Masquerade ✔

Chapter 31

With the sun up and surrounded by people heading to work, Clara sprinted down the street, back to her dwelling, four bottles of Emme's medicine tucked safely into her corset. In broad daylight, she only attracted even more stares, but all she could think about at the moment was Emme.

After leaving the Norrington manor, Clara hadn't returned home, so as she entered the quarter, a part of her hoped that she would find Ezra waiting for her on the other side of the door. But the room was empty and quiet, and Clara's heart sank.

Amyeliana's intense relief was obvious as soon as Clara came in. She sat with Emme, the younger girl still asleep with her head on Amyeliana's lap.

"Did you get it?" Amyeliana asked.

Clara knelt down and pulled out the four bottles, carefully placing each one in a line on the ground. Amyeliana gaped at them. "How did you afford that?"

Clara took one of the bottles and carefully unscrewed it. "Araminta, believe it or not."

"You asked her for help?"

"What other choice did I have?"

"I'm not judging you," Amyeliana said hurriedly. "I'm just surprised you even thought to do it. Or that she even would give help."

"I'll tell you the entire story later," Clara promised. "But I want to get some of this into Emme's system right away. How has she been doing?"

"She's mostly just slept," Amyeliana said, frowning. "Occasionally she'll wake herself up with a coughing fit, but I'm not sure she's even fully conscious. Her breathing doesn't sound great, and while I don't think her fever has gone up, it certainly hasn't gone down."

Clara had noticed that the moment she walked in. Emme sounded more like a 50-year-old factory worker than a child who had barely spent anytime outside in her life. "You should go to the other room and get some sleep," Clara advised Amyeliana. "You've been up all night."

"So have you," Amyeliana pointed out.

"Amyeliana." Clara desperately wanted, needed, time alone with Emme.

Amyeliana nodded and got up without further argument.

"There's some food in the bag on the floor," Clara called after her. "Help yourself."

Clara took Emme's head up into her own lap and tilted it up as she poured a few careful drops of medicine down Emme's throat. She seemed to swallow it, so Clara put the cap back on the bottle and put both her arms around Emme, cradling her.

Clara remained in that position for the next hour, trying not to fall asleep in fear that Emme would get worse the moment she wasn't paying attention. But eventually, her breathing became less labored and her forehead cooled.

Carefully, Clara put Emme flat on the floor and got up, taking the three unopened bottles of medicine with her. Amyeliana was dozing off in the other room, but she lurched awake as Clara came in.

"How is she?" Amyeliana asked, yawning.

"Better, I think." Clara carefully stored the medicine away. "Hopefully she'll wake up sometime today." She sank down next to Amyeliana, who promptly offered her some of the food that Cadence had packed for them.

"You should eat," Amyeliana urged. "You're running on fumes."

Clara gratefully accepted what looked like some type of chicken. It was almost impossible to identify food served at balls given how fancy the chefs prepared it. But whatever it was, it tasted good.