"Whatever could be the matter?" Clara whispered to herself. She slowly sat up and hung her legs over the side of her bed. Nan knocked gently and then opened the door. She seemed surprised to see Clara awake. "Up and about already?" she said. "I would have thought you would have slept until noon with the busy days you have been having." "Oh, I wish I could have," said Clara. "I feel quite out of sorts." Nan looked at the scarab necklace hanging around Clara’s neck. "Tsk! Wore your jewelry to bed, dear? That's an easy way to lose things in the bedclothes." Clara touched it. "How strange... I thought for sure I had taken it off last night." "Odd," said Nan. "You were looking so peaked, you probably just forgot." "Just so," said Clara. She stood and then sat back down again. "Oh, Nan. I am afraid I am not feeling well enough to come down for breakfast." Concerned, Nan came over and helped Clara get her legs back under the covers. "Don't you worry a thing about such foolishness," she said. "You staying in bed will give us time to give the dining room a good cleaning out. Now, you just rest here. I'll bring you some breakfast as soon as it is done. You've been pushing yourself so hard, it is no wonder that you are not feeling well. Today, you'll do nothing but rest. I'll get you some books from the library, and we'll give your body a little time to recover from all this excitement." Clara nodded in agreement, unable to come up with the energy to even feign protest. "Could you get me my writing box? I'd like to send Wesley a message to let him know I am not feeling well." Nan smiled as she tucked Clara in. "He is a special gentleman, isn't he?" noted Nan conspiringly.
