“I wish I could thank her myself.”
“She don’t be wantin’ to see nobody. Just Mr. Northwood and her son, she says. A mother needs a husband and son, she says.”
“Yes.”
“Now you be sittin’ down right here, Miss Gillingham, while I be fixin’ your hair. Master Northwood just rode off to get a surprise for you, he did.”
“A surprise? For me?”
“Well, he ne’er did say it was a surprise. But I says to him, I says—”
“Do tell me, Dodie. Please.”
“Well, he got a letter this mornin’ and can you guess who it was from? Why, Lord Gillingham, that who it be from. And he says for Master Northwood to come right away, on account of a little maid called Minney who wants, says the letter, to see you more than anything at all.”
Beside him in the rig, Minney fidgeted with a blue, faded ribbon. She tied it and untied it but never once lifted her head and spoke to him.
Felton glanced up at the silver-colored sky. “Looks like we may need to utilize the hood before we get there.”
No answer.
“We could certainly use a bit of rain, hmm?”
Still nothing—except the only thing raining was the girl’s eyes.
Felton pulled on the reins. “What is it?” When she didn’t look up, he turned to face her and tugged that distracting ribbon from her fingers.
“Ye give that back to me!”
“Not until you tell me what this is all about.”
She smeared more tears from her pallid cheeks. “I only can tell Miss Gillingham. She’s my friend.”
“I am your friend too, and if you’re in danger at Monbury, if Lord Gillingham has—”
“No.” She rattled her head. “No, no, no. Ye don’t know. None of ’ee know.”
“Know what?”
“The terrible thing I done. Terrible thing. I can’t even be sleepin’ good no more because’ee all think he…that he …”
Aggravation spiked. “That he what? Who, Minney?”
“Lord Gillingham.” She wilted on the word and puckered her lip. “He came in my room when I was hurt. I was frighted but he ne’er hurt me. He told me e’erything. How Papa ne’er loved Miss Gillingham, and she ne’er loved him. Not even a little.”
“What?”
“Do’ee not see, Mr. Northwood? All the things I thought be wrong. All wrong, wrong, wrong.”
“Anyone can claim innocence, Minney.”
“But he had the letter. That be how I know.”
“What letter?”
“My ribbon. Give me back my ribbon.”
He sighed, handed it over, and hurried the gig back into motion. “When we arrive at the house, I want you to go inside and tell Eliza everything you have just told me. You understand?”
