“There is to be no talk of debt,” she said firmly. “Mr. Garrity was happy to oblige.”
“He’s a hero. And I know that you and your family have suffered on my daughter’s behalf. If there is any way for Ransom and me to return the favor,” Maggie said solemnly, “you must let us know.”
Gabby nodded, taking wifely pride in hearing Adam called a hero. The nature of his business hadn’t always sat well with her friends, and more than once, he’d been cast in a villainous light. What they didn’t understand was that Adam wasn’t evil or cruel: he was a man of honor who simply believed in getting his just due.
In the past, she hadn’t been able to persuade her friends of her husband’s generosity and goodness any more than she could convince him that they were worthy of his trust. For her sake, both parties had tolerated one another. Perhaps the silver lining to the recent crisis was the setting aside of old differences. During Adam’s recuperation, her friends and their husbands had come to pay their respects to him, and the exchanges had been warm and genuine on both sides.
“How is Garrity’s noggin, by the by?” Tessa forked up a bite of treacle tart as Swift Nick watched alertly from her lap. “Have the loose screws settled back into place?”
“Tessa.” Emma nudged her sister-in-law.
“What?” Tessa’s sooty lashes swept up over her jade-green eyes. “Gabby already told us he was having problems in that area. I just wanted to know if his memory had returned.”
“Not yet.” Gabby summoned a smile. “But Dr. Abernathy said it would take time.”
“How are the children adjusting to Mr. Garrity’s condition?” Maggie asked.
“Better than expected—far better, actually,” Gabby admitted. “Before the accident, he wasn’t home as much, and Fiona and Max are enjoying having more of his company. And vice versa.”
The truth was that Fiona and Max had been following Adam around as if he were the Pied Piper, and he didn’t seem to mind. Prior to the injury, he’d worked long hours at the office. When at home, he’d been preoccupied with his many business dealings, and his interactions with the children were limited to scheduled times. His behavior was not unusual for gentlemen of their class. By any standard, he was a good father.
Since the accident, he’d become an exceptional one.
He’d been a captive and enthusiastic audience to Fiona’s many recitals. He’d read to both the children…and helped Max to read a few lines of a storyby himself. Recalling the shining look of accomplishment on her son’s face, Gabby felt her heart squeeze.
“And you, my dear?” Emma’s voice drew her back. “How are you managing?”
“Oh, I’m fine.”
“Really?”
Emma’s scrutiny made her squirm a little in her seat. In addition to being a duchess, Emma was also an amateur investigator. She’d learned from the best as her eldest brother Ambrose Kent operated a famous private enquiry firm. Now Em was turning those keen observation skills on Gabby.
“Perhaps I’m a bit peaked,” Gabby confessed.
“Swift Nick could fit into the bags under your eyes,” Tessa said.
Aghast, Gabby covered her cheeks with her hands. “Do I look that horrid?”
“Not horrid, just tired,” Tessa said bluntly. “Have you been sleeping?”
“Yes, but not well.” She sighed. “Whenever I close my eyes, I start to think…”
“About what, dearest?” Emma asked.
Faced with the concern of her friends, Gabby said haltingly, “About what could have happened. About the future…”
To her horror, her voice cracked. She heard her schoolmistress’s voice.Hide your flaws…
“I’m so…sorry,” Gabby said, fighting the surge of heat behind her eyes.
“My poor dear.” Emma came over in a rustle of plum taffeta. Her hand moved in soothing circles over Gabby’s back. “Let it all out.”
The permission opened floodgates. Suddenly, Gabby was sobbing.
She cried and cried and cried until she couldn’t anymore.
“There, now. How do you feel?” Emma murmured.
