That was a task she needed to perform herself.
Her eyes met Mrs. Tucker’s, and Lucy tried to silently communicate the panic she was feeling. How were they going to get out of this mess? Mrs. Tucker edged away from the group.Lucy had no idea what she was planning to do, but she hoped, whatever it was, she would do it quickly.
“I wouldn’t be so certain of that, Mr. Garvis. When I met her, she most definitely did not have a Scottish accent, and she was with a titled woman.” Miss Creighton turned to Lucy. “I don’t know what you are trying to do to Mr. Scarper, but I won’t stand for it. A man as honest and upstanding as he is should be protected by those around him.”
Lucy jutted out her chin. “I have been as honest with Mr. Scarper as he has been with you, Miss Creighton.”
Miss Creighton narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean by that?”
“Only that there is more to this story than you know. I promise you that I mean no harm to Mr. Scarper.”
Miss Creighton leaned forward. “We will allow him to decide that, after I tell him what I know.”
Lucy caught sight of Mrs. Tucker out of the corner of her eye. She was headed back their way with Mr. Victor in tow. How could the vicar help in this situation? She had no idea, but she trusted Mrs. Tucker, so she smiled warmly at Miss Creighton. “Yes, of course. I know he values your friendship, and as his friend, you should definitely tell him what you know.”
Miss Creighton looked momentarily at a loss for words. She hadn’t been expecting Lucy to encourage her, and the compliment seemed to only add to her confusion. Before Miss Creighton had an opportunity to speak again, Mr. Victor joined their company, greeted everyone, turned to Miss Creighton, and asked her to dance.
Miss Creighton looked first to the Garvises, then to Lucy. Lucy made certain to keep her smile plastered on her face, as if she hadn’t a care in the world. Miss Creighton took a deep breath, then nodded to Mr. Victor.
As soon as the pair of them were out of earshot, Mrs. Garvis turned to Lucy. “What was that all about?”
Lucy cringed. Lying to people she cared about made her feel like a terrible friend. “Miss Creighton is correct. I’m not Scottish, and I have been keeping secrets from Mr. Scarper. But he is keeping secrets too, and I don’t believe it is my place to tell them to you. I can’t tell you my secrets without telling his, for context.”
Mr. and Mrs. Garvis had similar expressions of confusion on their faces. Mr. Garvis spoke first. “Should we be worried about the two of you? Are you in any danger?”
Lucy’s guilt didn’t subside at his words, but her discomfort did. Matthew didn’t have many friends, but the few he had chosen were loyal. “No. No danger. But I’m afraid my time here in Fenswallow will be coming to a close.”
Mandy’s lower lip curled into a wavering pout. Up until this point, she hadn’t seemed to understand what was going on. “You’re leaving?”
Lucy bent down until she could look Mandy in the eye. “I always knew I could only stay for a few weeks. But I’ll come back to visit, and when I come, I will bring you more ribbon than you could ever imagine.”
Mandy didn’t look convinced. “I’d rather you stayed here.”
“I know. I wish I could stay too, but I need to return to my family. They miss me.”
Mandy’s lip quivered, but she seemed to understand that reasoning. She gave a short nod.
Mrs. Garvis stepped forward and spoke low. “Do you need help?
Lucy looked back out at the town square. Mr. Victor and Miss Creighton were still dancing. “I need to find Mr. Scarper and talk to him.”
Mrs. Tucker narrowed her eyes. “Are you going to tell him everything tonight?”
Lucy nodded once, short and quick. “I think I have to.”
“Because of that Miss Creighton woman?” Mrs. Tucker asked. “We can keep her away from him for another day or two, can’t we?” She looked at Mr. and Mrs. Garvis as if they were a team.
Mr. Garvis furrowed his eyebrows. “I suppose we could, but we don’t even know what is going on.”
Mrs. Tucker crossed her arms in front of her chest. “The two of you will know soon enough. Miss Shroud has come a long way and gone through a lot of trouble to tell Mr. Scarper something, and I won’t have her rushing it, or telling him in front of the whole town, just because Miss Creighton thinks she knows what is going on better than anyone else.”
Mr. Garvis was the first to notice Matthew emerging from the inn, carrying a cup of punch. He tugged on his wife’s sleeve and nodded in Matthew’s direction. Matthew was still yards away from their group, but he wouldn’t be for long. Whatever they were going to do, it needed to happen quickly. Mrs. Garvis took her husband’s hand. “We need to leave so Mandy can go to bed. We can come up with a reason for Mr. Scarper to stay with us overnight, can’t we?”
Mr. Garvis nodded. “Good idea. We can’t trust that Miss Creighton won’t go to his lodgings and talk to him before morning.”
Mrs. Tucker nodded, as if that was a wise idea. Something deep inside Lucy warmed at the four people surrounding her. She had only known them for a few weeks, but they were rallying around her. If she pulled them all into an embrace, would it look suspicious? “Thank you, everyone.” She glanced from Mrs. Tucker to the sweet Garvis family. “When I came to Fenswallow, I had no idea I would find people as loving as you. And I definitely didn’t expect I would find anyone to help me carry out my plans.”
“We still don’t know what your plans are,” Mr. Garvis noted.
