“I never do,” Elizabeth murmured softly.
Her family didn’t understand why she used her allowance to help the less fortunate instead of on new trinkets, ribbons, and gowns. Well, that wasn’t true. Mary understood perfectly. She was the one who’d taught Elizabeth compassion. Just thinking about Mary made her smile until she remembered why she was here.
Her parents were dragging her to every ball, dinner, and social occasion they could find, desperate to see her married before her twenty-fourth birthday. It wasn’t difficult to guess why. She’d turned down fifty-five proposals in the last five years and her parents were becoming worried that they would have another spinster on their hands.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to marry. She just didn’t want to marry for anything less than love. Mary had found love and Elizabeth was determined to as well. There was one thing that she was sure of, she wasn’t going to find love at one of the ton’s parties with the same men that she grew up with. She knew that she wasn’t going to find love in some dusty old ballroom. When she found love, it would be somewhere unexpected, she knew that much at least.
“Now, come along. We have a lot to do today. We need to be back before five so that we can be ready on time. I want to arrive in time for you to dance the first waltz.”
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at that comment. Why was her mother suddenly worried about her missing the first waltz? She normally liked to arrive late, everywhere. According to her mother, it made for a better entrance and left Elizabeth’s suitors nervous, which was the way a suitor should be. Her mother expected her suitors to pine over her and to be in despair if she didn’t arrive on time. Something was going on and she was afraid that she was going to find out too late to do anything about it.
An hour later, Elizabeth and her maid carried several large parcels out of the shop. She stopped in front of the store and looked around, only to bite back a sigh. Toby was nowhere to be found.
“I told you, Elizabeth. You’re far too trusting,” Heather said with a sniff as she walked past her, arm in arm with their mother, towards their next destination while a footman carried their large pile of parcels to the carriage.
“I was sure he would remain, m’lady,” her maid said with a smirk that said otherwise.
“I was too,” Elizabeth said, sighing heavily as she held the parcels higher. “No use fussing over it. What’s done is done.”
In truth, she didn’t mind one bit. If he’d returned, she would have found a way to give him more money without insulting his pride, but if he needed to leave, then that was fine. She had no doubt the boy would use the money to fill his tummy and that was all she cared about.
“M’lady!”
Elizabeth looked over her shoulder to see Toby running towards her. His brown hair was windblown and his pale grey eyes were as round as saucers. “I’m so sorry, m’lady!”
Biting back a smile, Elizabeth nodded as she handed her packages over to the boy. “That’s fine. You’re here now,” she said, smiling down at the boy, pleased that he’d returned.
“I was so worried you’d find another lad. I swear that I tried to get back sooner, m’lady.”
“What took you so long?” her maid demanded rudely.
Elizabeth threw her a look of warning. That seemed to work, but unfortunately not before Toby’s hopeful expression turned worried.
“I’m sorry. Timmy isn’t used to a full stomach, so I had to see him home,” he explained in a rush.
“That’s fine, Toby. I quite understand. Shall we be off?” Elizabeth asked with a warm smile.
He nodded. “Which one is your carriage, m’lady?”
She gestured to the black carriage across the busy street that bore her family’s seal. With a nod, Toby took off running across the street and nearly gave Elizabeth heart failure when he narrowly missed getting struck by a passing carriage. He quickly handed the packages over to the coachman, ran back to take her maid’s packages and quickly delivered them to the carriage. When he was done, he returned to Elizabeth’s side and walked with her to the next shop.
For the next three hours, Toby was at her beck and call. He never complained about the number of packages or how long he was forced to wait for her. When they were done for the day, Elizabeth turned her back to her mother while they climbed into the carriage and faced the small boy, shifting nervously.
“I’m sorry I was late,” Toby mumbled softly.
Elizabeth gave him a reassuring smile. “It’s fine, Toby. Do you know where Belford Manor is?”
He stood straight and nodded. “Well, if you can find Belford Manor tonight, go around the back to the kitchen and tell them that Lady Elizabeth sent you. They shall have some very delicious treats for you,” Elizabeth promised him, hoping the kitchen staff would do more than just give the boy something to eat.
“Really?”
“Yes,” Elizabeth smiled, “and I suspect if you were to offer some help, you’d earn some food to take home to your friends.”
“I will! I’ll work real hard!” Toby said excitedly.
She reached into her reticule and pulled out a pound note and handed it to the boy. “This is for doing such a fine job, Toby. Next time I’m shopping, I shall ask for you by name.”
His fingers shook as he reached out for the note. He noticeably swallowed as his gaze flickered to meet hers, terror in his eyes that this might be a cruel joke. “Go on, take it,” Elizabeth encouraged him when he began pulling his hand back. After shifting nervously one more time, he reached over and took the note from her.
