Chapter 40

As Alice walked alone in the hallways, annoyed, she heard a voice.

"Lady Etkinson" Harrison Fogreiver called out.

Alice turned and saw the man whom she wished to see the least. The past immediately replayed in her mind, and her face became red as she blushed.

"It seems you are really angry. Your face is so red" he said.

"Yes, I am really angry. I don't know when I will blurt out my anger. So stay away from me" Alice said and went on her way.

But after two steps, she really hated herself for being like this. She decided to clear herself straightforwardly. She turned back and faced him.

"Hey, I am not planning to get married" she said flustered, "I will stay here as the Lady of this house until the day I die. So, don't think of doing anything weird. Don't have any expectations."

"I understand" Harrison replied.

"What do you understand?" Alice asked, puzzled.

"You might look rude to others" he said, "but I know. If I stand in your shoes, I can understand your sentiments. Anyone with a past like that will say the such things."

"What past?" Alice asked, so frustrated that she is unable to use her brain.

"Oh… I guess it is something that shouldn't be mentioned" he said.

"Goodbye, Lady Etkinson. And don't worry. I won't hit on you" Harrison said and walked away.

"That is good" she said.

Only after he left, she realized he is talking about Alicia's past. The past she is no longer interested about.

As Alice climbed upstairs and reached the second floor, she looked into the hallways.

'I should go and visit father once' she thought.

She traced her path into the familiar hallways and stopped in front of the magnificent door. The door leads to the best room of the mansion which is normally inherited by the head of the mansion.

As Alice opened the door slightly, she heard her mother and the family doctor talking to each other. Dr. Charles has been visiting the duke every morning since nearly a month. He has been taking care of his health and his medicine intake. But now it already lunch time. Since he visited Daniel, he might have thought of visiting the duke as well.

"How long will it take to cure jaundice?" Alice's hands stopped at her mother's question from inside the room.

"Don't worry madam, just few weeks and it will be cured. Though he needs to be treated for another half year, but he will be healthy enough to do normal chores" she heard Dr. Charles convincing the Duchess.

"I am really worried about him. Whenever children ask me about him, I am really scared to answer them" Alice heard her mother's sad voice.

"Don't worry Duchess, every thing will be fine. The Duke can be cured" Dr. Charles said.

As Alice heard them, she stood in the hallway, holding the slightly opened door handle, thinking hard. Confused, she rattled her brain mindlessly about the current situation. As she was involved in her thoughts, the door she was holding was pulled away.

She looked in front and found the horrified Dr. Charles standing in front of her with his suitcase, ready to leave.

"Young Lady, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I came to visit father. But when I opened the door I…." Alice said and looked at him demanding for the explanation.

Meanwhile, the Duchess and Maria who were inside the room, busy taking care of the duke, suddenly stopped when they heard Alice's voice. They turned their head towards the open door. The duchess got up from the chair and ran towards Dr. Charles. When she peeped outside, she found Alice standing there with dumb face.

"Alice, what are you doing here?" she asked desperately.

"Mother, what is happening to father?" Alice asked.

The Duchess sighed as she realized that Alice has heard their conversion.

"Alice, let's talk inside" she invited her in.

Alice walked inside obediently. Maria carefully locked the door behind her. The Duchess sat down on the only chair beside the bed. Alice looked at her father. He looked pale with drained face. He has got wrinkles and sweat all over his face. His closed eyes look dead due to the dark circles around them. His white skin looked a bit yellowish as if some medicine was rubbed on them.

Alice held his hand and found them burning with fever. Her father looked much thinner due to his irregular diets since few days.

"He has jaundice" her mother said.

"No wonder, he is still ill. Since when is he like this?" Alice asked calmly.

"We found out a week ago" the duchess said looking at her husband's face.

"Do grandpa and grandma know this?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"I couldn't. The thought of how scared you might be didn't give me courage to tell you."

Alice closed her eyes accepting the situation. She looked at the duchess. Her mother looked at her husband with sad eyes. Seeing her mother in such pathetic situation, she could not even muster courage to be angry at her for not informing about the Duke's condition. She sighed, giving up.

"I wish to stay here for some time" Alice declared.

"Do whatever you want" her mother accepted.

The duchess then turned towards Alice who was still holding the Duke's hand and said, "don't talk about it to Daniel and Stella. They will get scared."

Alice remembered how shocked her siblings were last time. Stella cried an entire afternoon and Daniel was tensed about it for the whole day. If it wasn't for Margaretta taking them out, she thought how gloomy they might have remained. Alice shook her head and decided to follow her mother's advice.

"I won't" Alice replied.

She had her lunch with the Duchess in the Duke's room and spent the entire day beside him, helping the duchess take care of her father.