Wheezing ever so slightly from her exertions, even though the wheezing was not going to persuade her to forgo her treat, she tugged the trunk into Mrs. Davenport’s sitting room, let go of the handle, and dusted her hands together.
“I think this will be large enough to hold the rest of your reticules, and...” She glanced at Mrs. Davenport, who was staring with wide eyes at the trunk, and frowned. “On my word, is something the matter? You’re looking quite as if you’ve seen a ghost.”
Mrs. Davenport pulled her gaze from the trunk, drew in a ragged breath, then smiled an overly bright smile. “I’m fine, dear, although I’ve just decided we should have our tea in the drawing room. The atmosphere down on the first floor will be much less chaotic since we won’t be surrounded by so many memori ... I mean, items still needing to be packed.”
The next thing Gertrude knew, and before she could ask a single question, Mrs. Davenport practically dragged her from the sitting room, muttering something about the past and how unexpectedly it could come back to haunt a person.
Chapter
Fifteen
“There’s nothing quite like a cup of tea to restore one’s humor, is there?” Mrs. Davenport asked, lifting a cup made of delicate bone china to her lips while apparently ignoring the fact that her hands were trembling like mad.
Gertrude set aside her tea and sat forward on the dainty green-striped chair that flanked the one Mrs. Davenport was sitting in. “You need to tell me what’s troubling you.”
“Nothing’s troubling me. I’m simply a little out of sorts due to the strenuous nature of packing for our spur of the moment holiday. I’ll be fine just as soon as I finish my tea.”
“Whose trunk was that?”
“I’m sure I have no idea. It must have belonged to some long-lost ancestor.”
“An ancestor who had a name beginning withJ?” Gertrude pressed.
Mrs. Davenport gulped down her tea, even though doing so had her eyes watering, probably because the tea was still rather hot. Setting her cup down on the small table beside her, she picked up a shortbread cookie and stuffed the entire cookie into her mouth. That made it all but impossible for her to respond, although she might have bitten off more than she could chew because she made a great show of turning to look out the drawing room window as she spit some of the cookie into a napkin.
Swallowing a laugh, Gertrude reached for a cookie as well, put a small piece into her mouth, and simply enjoyed her treat, deciding her best option was to wait Mrs. Davenport out because her employer was not a lady prone to keeping silent for any great length of time.
To her surprise, Mrs. Davenport did not break her silence in a timely fashion, although she wasn’t perfectly silent since she kept stuffing one cookie after another into her mouth. Finally, after a good five minutes had passed, she turned from the window with a face that was somewhat green, eyed the empty cookie platter, and gave the smallest of shudders.
“Shall I ring for more?” Gertrude asked, reaching for the small bell sitting by the empty platter.
“I wouldn’t want to impose on the kitchen,” Mrs. Davenport said weakly, lifting her napkin and taking an inordinate amount of time to dab cookie crumbs from her lips even as she, if Gertrude wasn’t mistaken, let out a bit of a belch.
Sitting back, Gertrude switched tactics. “Did I mention there’s an old Bible, along with an ivory dress with some exquisite lace and numerous bows, stored in that trunk?”
Mrs. Davenport shuddered again, mumbled something about it being “time for a distraction,” and then lifted her head and smiled brightly Gertrude’s way.
“DidImention how delighted I am that matters seem to be progressing nicely with you and Harrison?” Mrs. Davenport leaned forward to pour herself another cup of tea with hands that barely trembled when she picked up the pot.
Gertrude summoned up a smile of her own. “I don’t know where you got the idea that there are any matters to progress with Harrison. You know perfectly well I haven’t even seen that gentleman since he saw us home from theCorneliatwo nights ago.”
“It’s always very telling when a gentleman makes a point to personally escort a guest home,” Mrs. Davenport stated with a knowing nod. “And it didn’t escape my notice that he sent a note around for you yesterday, although I must admit I’ve been disappointed that you didn’t see fit to share the contents of that note with me.”
Since Gertrude wasn’t comfortable divulging that Harrison’s note revolved around his wanting her to keep an eye on Edwina while he was away on business, because that would have Mrs. Davenport believing all sorts of conspiracies were afoot to keep her from presenting Edwina to society, Gertrude settled for a shrug. “Harrison simply wanted me to know he’d been called out of the city on business.”
“Clear proof of his affections for you, if you ask me. I have to imagine he wanted you to know he was out of the city so you wouldn’t worry his interest in you was anything less than earnest.”
Even though that was a lovely thought, Gertrude knew it wasn’t the truth, but before she could deny Mrs. Davenport’s statement, her employer suddenly sat on the very edge of her seat, pinning Gertrude under a sharp gaze.
“Returning to the subject of disappointments, I have to say I was also disappointed you did not see fit to mention the very unusual circumstance of Harrison sweeping you into his arms and whisking you straight off his boat.” Mrs. Davenport saluted Gertrude with her cup. “While I admire your ingenuity in setting up a situation where being swept up into Harrison’s arms was a possibility in the first place, I’m hurt you didn’t share such a milestone with me.”
Gertrude’s forehead furrowed. “My landing in Harrison’s arms wasn’t intentional, although I am curious as to where you got that little tidbit.”
“I heard it from Edwina, who heard it from her sister Adelaide, who heard it from the eldest sister, Margaret.”
“Then I suppose you also heard that Harrison’s reason behind the sweeping stemmed from Margaret chasing us. During that chasing, I developed a stitch in my side and was wheezing somewhat dreadfully as we tried to outrun her.”
Mrs. Davenport tapped a finger against her chin. “I’m afraid I neglected to hear that pertinent detail. However, not that I care to appear smug, but you’ve evidently been suffering from wheezing often of late. Makes me wonder why you’ve been protesting your trips to the attic when they will strengthen your lungs, making you less prone to wheezing in the future.”
