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.She drank greedily.“I’ll be fine tomorrow,” Gabby promised with more conviction than she felt at that moment.“The doctor will be here soon,” soothed Marcel, brushing wispy strands of pale hair away from her forehead.Within the hour Tildy ushered in Dr.Renaud who immediately sent everyone from the room before turning grave eyes on his patient.Marcel paced restlessly back and forth outside Gabby’s door until he thought he would go mad with waiting.Finally, Dr.Renaud came from the room, a thoughtful frown creasing his care-lined face.He closed the door behind him before speaking.“I must have the truth from you, Duvall, if I am expected to cure Madame St.Cyr’s ailment.” His fatigue-rimmed eyes bored into Marcel, his mind a hotbed of speculation.“I would know the nature of the relationship between you and Madame St.Cyr.She and the babe should be happily reunited with her husband at Bellefontaine by now.I was led to believe they would be.”“There is… they are separated,” admitted Marcel grudgingly.“I suspected as much from the first, but after St.Cyr assisted with the birth of his son I had thought…”“Nothing has changed.When Gabby is well I intend to take her and the child to France and obtain a bill of divorcement.We will be married as soon as that’s accomplished.” Marcel offered no excuses, stating the facts as he saw them.Dr.Renaud searched Marcel’s face intently before posing his next question.A question he perhaps had no business asking.“Have you been… er… intimate with Madame St.Cyr?” During the doctor’s thorough examination of Gabby he discovered that she had had sexual intercourse within the past twenty-four hours.“Certainly not, Doctor!” denied Marcel indignantly.“It’s true I love Gabby, but what do you take me for? I did not touch her before the child was born and since have not wished to hurt her in any way until she was completely healed from her difficult delivery.”“Hmm,” mused the doctor rubbing his chin reflectively.He believed Duvall but it did not explain the indisputable evidence that she had been intimate with a man just hours ago.A sudden thought came to him.“Has Monsieur St.Cyr been to see his wife today?”Marcel’s eyes narrowed, then widened.What was the doctor getting at? he wondered, perplexed by the line of questioning.Of what possible use could this insane query be in diagnosing Gabby’s illness? Aloud, he replied, “I doubt it, Doctor, but I can find out if it is important.”“I believe it to be,” nodded the doctor sagely.Without another word Marcel went in search of Tildy and Luella.What he learned troubled him greatly.Had Philippe’s visit upset Gabby to the degree that it brought about illness? How had the doctor known? Suspicion of something he didn’t care to name ate at his vitals.When he apprised Dr.Renaud of Philippe’s visit earlier in the day, the doctor merely wagged his head in affirmation, carefully averting his eyes from Marcel.“Do you think St.Cyr’s visit is in some way responsible for Gabby’s ailments?” asked Marcel, clearly upset.“Actually, Duvall, the malady has me puzzled.”“Then why the questions concerning our… relationship?”After careful consideration Dr.Renaud decided to keep his own counsel.Obviously St.Cyr and his wife had been intimate only hours before.And if that had occurred, the dissolution of their marriage was not the forgone conclusion Duvall thought it to be.Especially since Duvall himself had admitted he had never been intimate with the woman.But try as he might, the good doctor could discern no connection with St.Cyr’s visit and his wife’s illness.According to Duvall’s information, St.Cyr’s departure was hasty.Perhaps he and his wife had quarreled, the doctor surmised, and their parting had been less than amicable.The shock alone of first being intimate and then parting with bitter words could have been enough to bring on her illness.His mind finally made up, he answered Marcel’s question.“It was essential for me to learn if something out of the ordinary occurred that could have caused a shock to her system and precipitated this illness.She still has not fully recovered from the birthing process.”“And what have you concluded?”Dr.Renaud sighed hugely.“If I knew what took place between husband and wife this afternoon I would be more qualified to answer.Undoubtedly Madame St.Cyr is gravely ill.I assume St.Cyr told you about her terrible experience in Norfolk?” At Marcel’s nod, he continued.“This fever may be just a latent manifestation of the drugs still warring in her weakened body.”“What can be done to help her?”“Not much, I’m sorry to say.Make her as comfortable as possible, plenty of liquids and cool sponge baths.I’ll leave some medicine to control the fever and return tomorrow unless summoned sooner.”He handed Marcel a small vial of dark liquid, then started down the stairs.“Oh, another thing,” he reminded Marcel.“I prefer she doesn’t nurse the baby until she is fever-free and has regained a measure of strength
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