“When will Willanton ever get a bookshop or lending library?” Matilda complained. “Why must we live in such a provincial village?”
“I will send for more books,” Preston promised.
“That is not necessary,” Matilda quickly responded. “I’ve enough to read.”
Whenever he made an offer, they quickly declined, and it was maddening. Before their parents died, he’d spoiled them, but they wanted nothing from him now. He knew he wasn’t a parent, but they’d enjoyed his company then.
“Why don’t you go into the bakery and pick out what you’d like.” He handed funds to Delia.
“I’ll make certain they do not overindulge,” Delia assured him with seriousness more suited for a governess than a child.
They were without guidance, except for himself and the household staff. He really did need to hire a governess. His nieces had been without one these past eight months, but he’d been reluctant to even interview, let alone hire anyone after Miss Halton had been dismissed.
What did he even know about governesses, or how to go about hiring one, or how to even determine if one was qualified? Then there was the possibility of allowing a string of female strangers into his home that he’d be forced to converse with during an interview and he’d still have no idea if they’d make a worthy governess.
His cousin, Alec Winters, the Earl of Harwich, was of the mind that Preston needed a wife before a governess and then said wife could hire someone.
His stomach churned at the very idea of trying to court someone as he had no idea how to go about doing so. Besides, there was only one woman he’d ever wanted to court, and she had probably already forgotten him or thought him more a fool now than when they’d walked in Hyde Park.
Damn his cousin, Alec. He should have never said anything about Miss Claywell, but once he had, Alec never let it go. Further, had Alec not encouraged him and had Preston not been drinking brandy at the time, he would have never written his uncle and asked him to extend an offer of marriage to a woman he barely knew.
No doubt she had rejected the offer.
At the sound of the coach, Preston glanced up to note the arrival of the mail coach, punctual as always.
Just as it pulled to a stop, his nieces ran onto the pavement, full of excitement for the first time in months, surrounding him. They each told him of the treats they’d purchased, talking over each other, and he couldn’t understand what they were saying individually but loved this glimpse of their former selves. He tried to pay attention to each but was distracted. “A bunny,” Winifred cried and took off running and right through the passengers from the coach now gathering on the walk.
That child still needed to be on leading strings simply so she couldn’t run off, especially through passengers disembarking a coach.
Though he knew it was unlikely Winifred could go far, he tried to keep watch of her and waited for the passengers to go into Hemsley Coffee House for refreshments before he pursued. Except, when they’d all left the walk, Winifred wasn’t anywhere in sight, and a panic he had never experienced before, not even when facing Napoleon’s army, set in.
If she were correct, the mail coach would deliver her to Eyemouth in Scotland before tomorrow.
Even though Althea had left her uncle’s home that very first night she’d overheard the discussion with Mr. Smith, she’d had to take a room at a coaching inn until she could book passage on a mail coach traveling north. For over a day she’d hidden in her room awaiting the morning that she was to depart, then feared that she’d been found when she spied a most anxious Mr. Smith speaking with the postmaster as he handed off a missive. She’d hung back in the shadows until he gained his carriage and she felt safe enough to board the mail coach without being seen.
It certainly wasn’t her preference of travel, however, she had no complaints of the speed at which they arrived at each destination. Had she been in her uncle’s carriage, the journey would have taken twice as long.
At least Uncle Clarence hadn’t caught up to her, though he probably assumed her destination—to her mother’s family—so it was only a matter of time before he found her. Though in truth, at the age of three and twenty, she had reached her majority and couldn’t be forced to marry anyone. She’d been so used to living with Uncle Clarence since she was a child that Althea still thought of him as her guardian.
There had been no reason to run away, but the panic had sent her in motion. It was a very foolish thing to do, and quite outside of her normally reasonable character. However, she still had no access to her inheritance. As stipulated in her father’s will, it would not be hers until either she married or turned five and twenty.
As the coach drew to a stop, the man across from her opened the door and stepped out, and Althea followed. This was one of the few stops in which they were allowed to disembark and only long enough to stretch and purchase foodstuffs before they were on their way again.
Once free of the coach, Althea was once again able to take a deep breath of fresh air. It was growing quite warm within the coach despite it being December, and odors had developed that were far from pleasant. She’d been forced to spend the last few hours with her perfumed handkerchief close to her nose.
At the squeal of a child, she turned to find a little girl pushing her way through the legs of the passengers disembarking.
Althea waited for an adult to follow in pursuit, yet none did, and Althea grew alarmed, especially when the child cried out “Bunny” and disappeared around the side of a building. A rabbit trying to evade a child brought on different circumstances in which to be concerned. Either the child could run for a long distance trying to catch the rabbit and get lost, or she might manage to capture it, which could bring injury to the rabbit. Neither was a good outcome and as there appeared to be no adult attending the child, Althea ran after her before harm could be done.
As soon as she turned the corner, Althea spotted the girl crouched down before a large bush. It was likely she had the rabbit cornered.
She approached and leaned down next to the child. “What are you looking at?”
The little girl didn’t even startle at her presence.
“I wanted to pet the bunny.” She pointed.
Althea looked inside to see a rabbit and five younger rabbits, and her heart melted.
