Shoulders drooping, Phoebe stared off at the far wall. Even with assistance, how would she learn it all?
“Come now, do not accept defeat,” said Mrs. Broad. “For the first time in your life, you must find your place in society. You were born into Haverford’s, and you belonged to the highest tier of it, so it is little wonder that you are struggling here. I cannottell you how many feathers I ruffled when I arrived in my new parish.”
“You did?” asked Phoebe, her voice sounding so pathetically hopeful that she cringed and stared at the hands now clenched in her lap.
“Oh, very much so,” she replied, a smile warming her tone. “I offended nearly everyone of consequence within the first month.”
Phoebe looked up.
“I concerned myself too quickly with matters that were not mine to oversee,” Mrs. Broad continued. “The churchwardens manage the distribution of parish goods—clothes, food, coal allowances—but I foolishly thought they would welcome my assistance without question. So, I asked after accounts, suggested alterations, and even accompanied a delivery without asking permission. While the vicar’s wife often assists with such matters, I ran headlong into those duties without taking the time to understand how that parish managed them.”
Mrs. Broad’s smile turned wry. “And then I insisted on poking my pretty little nose into the parish school, doing what I could to ‘improve’ upon the teacher’s efforts. It took weeks before I understood why rooms fell silent whenever I entered.”
Chuckling softly to herself, Mrs. Broad added, “Though I was a genteel young lady, I did not understand that customs and expectations vary greatly from village to village, nor was I mature enough to recognize the importance of patience. However, I learned quickly just how much damage newcomers do when they insert themselves into the heart of a community they do not yet comprehend.”
Mrs. Broad gave Phoebe the same censorious look she’d given the Talleys. “These things feel disastrous when they happen, but our best lessons come from our greatest missteps—if we choose to learn from them. So, you had best stop wringing your hands and get to work.”
“Then I have not ruined everything and deserve to be run out of the village?” asked Phoebe in a tone she had meant to be self-deprecating but was simply self-pitying.
“Now, none of that, my girl,” said Mrs. Broad. “I am quite willing to commiserate, but I will not wallow. You’ve had a hard time of it, to be certain, but it is only hopeless if you allow it to be—”
The door opened, and Phoebe stiffened, turning away from the intrusion and wiping at her face (though thank the heavens, there were no tears to be found).
“Now, what have we got here?” said a fellow, though his footsteps stopped short. “Am I intruding?”
“Come now, Mr. Colby,” said Mrs. Broad, motioning toward an empty armchair. “I am just comforting our rector’s new wife.”
“Oh, I pity the poor man who has to manage Mrs. Whitcombe day and night, and I imagine it wouldn’t be easy for his wife, either,” said Mr. Colby, settling into the seat with more gravity than grace, for the rail-thin legs seemed to give out from beneath him. Dark, bushy brows hung over his eyes, which (though milky with age) still bore a hint of blue.
Though she ought to have been irritated at being caught in such a vulnerable moment, the impulse vanished when Mr. Colby flashed her a rascally wink.
“Mrs. Godwin, allow me to introduce my lodger, Mr. Colby,” said Mrs. Broad, motioning toward the fellow. “He’s a former lieutenant who decided to moor his boat in Kingsmere when it came time for him to give up his life at sea.”
“It was less of a choice and more of a necessity,” corrected Mr. Colby. “My wife and children were gone, leaving me nowhere to go. Eventually, my funds ran out and age requiredme to stop, and Kingsmere just happened to be the place where those coincided.”
The fellow spoke so matter-of-factly, tossing his hardships about as though they were a passing comment about the weather. Even lacing it with a bit of humor. Yet behind the smile, there was a tinge of sorrow, showing her the truth beneath the affectation. It reminded her so much of her brother that Phoebe’s heart ached for those men who hid their pain behind their smiles.
Which only made her raw heart hurt all the more.
“Well, we are glad to have you,” said Mrs. Broad.
“And I’m glad to have found a safe harbor here,” he replied, glancing at the tea service that had arrived sometime during Phoebe’s confessions, though she couldn’t say how the maid had slipped in, delivered it, and left without her noticing.
Mrs. Broad poured a cup, preparing it to his specifications, and handed it over, though the fellow’s arm shook as he tried to reach for it. Phoebe rose quickly, passed the cup over, and filled the saucer with a selection of sweets.
“I was just giving our dear girl a rousing lecture so she won’t quit Kingsmere altogether,” said Mrs. Broad.
“It must be awfully rousing indeed. Some of the ladies hereabout are harpies of the highest order,” murmured Mr. Colby as he bit into a biscuit.
“Every village has some, and I am certain Mrs. Godwin is capable of putting them in their place,” said Mrs. Broad, giving her guest an assessing look. “No, she is simply adrift. Navigating a new path in life is difficult.”
“I am certain Mrs. Broad will sort you out in a trice,” said Mr. Colby. “She certainly sorted me out.”
Mrs. Broad huffed. “Men are simple. Fill them with food, and they are happy as can be.”
With a bit of cake littering his lapels, Mr. Colby looked up, his glasses slipping low on his nose as he stared at her, and Mrs. Broad turned a knowing look at Phoebe whilst offering her a teacup as well.
“Now, we must come up with a plan of action to help our Mrs. Godwin,” said Mrs. Broad, and Mr. Colby gave a decisive nod.
