“Exactly.”
“I hope he found someone who could end that, at least.”
“Yes, that would be good. You should try one of my mother’s wild blueberry muffins. Very tasty.”
Morgan nodded, and he placed a muffin on her plate. He cut it in half and pushed a small plate of butter near to her. Morgan carefully ate, and took the occasional sip of her apple juice, as she sat listening quietly to James and Mr. Hobbs talk. She really did not understand what was to happen to her, but she knew she had to be brave.
“Well, Morgan,” said James, “I think you are going to have to be patient a little longer. We will leave to get Geordie first thing in the morning. It is a bit too late to head out today, and considering how far the carriage team has come, they could do with a bit of a rest first. Is that all right?”
“Yes, thank you. So, we will stay here for the night?” She looked at Mr. Hobbs and then at James.
“Yes, dear,” said Mrs. Deacon. “I have room, and I suspect you could do with a bit of rest yourself.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
“Well, when you are done with your muffin I will show you the room you will have, as well as some books you might want to read or toys you might want to play with.”
“Why do you have things for little kids?”
“Because some of my children have done as they should and found a mate and given me grandchildren.”
Seeing the way James ignored his mother, even though the woman was frowning at him, Morgan said, “James hasn’t done that, has he?”
“No, but he keeps telling me there is time, that he isn’t in his dotage yet.”
“No, he isn’t,” Morgan said quite seriously, then smiled faintly. “But, I think he might want to hurry up.”
Ignoring his mother’s laughter, James got up and grasped Morgan by the hand. “Come along, Miss Sassy, I will show you where the toys are.”
As soon as the pair disappeared into the room that served as a library, a den, and a play room, Mrs. Deacon looked at Mr. Hobbs. “Why has a lawyer come with the child?”
“Well, someone had to come with her, and she does have a bit of an inheritance to be dealt with. Since her mother chose Mr. MacEnroy as her guardian, I need to sort that all out with him.”
“An inheritance? Not a really big one, I hope.”
“Not sure what you would consider big, but it is not tiny. There is her grandmother’s house in Boston and some savings. The property is the big thing, and it needs to be sorted out fairly quickly. Sold, or rented so the taxes on it are paid up.”
“There is no one else in the family?”
“No. It was just the woman and the child. There are a few distant cousins, which is probably another good reason to get it sorted out.”
“Get what sorted out?” asked James as he returned to the table.
“Her inheritance,” answered his mother.
“Oh, hell, it’s not a big one, is it?” James asked Mr. Hobbs.
Mr. Hobbs laughed. “I have never met people so dismayed about a possible large inheritance but, no, it is not large. It does, however, need guardianship and attention paid to it. There is a bit of property, you see. Nothing to worry about.”
“Isn’t me I am worrying about, it is the MacEnroys,” James said.
“I am only interested in Geordie MacEnroy.”
“Sorry, you have something that involves one, you get all seven of them.”
“Good heavens, seven?”
“If you don’t count the wives or their shepherds or their housekeeper.” James grinned, then sighed. “And I should try to remember them as well.”
