Now his employer was rubbing the side of his head. “How many?”
“Well...” The dignified man cast a questioning look at Mrs. Windom. “Twelve, perhaps?”
“Twelve. Women.” Flint was shaking his head. “Young? Old? Pretty? Rich? Poor?”
“Er...working class? Young all. Rather...thin, many. Quiet.”
“Did you think I was another?” Felicity asked.
Higgins blinked again. “Excuse me, Miss. You aren't?”
“I don't believe so, Higgins. Unless the others were expected to marry the master as well.”
He just gave a mute shake of the head.
“Then why were they here?” Flint demanded, his voice rising.
He earned no more than another mute shake of the head.
“Well, why don't you know?” he all but yelled.
That, finally, made Felicity laugh. “Because it wasn't their job to know, you great lummox.”
Flint spun on her. “Surely they had ideas.”
“Not if they wished to maintain their places. Please, Higgins,” she said, facing the now-also-pale butler. “Have a seat.”
“No,” Flint snapped. “Send for Burke. Tell him he'd better be here within five minutes or just keep walking down the lane.”
Higgins fled.
“You'd make a terrible housekeeper,” Felicity muttered, eyes closed.
She was surprised by Flint's outraged huff. “Why?”
Her eyes still closed, she smiled. “Because if your silver began to go missing, no one would tell you where.”
“And you could do better?”
“As I have acted as housekeeper in a pinch, yes.”
“Fine. Question Burke, then. I'm sure you two get along well enough he'd spill any secrets in your shell-like ear.”
Felicity's eyes popped open.Shell-like?
“Is there anything you can add, Mrs. Windom?” she asked, deliberately turning away from such a slip. “Do the women have particular accents, or share any personal information? Did you think anything nefarious was going on?”
Mrs. Windom straightened like the face of Judgment. “Not inmyhouse there wasn't.” She spared a glare at her employer. “But once they left here, how can I know? I fed 'em up until they got pink in their cheeks and sewed new dresses myself to replace the rags they came in, and sent 'em on their way with a basket when their time came.” She blushed heartily. “I was sewing one for you, Miss.”
For the first time in far too long, Felicity felt the sharp light of kindness warm her. “Thank you, Mrs. Windom. I cannot tell you what that means to me. Save it for the next.”
“There will be nonext,”Flint assured them, retaking his seat.
“Accents were all different,” Mrs. Windom mused. “Some from London, some north, some...well, foreign-like. Not Frenchies, but not good English. Young. Skittish as new foals near a dog, if you'll pardon my saying so.”
“And none of them told you anything of where they'd been,” Flint asked more gently now. “Where they were supposed to go?”
Mrs. Windom shook her head. “Mostly no more’n please and thank you. Hello, goodbye. Stayed in their room.”
