How to be a Housemaid

Chapter Fourteen

Millicent leaned against one of the far walls, watching Theodore dance with the other ladies. It shouldn't have been bothering her as much as it did to see him like that, but it was driving her crazy. Seeing another lady in his arms was making her go mad. Millicent fingered her dress, recalling his face when he had seen her come down the stairs. He had seemed surprised, but in a pleasant way. It warmed her all the way down to her toes, making her feel giddy. How could marrying this man be a wrong decision? If only the answer to that question were so easy.

Millicent let out an irritated sigh and tapped her foot on the ground. Another song had started up, and yet another lady she didn't know was dancing in Theodore's arms. She was kind of pretty too with that dolled up face and gorgeous red curls. It made her green lace dress stand out. It made Millicent feel so plain.

"Miss, may I ask you to dance?" A man moved in front of Millicent, blocking her view of Theodore.

She hesitated before letting him take her hand. "Of course. Who might you be?"

"My name is Mr. Noah Armstrong. Who are you?"

"Miss Millicent Thorne."

"A lovely name."

"Thank you." She wasn't focused on their conversation, or the balding man dancing with her.

He smiled at her, "Ah, you are waiting to dance with someone special. And he is off dancing with other ladies."

"What do you mean?" Millicent tried to brush off his comment.

"I can tell, Miss Thorne, that you are distracted. Who are you waiting for?"

"No one." She shook her head.

Mr. Armstrong shrugged and stopped trying to pry into her business. Millicent felt grateful for that. She had to much on her mind, trying to sort out her emotions. She always felt like she was struggling to catch a breath and not let the waves pull her under. It was odd, though, because she did feel as if she couldn't breath at the moment. And it certainly wasn't because of her crazy love sick emotions. Millicent almost tripped as black spots clouded her vision. She released Mr. Armstrong's hands and stepped away. "I'm sorry. I feel a little faint and need some air. Thank you for the dance."

"Do you need me to assist you?" Mr. Armstrong steadied her with his hand, concern on his face.

"Ah, no. I just need a moment to catch my breath. It must be the heat." Millicent waved her hand before her face. She smiled to ease Mr. Armstrong's worries. "I am fine."

He nodded and let her go, still looking somewhat concerned. Millicent hurried for the balcony doors and slipped outside, feeling sick. She placed a hand to her forehead. Why did she feel so feverish? She gripped the railing in pain, trying to keep the black spots from dancing in her vision. What was happening to her? She heard the door to the balcony open quietly, letting the sweet music pour outside into the night air. "Millicent? Are you alright?"

She turned around and saw Theodore standing by the doors, concern on his face. She laughed and waved her hand at him. "I'm fine."

Another pang of pain hit her stomach and she clutched the railing harder. Theodore came over to her. "Mr. Armstrong came to me saying you felt ill. You do look pale."

"It is nothing. I only..." Millicent cried out in pain and sank to the ground, clutching her stomach.

"Millicent!" Theodore dropped to his knees, touching her face. "You're burning up!"

She tried to struggle to her feet. "No, I'm fine..."

Theodore scooped her up into his arms. "No you are not. We need to get ahold of a doctor."

Millicent cried out and gripped her stomach in pain again, not feeling well enough to argue with him. She rested her head against his chest, ignoring the curious stares as they rushed into the ballroom. Theodore looked around, trying to spot Annabelle. He hurried over to her. "Annabelle, I need you to get the doctor! Quickly! Millicent is sick!"

Annabelle dropped her plate of drinks in surprise. "Right away, sir!"

Theodore left the ballroom and hurried down the hallway. He was being careful not to jostle her around to much, but it didn't help. Everything looked so blurry and she felt dizzy. He pushed open the door to his room and set her on the bed. She grabbed his hand, squeezing it as pain washed over her again. "Don't leave me..."

She hated that voice. It sounded weak and frail. It didn't sound like her. Theodore nodded at sat down on the edge of the bed. "I will always stay when you ask, Millie."

She had to smile at how sweet that sounded. That smile quickly turned into a grimce. "I don't understand what..." She rolled over onto her side in pain, curling up into a ball. Theodore reached out to stroke her hair. "Why does it hurt so much...?"

"The doctor is coming, Millie. Just hold on."

By the time the doctor had arrived, her cries had turned into loud screams. It felt as if someone were burning out her insides. She was melting. That had to be it. Her own body was melting and she was going to die. The doctor pulled away from her. "She's been poisoned."

"What?!" Theodore roared, gripping the back of a chair. "What do you mean? Can it be helped?"

"I may have something for her. I have not used it before, so I cannot guarantee its success."

Their conversation became muddled as Millicent went in and out of consciousness. It felt like several hours had gone by. When she finally came to, her head was hurting and everything ached. Theodore was sleeping in a chair next to the bed. She reached out her hand, "Theodore?"

He slowly opened his sleepy eyes. When he saw that she was awake, he sat up I surprise. "Millicent, your awake! Oh, thank God!"

Millicent squeezed his fingers and groaned. "Everything still hurts."

"What do you mean?" Theodore suddenly looked concerned. She studied his worried eyes, noting they had dark circles underneath them. He hadn't slept at all. "Millie? Do you feel okay, or does your stomach still hurt?"

"I'm okay, just sore. And I have a terrible headache."

Theodore smiled, relief making his shoulders sag. "I felt so worried and helpless...I hate watching you in pain. It made me physically hurt, hearing you scream like that."

"What was the problem?"

"You were poisoned."

Millicent let those words sink in, fear choking her, making her not able to breath. It was Andrew. It had to be. But how? How had he managed to do it? Theodore got up and moved to sit on the edge of her bed...no it was actually his bed. She was in his room. Millicent looked around, feeling uncomfortable. It looked so masculine in comparison to her room. The walls were a dark mahogany wood and the bed had a dark, emerald green canopy. Everything was in darker shades compared to the bright white walls of her room and pink sheets on the bed. Theodore stroked her hair comfortingly.

"What about the ball?" Millicent asked weakly, reaching up for his hand. She intertwined their fingers, loving the feel of his strong fingers against hers.

"They all left early."

"So I ruined everything."

"No, whoever did this to you ruined it. I'm sorry you couldn't enjoy the ball, Millie." He stroked her cheek. "We didn't even get to dance."

"It's alright. I didn't like watching the ladies dance with you anyways." Millicent laughed. She reached up and touched the tips of his golden blonde hair. "I hate being jealous when other ladies are with you."

He smiled and nipped her nose with his knuckle. "Oh, you were jealous were you?"

"Oh, stop. You know why I was jealous. It's because I love you."

"I'm sorry? I didn't quite hear what you said." He teased

" I love you, Theodore." Millicent smiled.

"That's what I thought you said."

Copyright © 2016 by Rosanna Parker

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