“Mrs. Broad recommended having four christening boxes,” said Mrs. Godwin, continuing along the path and the conversation as though nothing had happened. “And she invited me to assist with the dame school. They are always in need of aid, and though I am no scholar, I know enough to be useful.”
The statement was almost a question, and Samuel nodded as he hadn’t the slightest notion what he ought to say.
They walked on, the baskets shifting faintly with each step, and Mrs. Godwin spoke of the boxes with brisk efficiency. She outlined what was required in quick succession, ordered and precise, as though she were arranging the contents even now in her mind. Yet something in her manner tightened with each sentence.
Samuel noticed it first in the cadence of her speech as her tone sharpened, her words growing clipped. And then Mrs. Godwin kept glancing at him, seeming to measure his reaction, before pressing on again, and when he inclined his head or offered some small sign that he was listening, her brow furrowed.
There was no heat in her voice or expression. Simply a restlessness that spoke of disquiet, though Samuel’s thoughts were too mired in the exhaustion of the day to sort it out. So, he said nothing, allowing her the space to speak—or not—while they strolled along the roads of Kingsmere.
Drawing to a halt, Mrs. Godwin huffed and looked at him. “Will you say nothing?”
Chapter 20
“Iwasn’t aware that you required an answer,” said Samuel, considering the conversation leading to it.
Pursing her lips, Mrs. Godwin filled her lungs and let it out in a slow breath as her gaze drifted away from him. Her shoulders stiffened, and she whispered something under her breath.
“Pardon?” he asked.
The lady straightened, and though she did not turn her eyes to meet his, she forced out the words, “You broached a conversation and then allowed it to wither and die. I am attempting to draw you out once more, and apparently, I must be more blunt in my efforts.”
“That would be quite helpful,” said Samuel, wondering if she would seize upon the jest, but for all that the lady had proven her own humor to be quite dry, Mrs. Godwin simply nodded and accepted that.
“Very well. We have been married for some weeks, and I hardly know you. I think it is time we rectify that,” she said.
Samuel nodded. “That is sound logic. I will attempt to be more conversant.”
Giving a vague hum that revealed none of her internal dialogue, Mrs. Godwin pointed to the cottage ahead, whichSamuel knew quite well. The building sat back from the lane, its limewashed walls thinning in patches; in places it still caught the light, soft and chalky, though in others it had faded into the darker stone beneath.
Laundry hung along a line, pinned with care, and the neatly arranged shirts and shifts stirred gently in the brisk air. The gate stuck when Samuel worked the latch, and with a little effort, he tugged it open to find the path to the door swept clean, though a paver or two had pulled free and wobbled beneath their feet.
Everything about the place suggested a household still managed with diligence, even as certain tasks—those once attended to by another—waited a little longer than they should. And the thought weighed on Samuel.
Mrs. Godwin stepped ahead of him, setting two of the baskets beside the low stone wall, so they sat hidden from both the lane and the house. She adjusted them slightly, angling the handles inward so they would not catch any eye, then straightened and brushed her hands together as though the matter were settled.
At his look, she hesitated for only a moment. “I do not want them to feel they are simply a name on our list to visit. They needn’t know we have other calls to pay.”
Warmth settled into Samuel’s chest and spread outward with each beat of his heart. Such a small thing, seemingly insignificant and easily overlooked, yet there was power in binding up broken hearts, and a little care and attention filled more than empty bellies. For all that he’d spent the better part of the morning fretting over the line between aid and enabling, Mrs. Godwin was giving attention to these quiet matters with grand impacts.
Nodding (for Samuel wasn’t certain he could speak), he followed her up the path to the front door.
*
“Good heavens,” said Mrs. Harvey as she ushered them inside, beaming ear to ear. “How good to see you this fine afternoon! You do us a great honor—”
“Nonsense,” said Phoebe, waving that away. “I do hope we are not interrupting—”
“Now,thatis nonsense. It is always a pleasure to receive our dear rector and his wife for a visit,” said Mrs. Harvey, leading them toward the set of rough-hewn chairs beside the worn kitchen table. But the woman paused and leaned closer to Mr. Godwin, whispering, “It is a bad day today, sir. He could use a bit of cheerin’ up.”
“Then I am glad we are here,” replied Mr. Godwin in kind, though he was interrupted when a pack of children descended upon him.
“Mr. Godwin!” shouted a little boy, whose clothes were worn, though his face and hands were thoroughly washed. Launching himself upon the clergyman, he attached himself to a leg whilst a little girl, who couldn’t be more than three, attached herself to the other.
Phoebe was just about to shoo them away when Mr. Godwin began to tromp around the cottage, eliciting a great many peals of laughter from the little ones as he pretended to shake them off. Another attack came from behind, leaping upon his back when the gentleman bent down to scowl at his leeches.
“Tally ho!” bellowed the lad, giving his makeshift horse several solid heels in the ribs as he urged him forward. Hat knocked off, Mr. Godwin’s face reddened as those little hands latched around his neck, but he adjusted the lad’s hold and gave him an arched brow.
“Even the best of steeds struggle to carry three passengers at once,” he grumbled, though he moved about as best he could, teasing the little ones as they scampered about, and Phoebe could not believe her eyes. Nothing she’d witnessedfrom Mr. Godwin suggested this gentleman would welcome such undistinguished behavior, yet he rampaged about the cottage as though he was an imp in short pants.
