“But not just yet,” she said quickly. “I do not wish to leave immediately. I shall need a few days to get my affairs in order and say my goodbyes.”
“Goodbye? To whom?”
“Do you honestly believe that I have been completely alone all of this time? I have friends, and they will undoubtedly miss me when we are gone. I would like to speak with them.”
Spencer simply nodded. If he pushed too far, she would simply dig her heels in and refuse to let him take the two of them anywhere at all.
And so, he kept Gilbert with him while she sat with her friends in the sitting room. He decided to take him for a walk in the air outside, in the hope that it would help with his illness. The sun warmed him, and he smiled widely at it.
“Papa,” he said, and Spencer did not have the heart to ignore him.
“We will be leaving soon,” he said to the boy. “You are going to live in a beautiful home, you, your mother, my wife, and I. Anna will like you, and she will play with you all of the time.”
He hoped that he was right in his judgment. He knew that Anna would not turn away a woman in need, but when it came to the child, he was not as certain. She had not made it known to him whether or not she wanted children, for they had not yet broached the matter.
He would need an heir eventually, but he was in no rush. With Sophia needing him, he could not have children of his own. If she were to be in London with them, however, it would be possible.
As long as Anna did not look at the baby and run far away herself.
“And you will have three other ladies who will like to meet you, and one of them has a child for you to play with.”
The little boy gurgled contentedly, repeating the dreaded word again. He knew that there was no telling him not to call him his father, for he was far too young to understand, but he could not help but wonder just where the name had come from. He did not teach it to him, and Sophia claimed that she had not either, but it had to have come from somewhere.
By the end of the week, Sophia was at last prepared to leave. Spencer helped place their few belongings into his carriage, and they planned to leave the following morning. What he had not expected was for one of her friends, a Miss Emma Watson, to dine with them that night. She was a small lady, with dark hair and eyes and a light tan to her skin.
“I wanted Emma to stay tonight,” Sophia explained. “She lives with her mother and her four older brothers, so I thought one final night of quiet might be nice.”
“Of course,” he nodded. “Thank you for caring for Sophia in my absence. I am pleased that we will be able to do better for ourselves now, though I suppose you will all miss her.”
“We shall miss her greatly, though we know that this is for the best. This way, the boy can be cared for.”
At that moment, Gilbert, who had been sleeping, could be heard crying for his mother. Sophia shot up from the table and went to him in an instant. Spencer frowned in concern, seeing the care with which she moved.
“I do hope that your home is not too large,” Emma sighed. “It will take her a long time to adjust to it.”
“Might you know just how bad her vision has become? She has not told me, but I can tell that it is affecting her.”
“It is worse than she claims. She knows where everything is here, and even then, she tends to bump into furniture if it is moved slightly.”
“I see. We have a large home, and we have a lot of things in it, so I shall have to keep that in mind. What do you recommend?”
“Everything will have to remain where it is, and any changes will have to be slow. I hope that your wife does not like to change everything often.”
“Sophia has told you of her, then.”
“Indeed, and though she is uncertain, she is rather hopeful. You have told her that she will be understanding of my friend’s situation, and I hope that is the case. Sophia is terrified about what is to come, though of course she will not tell you that.”
“She does not need to. I know that she does not truly want any of this, but it is what must be done. I have always thought of her first, but now it is time that we think of her son. He needs more than this, and I would be wrong not to give it to him.”
“Especially when it can be done so easily,” she agreed. “I am pleased for her. She is fortunate to have you looking after her like this. Not every lady would be afforded the same opportunity.”
Spencer thought back to the stories Sophia had told him when she came to him that first time. They were cast out into the streets and left to fend for themselves. Some children died from it, and their mothers sometimes followed suit. He had almost been sick from thinking about it, and he knew in that moment that he would not allow that to happen to her.
The journey home felt shorter than the one there had been. He willed his gates to come into view, even though he knew the conversation that followed their arrival would not be easy. He knew that he should have written to her, but he did not know what to say. He knew that he would walk inside and see Anna, and then he could explain everything in a better way than he could have written. It was for the best.
But when at last they reached the manor, and they entered the household, it was quiet. He saw Mrs. Phillips and quickly made his way to her.
“Where is my wife?” he asked.
