A Discovery of Witches - Deborah Harkness [278]
“What do you mean?”
“There are too many creatures interested in this manuscript, and in you and Matthew. I can feel them, pressing in on the Bishop house, on you. I don’t know which side of this struggle they’re on, but my sixth sense tells me it won’t be long before we find out.”
Em tucked the quilt around me. After putting another log on the fire, she left the room.
I was awakened by my husband’s distinctive, spicy scent.
“You’re back,” I said, rubbing my eyes.
Matthew looked rested, and his skin had returned to its normal, pearly color.
He’d fed. On human blood.
“So are you.” Matthew brought my hand to his lips. “Miriam said you’ve been sleeping for most of the day.”
“Is Sarah home?”
“Everyone’s present and accounted for.” He gave me a lopsided grin. “Even Tabitha.”
I asked to see them, and he unhooked me from my IV without argument. When my legs were too unsteady to carry me to the family room, he simply swept me up and carried me.
Em and Marcus settled me into the sofa with great ceremony. I was quickly exhausted by nothing more strenuous than quiet conversation and watching the latest film noir selection on TV, and Matthew lifted me up once more.
“We’re going upstairs,” he announced. “We’ll see you in the morning.”
“Do you want me to bring up Diana’s IV?” Miriam asked pointedly.
“No. She doesn’t need it.” His voice was brusque.
“Thank you for not hooking me up to all that stuff,” I said as he carried me through the front hall.
“Your body is still weak, but it’s remarkably resilient for a warmblood,” Matthew said as he climbed the stairs. “The reward for being a perpetual-motion machine, I imagine.”
Once he had turned off the light, I curled into his body with a contented sigh, my fingers splayed possessively across his chest. The moonlight streaming through the windows highlighted his new scars. They were already fading from pink to white.
Tired as I was, the gears of Matthew’s mind were working so furiously that sleep proved impossible. It was plain from the set of his mouth and the bright glitter of his eyes that he was picking our road forward, just as he’d promised to do last night.
“Tell me,” I said when the suspense became unbearable.
“What we need is time,” he said thoughtfully.
“The Congregation isn’t likely to give us that.”
“We’ll take it, then.” His voice was almost inaudible. “We’ll timewalk.”
Chapter 39
We made it only halfway down the stairs the next morning before stopping to rest, but I was determined to get to the kitchen under my own steam. To my surprise, Matthew didn’t try to dissuade me. We sat on the worn wooden treads in companionable silence. Pale, watery light seeped in through the wavy glass panes around the front door, hinting at a sunny day to come. From the family room came the click of Scrabble tiles.
“When will you tell them?” There wasn’t much to divulge yet—he was still working on the basic outlines of the plan.
“Later,” he said, leaning into me. I leaned toward him, pressing our shoulders closer.
“No amount of coffee is going to keep Sarah from freaking out when she hears.” I put my hand on the banister and levered myself to my feet with a sigh. “Let’s try this again.”
In the family room, Em brought me my first cup of tea. I sipped it on the couch while Matthew and Marcus headed off for their walk with my silent blessing. They should spend as much time as possible together before we left.
After my tea Sarah made me her famous scrambled eggs. They were laden with onions, mushrooms, and cheese and topped with a spoonful of salsa. She put a steaming plate before me.
“Thanks, Sarah.” I dove in without further ceremony.
“It’s not just Matthew who needs food and rest.” She glanced out the window to the orchard, where the two vampires were walking.
“I feel much better today,” I said, crunching a bite of toast.
“Your appetite seems to have recovered, at least.