The Serving Girl // Book 2 in the Rosie Grey series

Chapter Seventeen

The next morning, I woke feeling as though someone had run me over with a carriage and several rather large horses.

My head throbbed, my limbs were stiff and sore, and my chest ached every time I took a breath. I rolled onto my side and stared at the wall opposite, it swam in front of my eyes and I blinked several times, but it didn't stop. The low humming noise from the previous day filled my ears once again and I couldn't even hear the noises coming from the kitchen below. The space next to me was empty, Esther having started her chores for the day and leaving me alone in the room. At the far end of the room, the fire burnt bright, but I shivered against the blankets and pulled them up to my neck.

With every breath, my chest constricted itself and my lungs felt like they were being squeezed by my ribcage. I wheezed heavily as I brushed my hands over my face. My skin felt hot to the touch, as though it were burning and small beads of sweat travelled down my forehead and my face. I shivered despite the heat that seemed to come off my body in waves and sitting under the blanket only made me feel warmer. I almost felt as though I was in my own personal oven, the blanket keeping the heat in and slowly cooking me from the outside in.

I wanted to stay in bed, but I had my doubts that Mrs Ealing would allow such a thing, even if I wasn't working in the house. Groaning, I kicked the blankets off my body and lay staring up at the ceiling as I fought to take a breath. Everything I did felt as though it took more energy then it was supposed to, and my breathing sounded heavy and almost squeaky. I swung my legs off the side of the bed and the room lurched to one side as I sat on the edge of the mattress and took another wheezing breath whilst I waited for the room to straighten up, but it didn't.

Instead, I pushed myself into a standing position and reached out to grab the wall, stumbling slightly and falling to one side. My hand found the cold stone of the wall and I used it to steady myself, my legs shaking slightly as I started to take another step. The room jerked to one side suddenly and I stumbled, my hand missing the wall and I suddenly fell forward. Before I hit the floor, someone grabbed me and forced back onto the bed.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, do you?" Esther's voice sounded muffled and distant as the ringing in my ears continued.

"I'm fine," I replied, fighting to stand back up only to be forced back down.

"You have a fever and you're struggling to breathe, I wouldn't call that nothing. Miss Jenkins thinks it is influenza, but she's asked Doctor Ealing to confirm. You are not going anywhere."

Esther pushed me back against the wall and slipped from the room, returning a few seconds later with a glass of water which she handed to me. I sipped the water, which felt cool against my scratchy throat, and watched Esther as she stood near the doorway. She twisted her hands together anxiously as she waited for Doctor Ealing and Miss Jenkins to arrive. I didn't see why she seemed so stressed or anxious, the way I saw it, there was nothing wrong with me expect from a small sniffle, nothing that wouldn't go away after a little more sleep. Telling Doctor Ealing just seemed like an over-exaggeration.

I drank a little more of the water and pressed my back against the wall, the glass felt cold against my clammy palm. As I sat against the wall, I resisted the temptation to press the glass to my forehead which had started sweating profusely even though I still felt cold and had started to shiver more than I would normally. All I wanted to do was curl up under the blanket and sleep until I could sit up without the room tilting so dramatically. I could smell the breakfast Miss Jenkins had on in the kitchen and I bit my lip to keep myself from vomiting up the water and bile from my stomach. I hated vomiting. When I was five, I had a stomach virus that only lasted a day, and I hoped this was going to turn out to be the same thing rather than influenza.