“Who told you that?”
“Norah, of course. She likes to tell me things that will worry me. Not that I’m that worried about shoes—I can manage with what I have. It’s the bigger things that trouble me.”
“Such as what?” They’d fallen into step together, almost by accident.
“There’s no money,” she said. “You’ve seen how we’re struggling. If I were beautiful like Norah, I could marry a rich man and save the family.” She didn’t sound happy about the idea. “But I’m not.”
“You’ll find a good husband,” he said eventually.
“I don’t really want to,” she said. “But under the circumstances, I can make do with shoes that are too small. It’s a small enough sacrifice.”
“You can’t.”
She was learning his grumpy voice and liking it. He used it when he thought things weren’t fair, which meant he cared about her.
“You do, don’t you?” she said suddenly.
“Do what?”
“Care about me.” She gave another skip to catch up and her foot caught on something, tripping her up. He caught her, his hands strong and secure as he set her to rights, and she wanted to sigh with happiness. He probably wouldn’t like it if she did.
“A butler cares about every member of his household.”
“But you care about me more than Norah, don’t you?”
“Your sister is a snake,” he said flatly, and she smiled up at him.
“Yes, she is,” she said cheerfully. “You know, I think you’re the only person who likes me better than Norah.”
“Then the world is full of fools.” He stopped, and she realized they were outside of the butcher’s shop. “Stay here and don’t move,” he said sternly. “Don’t speak to anyone. You promise?”
“I promise,” she said, holding out the large basket.
He shook his head. “I won’t need it.”
Georgie grimaced. “You’re right—he won’t change his mind.”
“He’ll change his mind, but the order will be large enough that he’ll have to send it to the house.”
“You don’t know Mr. Jenkins,” she said, shaking her head.
“You don’t know me.” The door closed behind him, and she stayed where she was, mainly because her feet hurt too much to wander. The sun was warm overhead, and she surreptitiously lifted one foot hidden under her skirt and wiggled it as she watched through the window.
Mr. Jenkins was there with his blood-stained apron and his pugnacious expression, glowering at Rafferty, and she sighed. Rafferty must be used to getting what he wanted, which didn’t surprise her in the slightest. She’d certainly do anything for him. But Mr. Jenkins was shaking his head, and then he...stopped. Even through the fly-specked windows, it seemed as if Jenkins’s usually ruddy face paled, and his glare faded, and Georgie would have given anything to hear what they were saying.
A moment later Rafferty was out on the street. “There’ll be a delivery this afternoon,” he said, taking the basket from her. “Do you know where the greengrocer is?”
“How did you get Mr. Jenkins to agree?” she asked in wonder, setting her foot down and hiding her grimace.
“I simply explained the situation and he was more than happy to oblige,” he said blandly.
Georgie didn’t believe him for a moment. “You are a miracle worker,” she said.
“I do my best, Miss Georgie.” For the first time that day, he smiled back at her, and the strangest thing happened. There was a ripple in her stomach that had nothing to do with hunger, a strange pinch between her breasts, and she almost wanted to cry. The sensation was most peculiar. Instead, she looked up at him brightly. “Let’s see how you do with the greengrocers,” she said.
Two hours later, they were nearing home, Georgie’s basket was empty, her feet hobbled by the too-small boots, but her heart was filled with happiness. Rafferty had worked his magic at each of their stops, and though she tried to get close enough to hear his exchange with the merchants, they remained stubbornly out of reach, but everyone’s reaction was the same. They went from truculent to servile in a matter of moments, and Rafferty was on his way again, with Georgie clattering after him.
She would have liked to have taken his arm, but she knew how frowned-upon that would be, particularly by Rafferty himself, and she resisted the temptation. She didn’t particularly care if it would damage her own reputation, but it wouldn’t look good for him. After all, he seemed determined to make a success of his new position, and she certainly didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize it. But he had such strong arms.
