“They are doing well,” said Annette. “She claims Mr. Wilcot has attended church the past four Sundays.” My wife looked at me then, an earnestness in her expression that drew me in. “Do you think he could change? Margaret says he has treated her far better as of late, has even doted on their son, but…”
“But you trusted him once before,” I finished.
Annette nodded. “I cannot help worrying about them. What if he devolves into a scoundrel again? There is a child involved now.”
I scooped up her hand and brought it to my lips. “All we can do is hope that, for Margaret’s sake and the sake of her son, Mr. Wilcot has changed. Or is in the process of doing so.”
“Do you truly believe it is possible?” She shook her head. “How can a person like him become someone so different?”
“How does anyone change? There are none of us the same today as we were a month ago. A year ago. Life molds us, whether by experience or a hand of mercy that softens our hearts. John often spoke of his transformation in our letters. He was wayward for most of his life, yet he spent the latter part of it devoted to God and his family. Devoted to just causes. If he can change, then there is hope for Mr. Wilcot.”
“‘I once was lost, but now I’m found. Was blind, but now, I see.’” My wife smiled as she quoted a poem from one of John’s published works, then rested her head on my shoulder, interlocking her arm with mine. “You are right, of course. Perhaps I need something else to focus on so I do not worry so much.”
“I may be able to help with that,” I said.
Annette sat up, her brows pinched with curiosity as she watched me retrieve a sheet of paper from my coat. I handed it to her. “You are not the only one who received a letter today.”
“This is from the Admiralty?”
“It is. They have launched an investigation into Hollinsby. The evidence I provided was more than enough to prompt them into doing so. It seems there have been other submissions in the past, but nothing with physical evidence. That piece of paper Lucas found will change everything.”
“Have you told him? I imagine he will be happy with the news.”
“I did,” I confirmed. “It was only fair that he be the first to know. Adda’s disappearance has weighed on him far more than he lets on. He may not have worked for Hollinsby for long, but it was time enough for him and Adda to form a connection.”
“Losing that so soon after his father’s passing would have been difficult,” Annette whispered. “But he has had you, and that has been no small thing.”
I shifted, uncomfortable with the underlying praise in her words. I had taken Lucas and his family in, yes, but I did not deserve applause for it. His family’s prosperity had come to mean a great deal to me, and I would spend the rest of my life ensuring they had all they needed. It was the right thing to do, and already I could see how his family’s life had improved. Lucas worked hard, as I expected he would, and even his eldest sister had taken a position as a maid at Yardley. His mother, though still grieving, had recovered her zeal for life, and her children were happier for it.
“Well, this is all good news, but unless Hollinsby is tracked down, none of it will matter.” Annette scoffed. “Coward of a man.”
“True,” I said, hoping to keep the conversation on this thread. “But I’ve another letter. I’ve received word from one of your Father’s contacts that Hollinsby has been spotted.”
Annette gasped. “Where? Never mind that, we must pack at once!”
She stood, and I grabbed her hand to tug her back down into the chair, chuckling. “Calm yourself, dearest. Remember what happened the last time Hollinsby became aware of my presence?”
Annette tapped a finger against her lips. “Remember? I cannot. It was such a dull time in my life. Nothing noteworthy happened that week at all.”
“Ah, that is true. What a boring life you have led. Regardless, we cannot travel without a plan. We must take care, so few are aware of it.”
“Very well, then tell me where he was seen at the very least.”
“Newbury, and since your brother lives there, I thought we might impose upon him for a time.”
Annette giggled; that mischief had returned to her eyes. “What an inconvenience you propose! Visiting Rowe and his new wife so soon after their debacle.”
“I think you mean wedding.”
She swatted my response away. “It is one and the same for them. Their engagement was a debacle. The wedding was awkward. The entire situation is the last thing I could have imagined for him. Of all my brothers, Rowe was the least likely to be involved in a scandal, yet here we are.”
“You do not seem terribly upset with visiting despite all of that,” I said.
“Of course not. If I know my brother—and rest assured, I do—he will need all the help he can get if he intends to woo his wife. They may not be a love matchnow, but that does not mean they cannot become one.”
“And you, an expert on wooing, shall help them?”
She gave me a flat look. “If you’ll recall, I have been successfully wooed. I think I know a little something about it. If not wooing, I certainly understand what it is like to deal with foolish, hairbrained men. Harriet will appreciate company who can extensively bemoan that topic with her.”
