“Is it very far?” Louisa asked.
“Not far at all,” Mr. Hodge answered her. “You shall find it an easy walk.”
“As I told you,” Lord Connally said, “Mr. Hodge is an excellent guide. We shall be in good hands with him.”
They left the horses with the servant and headed down the footpath. The steps were rocky and uneven. Caroline felt her foot give way as she missed a step.
“Careful, miss!” Mr. Hodge cried, catching her elbow to prevent her from falling.
“Thank you, Mr. Hodge,” Caroline said. She straightened her gown to calm her nerves before continuing.
“Allow me to assist you,” he said, offering his arm to her. She gratefully accepted.
“Have you come here often, Mr. Hodge?” When he did not immediately reply, she said his name again. “Mr. Hodge?”
“Er, oh, it has been many years since I came here last. Not since I was a boy. We used to come here all the time back then, Ol– that is, Lord Connally and I.”
“I see,” Caroline replied. “Forgive me, but I am surprised the late Lord Connally would allow his only son to play with his servant’s son.”
“He– I was always a favorite of his, you see. And with so few other playmates the same age on the estate, I suppose he thought there was little harm in allowing it.”
Caroline lowered her eyes slightly. “I apologize for presuming you were merely a servant, the other day. When I encountered you pruning the pear trees–”
“There is no need to apologize. I would have made the same presumption in your position.”
“You must be blessed to have had His Lordship as your patron, to receive a gentleman’s education and the promise of a living.”
“Indeed, I am very blessed for it.” Mr. Hodge answered. “But if I could have chosen any occupation for myself, it would have been to be a gardener.”
“The very occupation I mistook you for having. You must have a great love of the outdoors, then.”
“I could spend all day out of doors. Sometimes I think I must have been born as a wood sprite, and my parents found me beneath a tree and brought me home.”
His comment made Caroline laugh. “And what if you had been a wood sprite?”
“Well, one day I might simply run off into the woods, never to return again. Or perhaps I might simply sprout into a tree, that I might be forever rooted.”
“Oh? What kind of tree would you be? A spruce, no doubt. Tall and finely fitted no matter the season.”
“No, not a spruce! A spruce is forever shedding its needles. No, I would be a mighty oak, with strong branches that little boys could climb up when they want to hide from their tutors.”
“You have an excellent sense of humor, Mr. Hodge,” Caroline commended, her eyes lit up.
S
Theo cursed himself. This was harder than he thought, pretending to be someone else. Already, he had nearly given himself away in his conversation with Miss Bingley. Beaujean glanced at him with amusement, trying to keep a stiff upper lip.
“We must be nearly there, Mr. Hodge,” Miss Bingley remarked. “I can hear the sound of the waterfall.”
The wooded path opened up to a rocky beach. There, to one side, where the Hayburn Beck emptied into the ocean, were the falls. The rains had been heavy enough the week prior that the water came down in two falls over the rocks, spilling into the pool below before finishing its journey to the sea.
“Oh, how lovely!” Miss Bingley exclaimed, clasping her hands together.
“It is sommat, innit?” Oliver added, momentarily slipping into his old Yorkshire accent before correcting himself. “I mean, it is rather beautiful, is it not?” Fortunately, no one besides Theo seemed to notice his lapse.
"It's not such a large waterfall, is it?” Mrs. Hurst said.
“Not so large, no, nor so very spectacular. There are others in Yorkshire which far surpass it. But it is a welcome retreat in this part of the country, nonetheless.” Oliver said.
