The older lady had been dozing off and on since they left the estate an hour or so ago, but now she blinked to awareness and sat up straighter in the seat. She lifted a hand to tilt the bonnet that had fallen aside on her head. When she met Emmie’s eyes, the woman smiled.
“Did you sleep well?” Emmie asked.
“As well as could be expected, I suppose. Are you not tired?”
“No. There is too much to see.” Emmie glanced out the window again. “I love admiring the beautiful land.”
“I’ve traveled to different countries, but I will always believe England has the best land.” Mrs. Crampton smiled. “Miss Emmie, tell me… how long have you, eh… worked for Lady Sarah?”
Emmie didn’t like the pause that followed. Obviously, she didn’t think Emmie was a good companion. Then again, she really wasn’t a good servant at all, so she shouldn’t get upset that everyone else knew it, too. “Only for a few years. When my family fell on hard times, Lady Sarah’s father invited me to be her companion.”
“How very sweet of him.” Mrs. Crampton offered an energetic smile that almost seemed too forced. “Lady Sarah’s father is certainly a kind man.”
“Have you met him? I know he is friends with Mr. Crampton, but did you know him as well?”
“Yes. Mr. Crampton and I were there when Bryon married Daphne.” Her smile softened. “Daphne was so lovely and so in love with her husband. It was a marriage I thought would last forever.”
Emmie blinked quickly to ward off the tears stinging her eyes. “That is what I heard,” she said softly. “Unfortunately, fate had to change things.”
“Yes. It was a terrible accident.”
Silence lasted another few awkward moments as Emmie turned her attention toward the window to the passing scenery. The trees were so green and the flowers so colorful. This kind of beauty she could stare at forever.
“So, Miss Emmie, I have noticed you spending a lot of time with my nephew, Mr. Worthington.”
Emmie snapped her head toward the other woman. Panic rushed through her, yet she really didn’t have anything to fear. Mrs. Crampton must know that nothing could come of Broderick and Emmie’s friendship.
Slowly, she released her breath, hoping Mrs. Crampton didn’t notice how uncomfortable she felt right now. “I suppose we have been spending time together. We became friends during our ride across the countryside.”
“He has always been a kind boy, and as a man he has added adventure to his life.”
Emmie chuckled. “You are correct. It was because of his love for adventure that we kept traveling farther away from your estate, and we were caught in the rain.”
Nodding, Mrs. Crampton smiled. “He does love to ride.”
“Mrs. Crampton, might I ask something personal about your nephew?”
“What would you like to know?”
“He doesn’t talk very much about himself, and I wondered about his profession.”
“Broderick works at the docks and helps to load and unload the ships. He must love it, because he spends most of his time there. In fact, a few times he has sailed with the cargo.” Her forehead creased in confusion. “I don’t exactly know what he does, but he does sail quite a bit.”
“How very interesting.”
For a few quiet moments, Emmie pondered what the older woman had said. If Broderick worked on the docks or ships, why did he dress so elegantly? She highly doubted men who worked on the docks made good money.
“Mrs. Crampton? Might I ask about his family? He has never told me about them.”
“My husband and I are his only family now. Broderick’s mother died when he was just a lad, and his father left this world a few years ago. Broderick is the only child. However, just recently, his grandfather passed away, and since Broderick is the only living male heir, the title of Marquess of Wilshire was given to him.”
Shock vibrated her more than the movement the carriage made when the wheel ran over a rock.Broderick, a noble?“How wonderful for him.”
Mrs. Crampton shrugged. “Unfortunately, someone will have to convince him of that. My husband tells me Broderick is struggling to accept the title.”
“Why? He would live in his grandfather’s estate and obtain all of his lands and money.”
“You don’t understand Broderick that well. He isn’t the sort of man who believes his life revolves around money. He does what he wants—things that make him happy and uplift others. He is a very good person, but I fear that if he took the title, he would—”
