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size of a goose egg.”
    When he did not withdraw his hand immediately, she shivered. A sense of peace descended, as though she knew everything would be all right for her and her daughter in South Carolina. He would see to it. His calm aura reached out and encompassed her, and their connection strengthened beyond the mere physical touching of their skin.
    She blinked, shattering the surrealistic moment. “It is nothing,” she murmured, averting her gaze.
    He lowered his hand and stepped back. “Still, you need to be careful. You shouldn’t do too much too soon.”
    As Rachel sipped the tea, Maddy returned to the cabin, carrying a few pieces of the china Rachel had brought over from England.
    Chewing on her bottom lip, her servant put them—three cups without handles and four plates with chips in them—on the table. “This is all.”
    Rachel’s hand trembled as she inspected what little was left from a place setting for twelve. “We shall make do.”
    “I will put them in the chest.” Maddy gathered the dishes and carried them into the bedchamber.
    Through the doorway Rachel spied her servant lifting the lid on the second trunk, next to the one that held her clothes.
    Rachel finished the tea and rose, swaying into the table. With a grip on its edge, she steadied herself. “I had better lie down.”
    “When the pudding is done, I will bring you some.”
    Mumbling her thanks, Rachel walked as fast as she could into the bedchamber. Tomorrow she needed to go to Dalton Farm. She lay down next to Faith and closed her eyes, drawing in a deep, calming breath to still her hammering heartbeat. But Dr. Stuart’s scent clung to the bedding, teasing her nostrils as though he were standing next to her. So close she could touch him.
    Her weakened state made her react to his nearness. That is all it is . She determinedly pushed the man from her thoughts.
    Almost instantly memories of Tom filled her mind. She latched onto them rather than shoving them away as was her custom. All his lies paraded through her thoughts—especially the biggest one of all, that he loved her. Then she thought of his brutal manhandling, the slaps that came if she did not do as he said, the cross words like sharp knives thrust into her chest that were meant to belittle her into submission. Never again would she place herself under a man’s control. To strengthen that resolve, all she had to do was recall Tom’s treatment of her.
    When Dr. Stuart brought her the pudding topped with melted butter, she had hardened her heart to any thought she needed a man in her life.
    She took the offered bowl and said, “Thank you. This smells delicious.” She only let her regard touch him briefly before she concentrated on eating the treat.
    “Tomorrow I will let you do the work while I instruct you.”
    Her husband’s instruction on how to please him resounded in her mind. Icy tentacles wrapped about her, squeezing. “Tomorrow? I need to leave by then.”
    “I will not hear of it. Your head still hurts and you became dizzy a little while ago. You are weak. How are you going to care for Faith and put food on the table? Your maid is as inept as you are.”
    Clasping the bowl so tightly her hands hurt, Rachel lifted her chin and stabbed him with her gaze. “I shall manage. I have no choice.”
    “How?”
    She gritted her teeth. “Somehow.” She could not imagine the farm being so bad that a little work on her part would not take care of it. She had seen the farmhands on her family estate and was not afraid of work. She had to make this succeed.
    “I would never forgive myself if I let you leave and something happened to you or Faith.”
    “I am not your responsibility.”
    “Yes, you are. You became my responsibility when I found you on the road.”
    “No!” Anger quivered through her. She would take care of herself and her child.
    His eyes narrowed, his arms rigid at his sides. “This does not have to be a contest of wills.”
    Faith stirred, but her