“It is indeed, my lady. No worries on the time. We had word you were arriving on the morrow.” Quince raised an umbrella, and she hooked her arm though his. His voice was calm and welcoming, but something in his gaze appeared tense.
Lorelei was too weary to ponder the whys. Their late start the prior day had not gone well. The dreary weather had inundated the Rose & Crown with travelers. Even Bethie’s gladiatorial demeanor had failed in securing them a room, leaving Andrews to push the poor horses to the end of their tether. Ah, well, they’d arrived, safe and sound, at Kimpton, and that was all that mattered. Mrs. Metzger stood on the portico wringing her hands.
“Please calm yourself, Mrs. Metzger. Rest assured I do not hold you responsible for our early arrival.” Lorelei’s jaws hurt, but she smiled, attempting to ease the older woman’s distress at having been caught unready.
“Prepare a fire in Lady Kimpton’s chamber, Mrs. Metzger,” Quince ordered.
Mrs. Metzger nodded and hurried away, no doubt eager to assuage her unnecessary guilt. Lorelei sighed and followed Bethie. Just as Lorelei reached the porch, pounding hooves drew her to a pause. Not only was the hour late, but the rain was chilling and fierce. No one in their right mind would travel by horseback in this downpour.
Further shocking her was the rider. The poor woman was drenched through. She pulled up her horse and slid down before the beast had fully stopped. Mr. Quince thrust the umbrella in Lorelei’s hand and caught their visitor by her arm.
“Thank heavens,” the woman panted.
“Bethie, inform Mrs. Metzger we have need of tea.” Lorelei turned to their visitor. “Please, come in.” Light from the open doorway spilled out, showcasing a beautiful woman despite her pale countenance.
Exotic eyes flashed from Lorelei to Quince, then back. “Thank you, my lady, but there is no time for tea.” Her voice quavered, her fingers trembled.
Quince said, “I shall take care of this, Lady Kimpton.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Quince.” His words grated over her, the silly man. “Please, madam, I insist. At the very least, we shall continue this conversation inside.” Lorelei spun on her heel and led the way inside.
With no other option, Quince and the woman followed her into the house, giving her a small surge of triumph. Lorelei tugged her damp bonnet from her head, faced her visitor, and caught her breath. Truly, she was exquisite. Even though the woman was bedraggled, Lorelei had never seen anyone so beautiful and…with child. She directed the company into Thorne’s study. Sensing the woman’s anxiousness, Lorelei chose to forego insisting they sit. “Now, what is so dire to drive you out in such horrendous weather?” she asked gently.
Tears filled the woman’s eyes. Tears and trepidation. Her bared hands twisted. The woman was terrified. “My s-sister. She is with child. I fear she has gone into an early labor.”
Lorelei’s stomach dipped, and she darted a quick glance to Bethie, who appeared in the doorway. Bethie froze, and Lorelei could almost detect a slight tremor in her bottom lip. “How early are ye talkin’?” Bethie asked.
“At least four weeks,” the woman whispered. “Are you… are you by chance the midwife?” she begged. Lorelei felt quite sick.
Bethie’s face paled beneath her fierce mien.
“Quince, please send for one of the housemaids immediately,” Lorelei said.
“Lady Kimpton, permit me—”
She cut him off. “What provisions do we need, Bethie?”
“Dry towels. My bag from the carriage, my lady.” Bethie squared her shoulders and turned into the comforting general on whom Lorelei could rely.
“That won’t be necessary. We shall take the carriage.”
A young girl of approximately seventeen appeared in the entry hall. “My lady?”
“Oh, thank heavens. Peg, please gather a stack of clean towels. Quickly now.”
“Lady Kimpton, please. I cannot permit—” Mr. Quince began.
She stilled at the impertinence of his words, piercing him with cold haughtiness. “I beg your pardon, Quince. Did I understand you correctly? Did you sayyou‘cannot permit’?”
He shot a pained glance at their midnight guest, then turned back to Lorelei, inclining his head with a show of respect. “Of course not, my lady.” He addressed Bethie. “What may I do to help?”
Lorelei spoke for her. “You’ll accompany us. There is no telling what we shall find.”
Things moved quickly after that. In a matter of moments, Quince sat atop the carriage with Andrews, while Bethie and Lorelei rode inside with the young woman.
Lorelei pulled a towel from the top of the stack in Bethie’s lap and handed it to the woman. Even with her black hair saturated with rain and plastered against her head, Lorelei could see that it was long and thick. The exotic tilt of her eyes showed a wariness Lorelei had witnessed in people who’d trusted and had been let down, giving her the appearance of an older age than Lorelei had at first believed. Her full lips trembled with worry.
“Is she alone?” Lorelei was desperate to somehow console her.
