"Drink this, my lord," Susan urged her husband softly, bringing the warm porcelain bowl closer to his lips. "This tonic will help ease your pain."
Wilfred swallowed the bitter herbal mixture with a weak grimace, while Roseline watched her father from the bedside, her eyes filled with distress.
"Madam, Her Grace the Duchess has arrived," a maid announced from the doorway.
"Roseline, go and bring your sister up," Susan instructed her daughter gently as she dabbed her husband's lips with a cloth. "Eilika has returned," she whispered close to Wilfred's ear, watching as a faint, relieved smile touched his pale face.
A few moments later, rapid footsteps approached, followed by Eilika's anxious voice calling out, "Father!"
She hurried into the chamber, her cloak fluttering behind her. Susan immediately stepped aside to give her room, allowing her to draw close to Wilfred's side.
