“Mrs. Wood and Mrs. Liall have taken a liking to Miss Knight, since she helped with a recipe that needed translating from Old French.”
Ruby knew Old French.
“They now have some baking for her at the end of the day, to take home to Adam.”
“Excellent. See it continues.”
“I will do, sir. Thank you for your concern.”
And it was concern, Forrest thought. Ruby made him feel things; one of the emotions he could identity was worry.
“Hello, Papa.”
“Hello, Ella.” He waved to his daughter, who was at the top of the stairs with her uncle Zach.
“We are to toast crumpets and I know how you love them, so I came to find you,” his sweet little girl said.
“That is a lie. You came to slide down the banister, but as I am here, you changed your mind.”
She giggled.
“Tell your crusty old father to hurry it along. I want jam on my crumpets, Fairfax,” Zach called down to the butler.
“Please,” Forrest added.
“Please.”
“I shall bring them along shortly,” the butler said.
“You don’t think he has enough to do without you telling him to drop everything and bring you both crumpets?” Forrest looked at his cousin and daughter. They had remarkably similar temperaments.
“I do not mind at all. I like to keep the staff busy, after all.” Fairfax disappeared through a door.
They ate crumpets all seated before the fire. Ella’s eyes were drooping when they were done. Zach kissed her good night and then left, no doubt to prepare himself for his evening’s entertainments.
The nanny let herself out of the room while Forrest settled his daughter into her bed, dressed in her white nightgown. It made her look small and vulnerable, neither of which she was, he reminded himself. Ella had family now. People who loved and protected her.
“You like Miss Knight, don’t you?”
“Very much. She tells wonderful stories. We learned about the goddess Lakshmi today, Papa.”
It gave him a jolt that Ruby knew about an Indian goddess and that she’d taken the time to teach his daughter about her. He wondered if she had because she knew Ella was born there—very likely. It made him feel warm inside. In fact, most things about that woman made him feel something, and they were not always comfortable thoughts.
CHAPTERNINE
Ruby wasn’t sure why she let herself constantly be conned by the elder residents of 11 Nobby Lane. And yet here she was, seven days after Mr. Howarth had held her in his arms, and made her heart beat harder than it ever had for a man before, doing what they wanted, going for an evening walk with a few of them, which she knew they rarely did. This walk, of course, had another purpose entirely.
“I believe it is called reconnaissance,” Violet said.
“That is a military term, and we are not about to go into battle,” Ruby said.
“As if we could ever serve our country,” Beatrice scoffed. “Women are not allowed, dear.”
“The English army, to my mind, are not utilizing their most powerful weapon,” Ruby said. The Amble sisters would talk anyone into surrendering.
“We are just going to walk by the house, Ruby, there is no need to be testy,” Violet said. “Not break in.”
“I don’t know why I let myself be talked into this.”
