white, Candace. Since we’ll be gone for two weeks I’ll need the larger of the two.”

“Wise choice, miss. I’ll go and fetch it now.”

As Candace exited the room, Isabelle entered in her wake. Her features were uncharacteristically arranged in a frown.

“Two whole weeks, Sam! How will we bear it?”