“She will help you find peace,” Anthony added.
Jamie’s snort held no laughter. “There will be no peace for some of us, Anthony. Just because you found it, does not mean we will. You have to understand that.”
“I know that I have someone in my life who helped me to find it.”
“But that is not for us,” Toby said,and never will be.
Jamie raised his mug in agreement.
“Very well, if you say so, but tonight is the Pilkington ball, Toby. At least you can be cordial to Lady Liberty, because if whatever is taking place in Bidham is dangerous, then we must ensure it is snuffed out,” Anthony said. “I’m sure over the years the village has relied on protection from both noble families living on its borders, and now more than ever will need it.”
“The Corbyns were there many years before the Talbots,” he added.
To his shame, Toby had walked away from Bidham because he’d wanted to shut out every aspect of his life that made him feel, but in doing so, he’d turned his back on those that needed him most. Anthony was right. The village should be under his protection.
“I will do better once I settle Florence… if she settles,” Toby said. “I’ll add to that. I’m not sure how she can when the only life she’s known is gone forever.” Now Liberty had left, the weight of the responsibility he now faced settled again on his shoulders. How could hecare for a child’s needs?
“We will ensure she settles,” Anthony said. “All of us will be there to help.”
That humbled him, so he drank a mouthful of chocolate to wash down the emotion clogging his throat.
“From your memory of Lady Liberty, is she one to take a risk? To throw herself into this investigation without a care for her own safety?” Jamie asked.
“She is quite capable of doing that,” Toby said.
“Really? That does surprise me,” Jamie added. “I’ve never seen an overt display of emotion from the woman. I’ve danced with her a few times, and her smile is usually polite, if a little chilly. I believed until today, she was a reserved type, and the epitome of a proper society lady.”
Toby barked out a laugh. “She was never that once.” The smile fell from his lips. “But yes, that is how she portrays herself in society.”
“Right, we have a way forward regarding Bidham and Lady Liberty. Now let’s talk about Florence,” Anthony said.
And they did. Through two pots of hot chocolate, and numerous plates of food, they worked through what they believed needed to happen. It helped that his friends had sisters, and Toby would be leaning on them heavily for guidance as he had no clue what to do. But one thing he now knew was that Florence’s welfare was his only concern.
Chapter Twelve
The day ofFlorence’s arrival dawned, and with it absolute panic from Toby. He’d not slept well and was now up before the sun and in the nursery. The walls were a stale brown, but he’d not had enough time to do anything but hang pictures to change that.
He’d opened this door five days ago, and the smell hit the back of his throat. Toby had gagged. He’d flung open windows and with the help of his staff, they’d removed dust covers and set about making it habitable.
The bedroom was next door, with, much to his relief, a good-sized bed. Next to that another, smaller, for a nanny, which he hoped came with her, or he’d have to get one of his staff to watch over Florence until he acquired one.
They’d thrown out mattresses, and he’d brought new ones and bedding. Toby had then purchased books and dragged Evie to a shop to buy other things a small girl child may like.
There was a doll’s house and two dolls, plus a small table and chairs.
“What do you think, Chadders?” he asked his butler, who arrived with the mug of black coffee Toby had asked for.
“It’s a room any child would be happy to sleep in.”
“This particular child has lost both her parents and been wrenched from the only life she’s ever known to live with me, a stranger, and not a terribly nice man, Chadders.”
He alternated between fear that he’d raise the child to be cold and heartless like him, and wonder that he now had someone that relied on him for his existence.
“If I may say, Lord Corbyn, I’ve never thought of you as cold and heartless.”
“You’re too kind, even if you are lying, Chadders.”
But in this, he likely believed he wasn’t. John Chadderly had been the son of the cook at Blackwood Hall. Those who believed themselves better than him had treated him terribly. It had been Anthony and his friends who protected him. Ever since, he had worked for one or the other of them, and eventually became Toby’s butler. He was short, solid, and fiercely loyal to the men who had saved him.
