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The Duke's old friend finds he is destined to be entangled with the stubborn Miss Kimball. |
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Hugh was not normally the sort to complain but his patience was wearing thin. “I overlooked Miss Brimsley’s snaggletooth, and the Carnegie girl’s limp, but Justin, I’ll be damned if I’ll stroll into Lady Grey’s dinner party with Miss Kimball. I have my pride.” Justin made sure the library door was shut tightly and crossed to the bar. “Yes, you have an overabundance of it.” Hugh snorted. “Is that rum? If India discovers-” “She won’t unless you tell her. It’s merely a sip.” “If she looks at me sideways, I’ll spill every shifty thing I’ve done in the last decade.” Justin gently set the rum decanter back in the cabinet so as not to produce a tell-tale clinking noise, and settled into his chair before the hearth. “She isn’t just any girl. She’s India’s family, and she feels a sort of responsibility toward her.” Hugh scowled as he took the opposite chair. “India’s only living relative is Amelia.” “All sorts of persons pop out of the woodwork when a Duke’s marriage is announced in the London Times. Miss Kimball happens to be a third cousin.” Hugh stretched out his long frame to prop his Hessians on the fire grate. “Damned unfortunate. I would dearly love to assist her in this matter, but the chit is not my type.” Justin smiled. “Yes, your type paces the streets chanting ‘pleasure for five guineas’.” “It was one night, and I was heavily intoxicated. Nothing happened because I abandoned consciousness the moment my head hit the pillow. You’ll never let me live that down, will you?” “Very likely not. What’s so wrong with the girl? All that is required of you is to dance with her once. No one will expect you to confess your undying love and steal off to Gretna Green.” Hugh sighed. “Come now. She is not unpleasant looking.” He narrowed his eyes. “Well, at least she’s not horribly disfigured.” The men nearly jumped from their skins when a high voice interrupted, “Justin?” Justin hastily downed his ‘sip’ and tucked the glass into a seat cushion, leaving Hugh frowning into the fire. ---------------------------------------- “It’s official. Hannah is our ward,” India said, holding her cheeks in her palms and falling to the settee dramatically. “Don’t we have to agree first? Isn’t there some sort of hearing?” “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s all there in the letter. The Lancasters refuse to take her back. I am her nearest living relative. Justin, what do I know of introducing a girl into society? I haven’t even any of my own yet.” He sank into a side-chair, racking his brain for some solution which would mean Hannah Kimball was not now a permanent resident at Durham. “We could refuse. Someone else will undoubtedly take pity on her.” India blinked. “A nunnery - given a sizeable enough donation.” “With a generous dowry, perhaps a man would marry her.” The pair chuckled a bit at that and resumed their silence. “She’s no great beauty, no property and no charm. The poor thing is less marketable than a three-legged horse,” Justin said. India nodded, allowing her gaze to wander to the gardens below where their subject was strolling in her shapeless brown smock. An irate goose followed close on her heels, flapping its wings. She swatted at it with her umbrella, lost her balance and keeled over into the pond. India gasped. “Good Lord, that girl is impossible! It might be a blessing for her were she to drown.” -------------------------------------------------- Hugh’s nap on the terrace was interrupted by shrieks. He followed the pitiful wails to the edge of the pond where a green monster was scrabbling for purchase in the mud. It wiped a layer of algae from its eyes and blinked up at him in frustration. “You might lend a hand instead of gawking,” it sputtered. He sunk one shiny leather boot into the muck and reached for its arm, pinching his nose shut as he did so. “Hannah! Gracious, you gave us a start. We saw you from the parlor. Come inside and get these wet clothes off. Thank God you were there, Hugh,” India said, frowning at the noxious vapors steaming from the girl’s skirts. There was not one bit of her free from stringy, green pond ooze. Hugh chuckled, though somewhat more quietly when the monster from the sea glared and replaced her spectacles on her slimy nose. India hurried her into the house while the men shook their heads. “She’ll knock them dead at Lady Grey’s,” Hugh said. Justin sighed. “Just keep her well away from fire, large bodies of water and sharp objects, and she should be fine.” “You can’t be serious - you’re not still expecting me to waltz about with her on my arm?” “What then? Am I to hire someone?” Hugh’s smile faded as Justin’s brow lowered ominously. “Fifty pounds.” “I shall have to check my calendar. I might be playing cards at White’s or spending quality time with Madame Delauria.” Justin gritted his teeth. “I’m getting the feeling that this is going to be an expensive favor.” ----------------------------------------------- “He just stood there like some gargoyle while I nearly drowned. And then laughing. I hate him.” “Now, now, Hannah. You did look quite foolish. And I’m not sure we’ll ever get the smell out. Louise, please dispose of that gown as far from the house as possible,” India directed, clenching a lavender pomander beneath her nostrils as the maid exited, the noxious garment held well before her. The creature in the tub sneezed and continued to look pathetic, not yet aware that her benefactor had abandoned her, and with good reason if the letter were to be believed. The closing sentence had advised that if Hannah Caldwell never graced their doorstep again, it would be too soon. The Lancasters had suffered enough apparently. “A buffoon is what he is. I hope I never lay eyes on him again,” she muttered, wringing out her dingy brown rag. India bit her lip. “Lady Grey is giving a ball Saturday evening.” “I’m not the sort for such frivolous things. I’d much rather stay in. Go and enjoy yourself.” India pasted a stern look on her face. “You are well past the age of ignoring such opportunities, Hannah. Tarry too long and the most excitement you’ll get is training your employer’s children to crouch on the pot instead of soiling themselves.” Hannah frowned. “There’s nothing wrong with being a governess. I am well suited for such a position, in fact.” India cocked her head and crossed her arms. “I am patient, well learned and I love children.” “That would explain the glowing recommendation you garnered from Mrs. Lancaster. According to her you nearly burned the youngest alive, who now has night terrors and regularly wets himself. Yes, offers should be pouring in from prospective parents.” “That child is a monster. He lit his own room on fire. It wasn’t the first time he blamed his mischievousness on me.” Setting a chair near the tub, India sat and regarded her new ward with concern. “The Lancasters will not have you back. You are to stay here at Durham.” “Thank the heavens for that,” Hannah mumbled as she soaped her knees. “I expect you to be on your best behavior. And that means you will not insult our friends, including Mr. Kilroy. You will be civil. And you will graciously attend the Grey ball. Do not frown at me. At your age, I would have been delighted, scarcely able to sleep the night before with anticipation.” “I am your age,” Hannah replied stonily. “Which makes the situation even more awkward. But you have nowhere else to go, and at the ripe age of nineteen, you should either be married or wishing to be.” The girl seemed to be considering this, amusing herself with the ripples created by her fingertip in the bubbly water. “Maybe I shall make my own way. Find a profession other than governess.” India nodded. “That would be advised, but there are few I would recommend-” “To a bumbling idiot such as myself,” Hannah finished. “Not quite what I was going to say. It’s just that there are few proper professions to engage in for a single woman.” “Oh, yes, mistress would be out of the question. I hate men.” “The thought had never crossed my mind - the part about hating men is a hurdle indeed. Why don’t you just forget about this idea of occupation for awhile, relax and enjoy yourself. You don’t have to earn a living here.” Hannah sunk under the tub rim in response and India left the room, frustrated the girl had so little ambition for things most girls her age should be giddy about. Certainly the road to love had been a rocky one for India, but her cousin seemed destined to be a crotchety old spinster subsisting behind the manor and growling at children not to squash her roses. India was hard-pressed to think of one attractive quality her ward possessed. --------------------------------------------------------- Hugh fidgeted with his cuffs at the base of the stair. Justin was blocking the exit. It appeared as if he thought his friend might escape before the debutante made her grand entrance. Hugh had considered it, but Justin was a hell of a fighter. “Oh, Hannah, you look a perfect vision,” India said, glowing with pride. The girl did look a vision - a vision of prim, hateful disinterest. Her stick-straight nondescript hair had been yanked back so hard that her eyes were tilted, which explained the doleful frown on her pursed lips. A plain white bonnet knotted under her chin and thin wire-rimmed spectacles completed her ensemble unremarkably. Likely the other guests would believe he had misplaced his partner and exchanged her for the scullery maid. Hugh swallowed uncomfortably and shifted his weight to his other foot before he lost consciousness. “Doesn’t she look stunning, Justin?” “She could not be any more ravishing if she tried,” he answered, a muscle in his cheek twitching. Hugh nearly choked on his own saliva. ---------------------------------------------------------------- “You might at least pretend not to ogle every other woman in the room while we dance.” Hugh brought his gaze back to his partner. “You are absolutely right. My apologies.” Hannah narrowed her eyes. “Not that I should care, mind you. I find you utterly unattractive, and I am only appearing with you tonight because my cousin threatened me with bodily harm should I refuse.” Cracking a smile, he replied, “Then we are both in the same boat, my dear.” “I depise men with long hair,” she parried. “How fortunate for me.” Her eyes darkened. A flush stained her neck, spreading beyond the high starched collar of her grey smock. “Is the dance over yet?” “No, I believe I shall have to endure your pointy shoes crushing my feet for at least three more turns,” Hugh answered, his gaze averted again. One dance and he could escape to the card parlor, Justin had promised. That or sweep the lovely blonde by the french doors off her feet. Miss Caldwell was wrong. He’d been ogling only one woman tonight, and she was not wearing spectacles or his grandmother’s bonnet. When the music ended, they parted as quickly as their feet could carry them, Hugh with beads of sweat moistening his forehead, and Hannah with a glare that could peel the paper from the walls. Justin and India watched helplessly from the sidelines. “Well, that went well,” Justin said, rubbing his week-old beard. India made a beeline for the punchbowl, praying it had been liberally doused with rum. If she was going to be shackled with this bad-tempered harridan for the rest of her life, she would need to either re-stock the liquor cabinet or leave the country in the dead of night. Following two cups of punch, India decided the second option was sounding more and more suitable. Justin cornered Hugh on the terrace. “She actually had the ballocks to tell you she didn’t find you attractive?” Hugh shook his head. “I was as flabbergasted as you, my friend. I mean, really, what woman could glimpse this perfection and not feel an immediate and overwhelming urge to strip off my breeches and have her way-” Justin grinned and held up a hand in surrender. “Let’s leave it a mystery.” Hugh sipped a cognac and gripped the railing with a thoughtful look in his eyes. “Do you think she hates all men or just me?” “I ‘d say she hates all men and you the most. Apparently her father abandoned herself and her mother when she was very young - never to be heard from again.” Hugh turned to watch the crowd inside, girls blushing behind fans, young men nervously approaching partners. His eyes were drawn to a particular female leaning in the far corner, her gaze no longer hostile, almost envious. She touched a hand to her bonnet self-consciously as she scanned the crowd. It was too far-fetched to believe. Hannah Caldwell wanted to fit in. --------------------------------------------------------------- The next morning, India awoke with a splitting headache that did nothing to improve her mood. She knocked on Hannah’s door and, hearing no response, breezed in and threw the curtains back, bathing the room in stark daylight. Her ward grumbled and covered her head with a pillow. “It’s well past noon, now. I’ve come to debrief you. I would like to know what conversation you had with Mr. Kilroy.” Hannah sat up, wiping the sleep from her eyes. “He told me he had been forced to appear with me and I advised him I found him utterly disgusting. Yes, I believe that was the whole of it in a nutshell.” India rubbed the bridge of her nose as she said, “There are other fellows I suppose. We’ll take a trip to London, give you a real season. There are lots of eligible men who’ve never heard of you there.” Hannah scowled. “I am not destined for matrimony. Please don’t waste your time, cousin.” She rolled over and hid her face under the pillow once more. India had the distinct desire to pummel her but kept it in check. “Would you like to know what I think?” A muffled ‘no’ was her ward’s reply. “You enjoy being wretched. Deep inside, you are lonely and spiteful.” “You have a way with compliments.” India nodded. “You don’t wish to be this way but it’s the only thing you know how to do really well. It’s pathetic. There are only two people who desire your well-being at this moment, myself and my husband, and you are doing your level best to ruin that.” Once India had stormed from the room, Hannah lifted the pillow and tried very hard to forget everything her cousin had uttered, but the words stung. Hannah was difficult and tyrannical. People normally stepped aside and left her to her own devices, which was just how she liked it because Hannah did not need anyone. She had made it this far without shedding a tear and she would make it again. However, for her own sanity, she ought to at least pretend a semblance of civility, if only to remove India’s claws from her back. -------------------------------------------------------------------- “Mistress, a gentleman left his card a few moments ago.” India settled baby Bruce on her opposite shoulder and flipped over the small piece of vellum to reveal a name printed very plainly, Sir Lawrence Humble, and a note advising how pleased he would be to be allowed to call upon the family at their convenience, particularly Miss Caldwell. India nearly fainted. She handed Bruce to his nanny and raced upstairs. “Justin, you’ll never believe this-” Her husband had a glass to his lips as she threw open the library doors, and he looked only slightly more surprised than she. “You promised,” she said, striding into the room to toss the card on his lap. “Darling, I am weak, I admit. My behavior disgusts me. I will have Hempstead immediately dispose of all liquor in this house.” Hugh sunk deeper into his chair, trying desperately to appear small and inconspicuous, only wisps of smoke from his cigar marking his location. “And you,” she said, placing her back to the hearth. “Telling Hannah you were forced to dance with her. I am thinking more and more the two of you are destined for each other.” Hugh had the good sense to lower his gaze to his boots sheepishly. “I came to announce that our ward has an admirer.” Justin’s jaw dropped. “How is that possible?” “I have no earthly idea - she spent most of the evening scowling at everyone. Nevertheless, it is true. What do you know of a Sir Lawrence Humble?” Hugh and Justin exchanged blank gazes while they took turns studying the ornate calling card. Chuckling, Hugh answered, “We know one thing - he’s a few slats short of a barrel.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Sir Humble certainly seemed to have all his slats, accepting an invitation the following Sunday for tea in the parlor. He looked to be in his late thirties, a bit older than India expected, his hair thinning on top and greying at the temples. She took an instant liking to him, with his quiet and unassuming manner. “What brings you to our fair village, Mr. Humble,” Justin asked. “I have accepted a parish nearby, in Kingsley. It is a small parish, but with God’s help I will make it prosper.” India sipped her tea and nodded to Hannah who was yawning on the settee opposite the Minister. “Isn’t that lovely, Hannah?” Her ward produced a dim smile. “I should like to give you a tour of my new church, Miss Caldwell,” the minister said quietly, inclining his head toward an uninterested Hannah. Beaming with good will, Justin interjected, “I believe that may be arranged, sir.” India thought the whole idea rather forward until she noticed her cousin fuming silently. If there was a man alive who actually desired her company, he was welcome to it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Dear Lord, she’ll have him weeping before the day is out. I cannot believe you would subject a man of God to that woman,” Hugh said, shaking his head. “Hopefully he’s more forgiving than other men,” Justin replied. “Or blind.” “Oh, be reasonable. The girl is no troll. Plain perhaps, and sharp of tongue.” “And a terrible dancer,” Hugh added. The two were seated cross-legged on a rug in the parlor, Justin propping baby Bruce up under his arms and smiling as he pumped his little chubby legs in vain. “You know nothing of this man and yet allow your wife and ward to travel alone with him.” Justin frowned. “Do you trust anyone?” Hugh looked thoughtful for a moment. “Only you. No - you and my valet who should have deserted me years ago and only stays because he is in love with my cook.” “Miss Guffy and Mister Frye. What a pair that would be - he with only one good eye and herself half-blind. It’s no wonder it’s taken them so long to make a match of it. They can’t find each other,” Justin said, grinning when Bruce threw his tiny fists in the air and drooled on the Persian rug. “And when is it that the master of the house will find love?” Justin might have mentioned he enjoyed wearing a lady’s corset under his blouse for the reaction on Hugh’s face. “What for? I’m perfectly content with the way things are. I am young-” “Thirty as I recall,” Justin interrupted. “A young thirty. I’ve plenty of company should I wish it whenever I wish it. You might remind your wife of that while you’re at it. She’s gone from tutor to matchmaker, and she’s not all that good at it.” Justin had to agree - throwing two such unlikely people as Hugh and Hannah into the mix was begging for a fight. At least they had managed to avoid each other in the last fortnight. Bruce shoved his fist into his mouth and gurgled happily. Hugh stole him from Justin’s arms and held him high in the air. “Don’t you grow up to be some woman’s pawn, either. Be content, like your godfather - keep your women in bed and out of the ledgers.” Justin laughed as a string of drool oozed from the baby’s mouth to Hugh’s collar. “I don’t think Bruce agrees with you, friend.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hannah’s backside was growing more sore by the moment, and their guide was putting her to sleep. He had been nothing if not the perfect gentleman, which should have pleased her, but his ever cheerful attitude was beginning to wear. “And this is the chapel. A bit dusty, but a few of the women from town have agreed to tidy it up for me before my first Mass.” He gazed expectantly at Hannah before adding, “I do hope to see you in the pews, Miss Caldwell.” Hannah, feeling India’s eyes searing her skin, answered woodenly, “Of course. I would not miss it.” The stilted ride back to Durham was even more awkward as India made sure to utilize every inch of her seat, forcing Hannah to sit next to her new friend. Hannah struggled to keep her thoughts on the voices around her, but soon the only sound she heard was a monotonous hum. According to India, she had drifted off with her mouth open, and twice her cousin had poked her shoe with her own, but to no avail. “I apologize. She’s had quite a long day and is not yet used to such activity,” India had explained nervously. Back in her own apartments, Hannah dropped to her bed and glared at the ceiling. Why was everyone so eager to push her into marriage with the boring vicar? Was the remainder of her young life to be spent with a man whose jowls jiggled when he walked? What if all his other places jiggled? Hannah was nauseous. She’d sooner have any man than the minister, even Justin’s rude friend. At least he filled out all the right places in his shirt, and his breeches as well come to think of it. Hannah sat up and made a face at herself in the vanity mirror. Disgusting thoughts. Maybe she should attend Mass more frequently. She dressed and trotted below stairs to find a snack in the kitchen, bumping into her nemesis just as he exited. “Pardon me,” he said solicitously. Hannah pointedly ignored him, rifling through a cabinet with her chin high. “I believe we got off on the wrong foot. It has been rather firmly suggested that I apologize for my rudeness.” Hannah turned. “And?” “That was it,” he replied. She snorted and returned to her search, even leaning to peer lower, her backside almost brushing the front of Hugh’s trousers. “I should have expected as much,” she said. Hugh averted his gaze to the hanging pots. “The two of us will we be bumping into each other for while, quite awhile it would seem, and I think it would be in everyone’s best interest were we to be civil to one another.” Hannah, recalling her pact to herself earlier, nodded. What harm could it do? She would keep to herself and he to himself and life would continue on more pleasantly. She smiled as she left the room. It should not be too difficult to avoid the man. There were books to read aplenty. Her cousin did not realize how lucky she was with a library as well stocked as any physician’s office. After the goose incident, she preferred to stay indoors anyway. How delighted India would be with her when she discovered she had formed a treaty with Justin’s chum. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Though Hannah was past the age when most young girls were given a coming out party, India insisted. The more eligible bachelors aware that her cousin was available the better, and whatever else happened, perhaps the girl might gain a friend or two. She was far too introverted, reading manuals that made India’s eyes cross. As was expected, the guest of honor was less than thrilled and complained to any and all who would listen that she was too old and dried up and no one would come. No one argued to the contrary. India had sent for a dressmaker and chose the pattern herself - Hannah refused to participate in anything but the measurement process, but India had the feeling she was merely pretending to be unaffected. Possibly no one had ever made a fuss over her, certainly not the Lancasters who had raised her and then used her as cheap labor. The few garments in her trunk had been several years too short. India began to wonder how her existence might have shaped her ward, might have shaped herself had she been in her shoes. “Do you think the salmon perhaps?” Hannah moped on the settee. “I think nothing, remember? I am an inconvenient package left on your doorstep. One you are desperately trying to hoist onto someone else.” The tailor, Mrs. Fawcett, cleared her throat and made a big show out of searching for something in her reticule. India asked quietly if she might give them a moment in private to discuss such a large decision. The door closed and India folded her hands. “I hope that you do not believe that.” Hannah stared blankly ahead. “It isn’t true. We want - I want the best for you. I admit, I may have been a bit overbearing.” Hannah nodded. “My fondest wish is that you find someone who makes you smile. I do not want to force you into marriage with someone you disdain, but I also will not allow you to waste away here in my library until you are seventy. You would be a genius with infectious diseases and still horribly alone.” “You keep saying that word as if it is the worst fate imaginable.” India sighed. “In your case, I think it would be.” Lips tightly pursed, Hannah fidgeted with a frayed pocket on her smock, one that had been washed three times a week so that she would have something to wear. “I don’t like salmon, and I don’t like lace,” she replied finally. India hid a smile behind her hand. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Hugh had been studying her as he finished his glass of wine. India had obviously won the battle of the ballgown, but the stubborn spectacles and high-pinned hair remained. Justin whispered in his ear that his wife had stolen the bonnet while her ward was sleeping and it was now mere ashes in the hearth. She remained as plain as one could be, but Hugh could not take his eyes from her. Perhaps it was because she looked so small and vulnerable, seated on a chair out of the way with her eyes locked on her yellow satin slippers. She only looked up now and then as India introduced her to arriving guests. Hugh was dying to join Justin as he headed for the masculine haven of the library, but his feet were firmly planted. Their eyes locked once, and she returned an annoyed stare. He smiled, and her gaze faltered and returned to her shoes. Cursing himself, he crossed the empty parquet floor. “May I have the first dance?” Her eyes traveled up his suit and widened when they reached his face. For a moment he was afraid she might embarrass him, and then she nodded ever so slightly. He took her gloved hand in his and guided her out to the center amid the sudden hush of the crowd. “You look lovely,” he said. She turned her head. “It is enough that you asked me to dance. You are not required to compliment me. I’ve always known I was just ordinary. At least tonight, thanks to India, I am an ordinary girl in a beautiful dress.” Hugh was taken aback by her plain words. She sounded as though it was no concern at all. “I hate feeling as if I am on display, like a prize pig.” “Nonsense. Can you see without these,” he inquired, stealing the glasses from her nose. Hannah tried to pull away, but he tightened his grip. “Ah, much improved. You have stunning eyes. I hadn’t noticed them before.” Her lip quivering slightly. “You are cruel,” she answered. The dance ended abruptly with Hannah snatching her spectacles from his hand and rushing from the room, a confused India following in her wake. Hugh decided the library was definitely the safer place to be. “What took you so long,” Justin asked, shoving a seat back for Hugh as he cut the cards. Hugh tamped the tobacco in his pipe. “Not a thing,” he answered, but his eyes frequently wandered to the door. --------------------------------------------------------------------- “I want to go to London.” “Have you changed your mind about a season?” India replied hopefully. Hannah sniffled, her arms crossed around her head, cheek pressed to her cold vanity. “No.” “But what else would you do there?” Following more prolonged sniffling, she answered, “Perhaps you could send me to a boarding school for young women. Somewhere with no men.” India pulled up a chair next to her ward and placed her hand on her back. “Boarding schools are chock full of girls whose parents wished to abandon their parental responsibilities. Girls who made mistakes.” Hannah lifted her head and wiped her swollen eyes. “You won’t send me,” she said. “What kind of ‘mistake’ would I need to make first?” “This is a ridiculous conversation. Let’s splash some cool water on your cheeks. Our guests will be growing worried.” Hannah scowled. “They are not my guests. And so long as Mister Kilroy still lingers down there, I will remain in my rooms.” It was some time after the door had shut that Hannah Caldwell decided to confront her face in the mirror. She dried off her spectacles and replaced them on her nose. She tried lifting the corners of her lips in a smile, but the effect was more of a grimace, so she lowered them again. What was there to smile about? She had to find a way to get to London without India hovering over her shoulder. If she agreed to a season, her every moment would be monitored round the clock, and she desperately needed to be alone. -------------------------------------------------------------- “I am so sorry to intrude, Your Grace, dropping in with no notice at all. My husband and I recently moved here.” India leaned forward to pour the tea. “Not to worry. We love to entertain. You said to call you Merry?” “Yes, it is short for Meredith, a name I have long detested.” India nodded. “And you say you knew Hannah when she was at the Lancasters?” The young woman’s eyes brightened. “She was my only friend. That is before I married and left home. My maiden name is Lancaster.” This was an interesting development. Perhaps India could hear the other side of the story, discover the truth behind Hannah’s former employers’ disdain. Merry seemed to harbor only good will for her ward and was a perfectly charming individual. With her broad summer hat perched atop buttery yellow curls, robin’s egg blue eyes and a sunny disposition, she was Hannah’s utter opposite. How had the two developed such an attachment? Before India could think of some way to approach the subject inconspicuously, her cousin was flying into the room in a cloud of crinoline and silk. The pair collided in an embrace filled with tears and laughter all at the same time. “I thought I’d never see you again-” “My father is an idiot-” “Look at that dress - did you leave your husband for an earl?” India was beside herself. Hannah had spoken more words in the space of a few moments than she had in her entire stay at Durham. Finally the two settled on the sofa, Merry gripping one of Hannah’s hands tightly, her blue eyes watery. “However did you find me?” “I went home for a visit and you were gone. Father told me everything. How you had thrown a lamp at Samuel - I said I would have too - but I knew from the look on his smug face that he had lied to Father.” Hannah glanced pointedly in India’s direction. “Well, I will leave you two girls to catch up," India replied. "Let Lizzy know if you need anything. Wonderful to meet you, Merry.” Mrs. Meredith Jenkins flashed a winning smile in response. “I just think it’s wonderful that Hannah had somewhere to go. She is very lucky to have you, Your Grace.” India shook her head. “We are lucky to have her. And please, call me India. A friend of Hannah’s is a friend of mine.” She left them whispering in the parlor and decided to check on Bruce. His nap would be over any time, and she needed a dose of his effervescent grins. |
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