Loretta wished again she could keep the bouts from returning. She would ask Mr. Huddleston to talk to the apothecary again the next time he went to Grimsfield and see if there was something else they could try that might help Farley.
They’d probably talked enough for one day anyway. When the coughing had subsided she said, “I think we should get you back to your room, and in order to do that you have to get back into the chair. I don’t want you up too long.”
“I can walk,” he muttered.
“Yes, you can, but you’re not going to this time,” she said, pointing to the chair. “We’ll try that tomorrow.”
Farley hesitated, as if he might challenge her, but instead he crawled back into the big chair and allowed her to tuck the blanket around his legs again.
When she rose and started around to the back of the chair she heard him say, “Thank you.”
Loretta lifted her chin and smiled.
The two of them were silent as they started the trek back to his room. This time her step was much lighter. She had learned so much more about Farley. The next time they talked she was confident she would learn even more.
Loretta knew there were plenty of uncared for and mistreated children like Farley. She couldn’t help them all, but she would find a way to help this one. If it were in her power to do so, he wouldn’t go to a workhouse or back to the streets of London.
He would find a home here at Mammoth House.
Chapter 15
A gentleman would never be bored and fall asleep in a lady’s presence.
APROPERGENTLEMAN’SGUIDETOWOOINGTHEPERFECTLADY
SIRVINCENTTYBALTVALENTINE
It was late in the day, and it had been a long and bumpy one. Loretta had not cared. She’d taken every jostle, rumble, snatch, and rock of the coach with immense pleasure. Even the occasional slurring shouts the driver directed at the horses couldn’t put a damper on her day.
The sun had just broken on the horizon with shades of pink, blue, and gray when she’d boarded the coach that morning. The view from the back window of the carriage had been blocked with all the luggage that had been piled high, but she’d still waved good-bye to the big stone house in the beautiful light of dawn. She had no idea when or if she’d ever be allowed to leave again, and she was determined to enjoy every moment of her journey, her freedom, and her short stay at Hawksthorn.
The last time their small caravan of two coaches madea stop, the driver had informed Loretta the next one would be when they arrived at the front door of the Hawksthorn Estate. That was welcome news. Her joyful attitude hadn’t waned, but she was tired of the constant sitting and was eager to see the duke, his home, and of course his sister—the main reason she was allowed to accompany Paxton.
It had been a cloudy and windy day. Light rain had fallen from time to time, but not enough to drench the roads and make wheels bog into the soggy earth. The temperature had stayed well above freezing, making the journey bearable for everyone, including the drivers and their helpers.
Loretta and Paxton rode in the lead carriage, which when they started was pulled by six magnificent-looking bays. The horses had already been changed several times since then, because their pace had been brisk. Their coach wasn’t as elaborate as the one Mrs. Huddleston had described to her with such relish when the duke had last visited Mammoth House, but it was far fancier than Loretta was used to. Tastefully handsome on the outside and divinely plush on the inside.
The luxurious cushions were a deep shade of blue velvet and stuffed with the softest of feathers. The extra filling beneath her bottom made all the jostling from side to side, and the shallow holes, deep ruts, and large pebbles the wheels ran over, easier to bear. Fine wood framing around the windows and side panels had been polished to a high gleam. A basket filled with cheese, bread, and dried fruits rested on the seat beside Loretta, along with a generous supply of chocolate, wine for Paxton, and enough water to keep them all well satisfied.
Bitsy, Paxton’s valet, Farley, and Mrs. Huddleston rode in the carriage following them. It was only a little lessornate, and it pleased Loretta’s housekeeper greatly that she had the opportunity to ride in such elegant style.
Farley hadn’t been invited to Hawksthorn, but at the last moment, and against her brother’s wishes, Loretta decided she couldn’t leave him at Mammoth House. That decision meant she had to bring Mrs. Huddleston along to take care of him. With all the changing of clothing Loretta would have to do at the duke’s house, Bitsy wouldn’t have time to take care of the lad.
Besides, he was feeling better, staying out of bed for most of the day, and eating well. They’d even spent time walking outside together on three afternoons. Much to her delight, he had been patient and attentive when they’d strolled through the back garden and she’d explained more to him about the constellations in the night sky. He’d laughed at her suggestion of him learning to read, but she reminded him that he would be able to read the street and shop window signs when he returned to London and that intrigued him. Later, Bitsy had told her she saw him looking through the pages in one of the books Loretta had left on the night chest by his bed. That gave her hope he would change his mind. She would mention reading again when he was feeling stronger.
Loretta’s main concern about Farley’s health was his lingering cough. It wasn’t improving. The debilitating spells were frequent and long, and seemed to drain his energy quickly. She worried about the thought there might be permanent damage to his lungs from the fever. Getting him away from Mammoth House for a few days so he could see and do some different things might do him more good than harm.
But all those noble reasons aside, Loretta had to be completely truthful, at least with herself. Not a one of them was the real reason she wanted Farley with her. Eventhough his body was still weak, she didn’t doubt his mental fortitude. If he decided he was ready to leave, she believed he’d simply start walking with no real knowledge of just how long a walk it would be back to London, or how to get there. In the end, that is what made her decide to bring him along. If she didn’t, she was afraid he’d be gone by the time she returned. Loretta was making such progress with him, she couldn’t bear the thought of him leaving.
Perhaps it was only natural, but she’d felt a greater concern for him since he’d opened up about his past. Being grabbed off the street and thrown into a locked wagon would be frightening for anyone. She knew something of how he felt. Mammoth House was gigantic compared with a wagon, but she had, in effect, been locked away, too. And the thought of being sold to a workhouse must have been even more horrific for him. It was no wonder there was no trust in Farley’s eyes or his attitude for anyone. Loretta hoped that in time her kindness to him would show him that not everyone was cruel.
She hadn’t mentioned the lad to her uncle yet and knew she must do that as soon as she returned. It would take some time to write the letter in a way that would lead the earl to decide it would be to his benefit to keep Farley at Mammoth House. She would talk to Mr. Huddleston first about things that Farley could do. Each day her hope grew stronger that if she offered Farley a permanent home and a place to work, he would agree to stay and not want to go back to living under the steps of an abandoned building.
Loretta looked over at Paxton, seated opposite her with his back facing the horses. His long, lean legs stretched out as far as he could get them and were crossed at the ankles. He’d fallen asleep, again, snuggled deep into his cloak, with his hat covering his face. She smiled. Paxton had chatted for most of the trip—jumping from one subject tothe other and then on to another. She assumed to avoid talking about the real reason for their visit to Hawksthorn.
Along with the excitement of making this trip, leaving Mammoth House for the first time in almost three years, she also had a fair amount of apprehension that kept wanting to tamp down the good feelings. Paxton was a happy, carefree soul and could be easily led. She didn’t want him only to become enamored of the change in his lifestyle that marriage to a duke’s sister would bring him; she wanted him to fall deeply in love with Lady Adele or refuse the duke’s offer to make a match with her.
The duke.
