Catherine could have stood there, embracing William, for the rest of her life. It was such a great feeling. The warmth of his arms, the way his heart was pounding, his smell, everything about that moment was pure bliss. She could only hope pouring her heart out like that didn't make her ridiculous in his eyes. Against her own will, Catherine felt below him. When they were just two small town children, they were equals. But now... he had gone abroad, learned, seen new people. And she had stayed there, by her father's side, learning to tend to a house and reading the books she could lay her hands on. And that was it.<br/><br/>When he didn't respond to her words about having waited for him, she felt like someone had poured cold water into her heart. So that was it. He had no feelings for her anymore, except for the fond memory of an old friendship. Catherine's hand went to her throat, as she felt as though an invisible hand was constricting it. Drawing a deep breath as William pushed her away gently, the young woman nodded. "I hope so too. I can't even think about the possibility of something happening to him."<br/><br/>Drawing another deep breath, Catherine took a moment to regain her calm visage before entering her father's room and gesturing for William to follow. Whatever happened to be wrong, she needed to be strong, for him. "Father. William is here to see you", she announced, her voice calm and clear. Mister Cartwright seemed exhausted, and the air in the room reeked of fever. His daughter took to herself to explain the problem, since the man could not. "He came home after a heavily rainy afternoon, and seemed to have only a cold. It has been getting worse and worse by the day, though. I can barely get him to have some warm soup."<br/><br/>It was clear in her eyes she was afraid. Her heart nearly stopped just thinking it could be something worse than a cold. "Do you need anything? Please, tell me and I will see to anything needed."