As she finished making sure every detail was perfect, she heard the front door open. “Is that you, JT?”

“It’s me,” she heard him reply. He didn’t sound right.

She left the dress hanging and went to see what might be wrong. She found JT slumped in a chair at the table.

“Looks like you had a rough day.”

“I don’t feel good, Glory,” he murmured.

Gloriana raised his face to meet hers. His cheeks were red and his skin hot to the touch. He had a fever. There was no doubting it this time.

“Come on. Let me get you to bed, and we’ll see what the problem might be.”

“I can’t. We’re getting married tonight.”

“I know, but maybe it isn’t something that will keep you from being there. Let me look you over and give you some medicine. You can rest until supper, and if you feel well enough to eat, then fine. If not, we’ll see what else needs to be done.”

She helped him to his feet and led him to his room. “You get your clothes off, and I’ll grab your nightshirt and pull down the covers.”

Just the fact that he wasn’t protesting left Gloriana gravely concerned. It wasn’t like JT to be so sluggish, even when he was sick.

She pulled down the covers and turned to see him standing in front of the window. The light streamed in, touching his small chest and face. There, Gloriana could see the source of his illness. A fine rash had developed all over his torso.

“Oh, JT.” She went to him and touched his arm. “You have the measles.”

“It’s the measles, all right,” Abigail Lindquist declared. “Nothing to be done but keep the fever down and put him in a dark room. He’ll need lots of fluids. Measles dries a body out something fierce.” She got up and gathered her things. “I’ll let folks know you’re in quarantine. You need to post a sign.”

Gloriana nodded. “Are there other cases?”

“JT is the third child I’ve seen this week. I hope we won’t have a full epidemic, but you can never tell. Someone probably brought it in on one of the ships. You know these things spread fast.”

Gloriana nodded and then remembered Sally. “What about the baby?”

Abigail shook her head. “There’s no way of telling. She is definitely susceptible. Keep her away from his sickroom, but it’s probably too late to keep her from getting sick if she’s going to take it. You’ve already had the measles, so you won’t get them again.”

The entire situation was terrifying. Her mother and other siblings had died from scarlet fever, and now JT was sick with the measles. She tried not to race to the obvious conclusion that JT could die, but it was all she could think about.