Seeing that Estelle wasn’t upset anymore, Luke smiled and waved his hand, saying, “No problem. It’s part of my job. Please take care of Mr. Hans tonight.”
Estelle’s smile faded as she wondered, ‘What does he mean? Do I have to take care of Cristofer again tonight?’
As the clock neared 9 o’clock, the children were enjoying their time with Mrs. Moorsum. Estelle went to the children’s room balcony to call her mother, Aurora. “Mom, we won’t be going home tonight. The children want to stay at Cristofer’s house, so I’ll stay with them.”
“Did Cristofer pick up the children this afternoon? I was wondering why you called me at that time.” Aurora had no objections to the plan and added, “Make sure you get a good night’s rest. Cristofer can help you with the children this time.”
Feeling touched by her mother’s understanding, Estelle didn’t want to dwell on the topic of Cristofer any longer. She simply replied, “I know. You should also get some rest. I’m calling to let you know we’re fine. Good night.”
“I won’t be worried when you stay at Cristofer’s house. Have a good rest, and don’t think too much.” Then Aurora happily hung up the phone.
Cristofer was smiling brightly while watching Estelle make the phone call. He stood there for a long time and didn’t return to his bedroom until Estelle entered the children’s room.
Then he found the clothes he would wear after the shower. He had to walk slowly because his legs hadn’t recovered yet. However, according to the doctor’s advice, he had to move more to have a faster recovery. Fortunately, he could bear the pain. Soon, the sound of water echoed in the bathroom. Standing in the water, he felt something weird.
‘It’s so weird. I feel so hot and restless, as if I… Is there something wrong with the soup? But Luke guaranteed there was nothing but pears and water inside. And Mrs. Moorsum cooked it again. So, there can’t be anything wrong with the soup.’
After thinking for a while, Cristofer concluded that it was his own problem. Letting out a helpless sigh, he pointed the showerhead at his face. When he felt cool and calmed down, he finally closed his eyes and started washing his hair.
The warm water flowed from his forehead down his high nose bridge. When he raised the shower head, the water fell on his shoulders and wide back. And Cristofer felt that the temperature of the water was perfect.
Cristofer knew Estelle was in the next room. The more he thought about it, the hotter he felt. Suddenly, he smiled bitterly, thinking, ‘I have no one to blame except myself. This is the punishment for me, I guess.’
Later, he turned the temperature of the water down to the lowest and pointed the showerhead at his head to completely cool himself down. It worked, followed by an unexpected problem.
To Cristofer’s surprise, he caught a cold after taking a shower. He had been really healthy and didn’t even get sick when he broke his bones in the car accident. But somehow, a cold shower managed to make him sick.
His cold was pretty bad. It kept him up all night, and he couldn’t sleep. Despite feeling feverish when he washed his face the next morning, he still got dressed and planned to go out.
Around the same time, Estelle found her skincare products and clothes in the guest room. She was getting ready for work. When she stepped outside, she saw Cristofer looking unsteady.
“Is it your legs? Is the injury bothering you again?” She rushed to him to check on him.
Cristofer waved her off and uttered in a hoarse voice, “No, it’s not my legs. The doctor said they should heal fine. I just caught a cold.”
Cristofer struggled to steady himself, using the banister for support while holding his walking stick. Estelle, sensing he could collapse any moment, instinctively held onto him and suggested, “Maybe you shouldn’t go downstairs right now. Let me get a thermometer to check your temperature.”
Cristofer felt dizzy and had difficulty comprehending words, but hearing Estelle’s concern, he mumbled in agreement, “Okay. I’ll wait for you in the bedroom.” He took shaky steps backward, increasing Estelle’s anxiety. She decided to assist him in walking to his bedroom.
“Estelle, I feel lightheaded,” Cristofer mentioned weakly. “I just want to lie down.”
Seeing his pale complexion and understanding that he genuinely had a cold, Estelle helped him remove his coat and gently settled him into bed. She tucked him in and said, “Rest for a bit. I’ll find someone to take care of you and get some medicine from the house.”
Exiting the room, Estelle checked her watch and headed out to look for Luke’s help. She knocked on his door repeatedly, but there was no response. Eventually, she asked a passing servant, “Have you seen Uncle Luke?”
“He left early this morning for some errand,” the servant replied.
Sighing, Estelle decided to locate the medical kit herself and provided Cristofer with a cup of hot water. “Take this. It should help soothe your throat. Here’s the thermometer. Place it in your mouth. I’ll go downstairs to see if anyone is around.”
The large house had several workers responsible for tending to the garden and various chores. Estelle knew she could find someone to help Cristofer, but she couldn’t just ask anyone randomly.
Fortunately, while passing by the dining room, Estelle noticed Mrs. Moorsum pouring milk into glasses. With a hopeful tone, she approached her and explained, “Mrs. Moorsum, I need to head to the company now, but Cristofer isn’t feeling well. I suspect he has caught a cold. Could you please take care of him until Uncle Luke returns?”
Mrs. Moorsum hesitated briefly before responding, “Well… Estelle, it is my duty to look after Mr. Hans, but I also need to take the children to school. Would you consider taking them to school instead? Besides, I’m preparing breakfast.”
Taking three kids to school would be time-consuming and challenging, taking nearly an hour. Estelle wanted to agree but realized she couldn’t let Mrs. Moorsum handle both Cristofer and breakfast simultaneously. She reluctantly replied, “You’re right. Perhaps taking the children to school is more important.”
‘Food is always important, especially when someone is sick. I want to let Cristofer drink some ginger tea. If he feels better, I’ll let him take some medicine and rest on the bed. But if his temperature is still very high after that, I have to call the doctor.’
While thinking about how to care for a patient, Estelle called Vincent and hoped Cristofer’s assistant could help her at this critical moment. However, he didn’t answer her call. Knowing that she couldn’t count on Vincent, Estelle could only call Eva but found that she had turned off her phone.