“Very much. I love a garden.”
They strolled through the gardens inland from the house. In the vegetable garden, Charlotte grinned at the sight of Lizzy, tongue between her lips in concentration, carefully plucking bean pods from the vine. They also toured a kitchen herb garden and several flower gardens, all very well kept.
She was surprised to spy several milkweeds along the garden wall, near the hollyhocks. “Do you mind if I take some milkweed back with me?”
He looked at her, an amused grin on his face. “Have a wart, do you?”
Embarrassed by this, she laughed. “No! But my employer is quite fond of milkweeds—uses them to treat a whole list of ailments.”
“Does he now? I should like to know the contents of that list.”
“You shall have to come by the cottage. I know he would be happy to tell you.”
From the garden, Charlotte and Thomas walked to the top of the ridge, overlooking the sea. “Care to sit for a moment and enjoy the view?” Thomas asked.
“Thank you.”
He reached out his hands to take Anne, and Charlotte was surprised when the child went to the big man willingly. Charlotte sat on the edge of the lawn and straightened her skirts around her. Thomas plopped down not far from her, easily holding Anne in the crook of one arm as he did so.
She lifted her arms to take Anne back, but Thomas shrugged. “I’ll hold her, if neither of you mind.”
Lizzy bounded up and sat beside Charlotte. “Cook gave me a sixpence,” she said proudly.
“My goodness. For picking beans?”
“Well, there were the peas and lettuces this morning too.”
“What a hard worker you are. So, Lizzy, tell me about your brothers and sisters—three of each, I believe you said?”
“Right. There’s my sisters: Hannah, Hester, and Kitty. They don’t like the out-of-doors as I do. Then my brothers: Thomas here, of course. And Johnny and Edmund.”
“Edmund? That is my very favorite name. How old is he?”
Thomas leaned closer to Charlotte and said in a low voice, “We lost Edmund as an infant, but Lizzy still counts him.”
Charlotte looked at Lizzy, who was staring down at her lap. Feeling tears spring to her eyes, Charlotte put her arm around the girl’s shoulder and gave her a squeeze. “Of course she does.”
Lizzy looked up, and Charlotte smiled gently at her. “And so do I.”
Lizzy smiled shyly in return.
A few minutes later, Lizzy ran off to find a litter of kittens a mother cat was reported to have hidden somewhere about the place.
“She’s a lovely girl,” Charlotte said, craning her neck to watch her go.
“Yes.”
“Is she the youngest?”
“No, Edmund would be nearly five now, had he lived. Kitty is seven. Lizzy there is ten. Johnny’s twelve. Hannah and Hester are twins at fourteen.
“It’s a wonder there are so many years between you and the others.”
“Not such a wonder, really.” Thomas tossed a twig out over the ridge. “Our mum took me in when I was already a lad of nine. Adopted me as one of her own. Hannah and Hester were but a year old at the time.”
“Were you relations?”
“No. My first mother was only a neighbor. Died in childbirth, the baby girl with her.”
