Luke's Wife by Evelyn R. Garratt

Rachel noticed a marked difference in her mother-in-law's behaviour / to her after finding her talking with Luke in his study. She was / perplexed as to its cause and it worried her. Moreover, she found that / her efforts to keep her out of the study during Luke's busy time there / were unavailing, and she came to the conclusion that it would hurt her / feelings less if Luke mentioned the subject to her himself. Her pride / would not be wounded. She told Luke so. But, manlike, he felt that to / burn Pussy's paws was by far the better plan. But Rachel, unwilling / to give him a hint as to his mother's strained feelings in respect / to herself, determined to do nothing in the matter unless she found / a particularly favourable moment in which to speak. Having suffered / herself in the past from jealousy she began to suspect that the same / wretched enemy to all happiness was attacking her mother-in-law; and / instead of despising her for giving way, she felt the situation to be / particularly pathetic.

Since the day on which Luke heard of his wife's delicacy, he had been / filled with anxiety about her and was continually thinking of her / comfort and good. In fact, Rachel's health was now his first concern, / and plans which would in any way give her too much to do or think about / were put on one side at once, even though they might be suggested / by his mother. His wife and his book were at present the absorbing / interests in his life and everything else fell into the background.