Mrs. Harper made a sound like a grunt as they passed, but her companion had a grin on her face. She shrugged at Mrs. Harper. “I suppose some people simply take to marriage better than others.”
EPILOGUE
It had beensix weeks since she’d become Mrs. Harrison, and life in Bridgewater House was much improved by having Matthew in it. Helena was here for a visit and Lucy, Matthew and Helena were enjoying the afternoon in the library. Helena sat beside Matthew at his writing desk. The two of them had been working on something for the past fifteen minutes while Lucy read. Every once in a while she would look up at the two of them and wonder how her world could get any better.
She was fairly certain it couldn’t.
Lucy stood and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows and looked out over the back garden. Lady Bridgewater was near the pond, arms waving wildly, pointing out instructions to several maids and a footman. It looked as though she was trying to get them to catch Gertrude.
To say that Lady Bridgewater had been shocked at the gift Lucy and Matthew had brought her from the Johnson’s farm would be an understatement. The goose had behaved terribly on their way from Fenswallow to London, but Lady Bridgewater had allowed the fowl to remain in the carriage for over an hour. Lucymayhave made a comment about Matthew being uncommonly attached to the bird.
Even still, after making a mess on Lady Bridgewater’s traveling cloak, a crate was called for and the goose was expelled to sit by the footman for the latter part of the journey.
Matthew still didn’t understand why his parents hadn’t eaten the goose, and at some point she would tell him. For now, she didn’t mind Lady Bridgewater coddling the goose as if it were the sole thing tethering him to the Bridgewater estate.
One of the maids finally caught Gertrude and with the goose tucked into her arms she stumbled over to Lady Bridgewater, after a few feet, one of Gertrude’s wings burst free and the maid squawked, as loudly as Gertrude did, but she managed to get the goose back under control and make it to Lady Bridgewater without further incident.
What did Lady Bridgewater want with Gertrude anyway? Had she finally tired of the goose roaming the back garden and was going to cook her?
Certainly not?
“Matthew,” she called over her shoulder.
Matthew looked up from his writing desk. “Yes, dear?”
“Your mother didn’t say anything about cooking Gertrude, did she?”
“Gertrude?” Matthew asked, a blank look on his face.
For a man who was supposed to be seriously attached to a goose, he could do better at remembering its name.
“Your goose,” Helena reminded him.
Matthew furrowed his eyebrows. “I thought you gave that goose to Mother.”
Lucy sighed, “I did, but I also happened to mention that you’d grown attached to Gertrude, and so I think your mother sees her as your goose.”
“She wouldn’t cook her, would she?” Helena stood from the chair she’d set up next to the writing desk and came to the window.
“Well, she is doing something with her.”
Lady Bridgewater, two maids, and a footman all stood in a circle. They were all moving about and taking turns pulling an arm back then reaching it back into the center where Gertrude was hidden from their view.
“She wouldn’t do anything to Gertrude without telling me first,” Matthew said from behind them. Lucy turned to him, and despite his words, a look of worry crossed his face. Perhaps her fib about him being attached to the bird wasn’t far off the mark. She could probably stop feeling guilty about it.
A maid stepped back from the circle and Gertrude’s tail feathers came into view. They looked unharmed. All three at the window let out a sigh of relief. Bridgewater House wouldn’t be quite the same without Gertrude running about.
The footman stepped aside, and suddenly it was all too clear exactly what Lady Bridgewater had done to poor Gertrude.
“Is that a…” Matthew started.
“Hat,” Helena finished. “Your mother has managed to tie a straw hat on Gertrude.” Helena could barely get the last words out. Gertrude was released and immediately ran from her captors in her straw hat, complete with blue ribbons that trailed behind her as she bounced away.
Lucy grabbed Matthew’s hand and squeezed it tightly, trying unsuccessfully to stop her laughter. “I don’t think we are at risk of losing Gertrude any time soon.”
“Not unless some gander sees her in that hat and steals her away,” said Matthew between laughs.
A few moments later the excitement outside had calmed down and Matthew and Helena returned to his writing desk.
