Victoria set the tea tray down on a small table just outside Victor's bedroom door and knocked softly. Though the Van Dort Estate fairly crawled with butlers and maids, she refused and even shuddered at the idea of leaving the care of her sick husband to servants, however fine and trustworthy they may be. Her mother would have gone into hysterics at such behavior and Mrs. Van Dort had seemed quite shocked when she'd caught Victoria going up the stairs with the tray.

"Heavens, Victoria. You need not do things like that!" She'd cried in that would-be-posh style and tone. "Whatever you think we've got servants for?" She paused a moment as though to try and figure out what went wrong with that otherwise splendid sentence.

Victoria had managed a gentle smile at her mother-in. She did not dislike Nell, far from it. Still it could not be denied that she had probably been a far better mother to Victor before her not to clever head had filled with concerns of rank and what is fitting and proper. "Victor is my husband, Mrs. Van Dort. I consider care of him far more than my duty." With another slight smile, Victoria had marched determinedly up the stairs before her mother-in-law could bully her out of her errand.

She waited a few moments and knocked again. She didn't want to simply burst in and wake Victor up if he was sleeping. It was just as well. Victoria did need a moment to catch her breath after climbing all those stairs. It was nicer living at the Van Dort Estate than the Everglot's but Victoria really did not want to live at either of them. She dreamed of a more modest dwelling where she and Victor could reside in comfort with no more than a cook, a housekeeper and possibly a gardener.

Victor awoke out of a troubled sleep and immediately wished himself back again. Between a sore throat that made even the slightest whisper agony, the feverish headache throbbing behind his eyes and the aches and chills plaguing his frail body, Victor was in utter misery. His life had never been one of perfect health but he could not remember ever having felt so awful before in his life.

He caught the gentle tap on his door and decided to stay awake after all. Hoping he was correct about who knocked, he reached for and rang the bell pull beside his bed.

Victoria smiled. "He must be awake." She quietly opened the door, entered and shut it noiselessly behind her.

"Did I wake you up darling?" She asked in a tender whisper as she set the tray down on Victor's bedside table and pulled open the curtains to the canopy bed. "Oh Victor!" She nearly cried out as she saw him lying there, his usually pale face drained of all color save a hectic flush along his high, fragile cheekbones and his raven hair disheveled and hanging damply over his brow. Above the plain white night shirt the sides of his slender throat stood out painfully swollen. She perched down on the chair beside his bed and softly brushed the hair from his eyes.

Victor's rather dry lips trembled into a smile. Even the sight of his wife's lovely face and mild expression had soothed the pains in his head some but not so much as the touch of her soft, cool hand on his hot forehead. As Victoria had gently but firmly forbidden him to try and speak he reached under his pillow for his notepad and pencil, wrote out what he wanted to say and handed it to Victoria.

No my dear. I was awake before you knocked. Victoria handed Victor back his notebook and poured him a cup of hot tea. He accepted it gratefully and took a long sip, the warmth of the drink easing the pain in his throat.

A feeling of terrible guilt overcame Victoria as she gazed upon her ailing love and thought back to the wedding that had almost happened. Perhaps Victor, delicate as he was would have been better off passing away then, better off with a truly unselfish wife like Emily who really had done what she'd thought best for Victor when all she could think about was how afraid she was to lose him. Tears stung the corners of her eye. She tried to blink them back before Victor noticed.

What's wrong?

She nearly cursed her husband's fine eye for detail, not much diminished even in a feverish haze. The worried look on his drawn face was too intense for Victoria to not answer. "You ought to have stayed with Emily. I should have insisted."

Why? Victor tried not to look as hurt as he felt glad he could not talk and blurt something unfortunate out like, "am I that much trouble to look after?

" Emily loved you and would have made you happy. You wouldn't be ill. You'd never know another moment of sickness or fear and if I'd been thinking about something other than myself at the time I would have realized it." The tears escaped Victoria's eyes as she spoke and rolled down her cheeks.

Victor shook his head and gave a silent chuckle before writing more on his notepad.

Sweet Victoria. Have you forgotten what else happened at the church? Not to brag about my own prowess in battle but I fought an experienced well-armed swordsman, my only weapons a flimsy toasting fork and love for you. Now if I could get through all that for your sake and the sake of our life together, I believe I can overcome a touch of pneumonia, especially with you to nurse me through it.

Victoria blushed a little and bent down to kiss Victor's cheek. He rather wished he could always talk to Victoria by such a means. He was so much more eloquent on paper than in person though no less sincere. He finished the tea and moved to lay back down. Victoria turned his pillows over to the fresh, cool side which seemed to make all the difference to his comfort as his head descended upon them. It was one of those little touches that only the most loving wives think of.

Among the tea things on the tray was a small basin of cool water and a cloth. Victoria wet and wrung out the cloth using it to gently bathe his face and neck.

Victor smiled. "Thank you Victoria. I'm so glad you came rather than..." His throat rasped painful and be began to cough.

"Oh Victor! I told you not to talk." Victoria mildly reproached and eased him into more of an upright position so he might not lose his breath. He shivered in a sudden chill. She put her warm arms around him and drew him towards her. His head settled against her chest.

Victoria could not help a faint smile recalling happier nights that had begun in a similar way. She might have been horribly ashamed of these thoughts had Victor not once again procured his notebook.

You rival the finest eiderdown, Victoria. And so much more versatile under better circumstances.

Victoria blushed again and giggled. "Was anticipation of those 'better circumstances' paramount in your decision to remain among the living, Victor?"

Well it did not exactly hurt the case for the mortal coil. Because of his fever, Victor could not tell whether or not he blushed.

Victoria found her back getting rather stiff. It was awkward holding Victor in her arms while seated on a small wooden chair. She carefully slid off the seat and onto the bed laying down beside him. Victor settled cozily against her and sighed in contentment.

Stroking her husband's soft raven hair, Victoria replayed in her head questions she knew would need to come up eventually. She loved Victor dearly but there were so many things they hadn't really discussed yet and would one day have to. But for now she contented herself listening Victor's relaxed, even breaths as he fell asleep in her arms.