Lily locked her door behind her and pressed her back to the wall, surveying the bedroom. It was a plain, whitewashed room, with a comfortable chair angled toward the small grate, a writing desk pushed beneath the narrow window, a small wardrobe, and a tiny antechamber—no more than a closet, really, for her more private needs.
For the last four months, this had been home, but now it looked more like a prison cell. A moment later, Lily was on her hands and knees, dragging the old carpetbag from where she’d stored it beneath the single bed.
She pillaged the wardrobe. It took only a handful of minutes to pack, as she hadn’t purchased a single item except for a new set of hairpins when her old ones had snapped in half. All the other funds–except for last month’s wages, which she’d only received yesterday–had been sent to Claire in London.
Lily had thought she’d been saving her sisters when she came here. Now she wondered if she’d condemned them all.
She took a deep breath and glanced in the small mirror hanging above the washbasin. She was pleased to see that, other than a slight flush to her ivory cheeks and a rather grim set of her mouth, she wore no evidence of the calamity that had befallenher only minutes ago. With effort, she smiled softly and opened the adjoining door to the nursery.
As was customary, there was a large difference between the nursery and the governess’s quarters. This room had two fireplaces so that the precious resident might never catch cold, as well as large, thickly paned windows that were opened periodically to freshen the air.
Thick rugs cushioned Lily’s steps. A comfortable sofa with cushions rested to one side of the room, on the other, a wood table with four chairs. As needed, the nursery could serve as parlor or dining room for its occupants.
For all his sour temper, Lord Hayes could not be faulted for the care he extended to his only child. He’d assigned a pair of maids to the nursery. Every day when Lily brought Rebecca downstairs, the room was aired, the linens changed, and each spare speck of dust cast away with extreme prejudice.
The maids were there now—Mary and Ofelia—each sitting in a chair near their respective fires. Lily knew without looking that the buckets hanging from sturdy hooks out of child’s reach on either side of each fireplace were filled with water. There were also four large cans sitting in the hallway that were never to be used for bathing—they were for the risk of fire and fire alone.
When Lily had first arrived, she’d asked Mrs. Clark about the measures. The woman had shaken her head with such a grim expression that Lily hadn’t dared ask again. It was only later that Lily had noticed the scars on the woman’s hands.
And then, the first time she’d helped bathe Rebecca, Lily had understood more completely. The darling girl had a gnarled, silver scar on her hip. It appeared as if it had occurred long ago—the scar didn’t pain Rebecca, and there was plenty of healthy pink skin surrounding it. That might have been the moment Lily broke off a large portion of her heart and handed it over to the girl, much like a shared biscuit.
Rebecca’s past suffering worried Lily—was the house prone to fires? But after a month, she had relaxed enough to sleep halfway through the night without rushing in to check on the little girl. The first time she’d done so, the night maids had nearly come out of their skin with surprise.
The little girl in question was now sprawled at the base of her grand dollhouse, pudgy hands carefully arranging the carved chairs around the dining set. Lily thought it unwise that such precious furniture had been gifted to a small girl who was prone to accidentally breaking things. However, every time there was a mishap with a diminutive chair or a dresser, an identical replacement took its place within a fortnight.
Now, Lily was careful to smile at both the maids. “Ofelia, will you please order a bath and arrange for a tea tray to be brought up? And be sure to take a moment for yourself in the meantime.”
Ofelia stood and stretched, shooting a grateful smile at Lily before exiting the room. That left Mary at the farthest fireplace. She wouldn’t be able to hear what Lily planned on murmuring to Rebecca.
“Rebecca, darling.” Lily couldn’t help but run her hand lightly over the girl’s dark curls. “Do you remember the book I read you, about Sir Vernon’s grand adventure?”
Lily nodded up at her with huge brown eyes that were so much like her father’s. “Yes.”
It was a fanciful children’s book, with ink drawings of a man travelling to far countries in a giant yellow air balloon.
“Can you keep a secret?” Lily asked. When the girl nodded with bright eyes, Lily said, “Sir Vernon has invited me to accompany him on his next grand adventure. I’m only telling you because you are the person in this entire household that I trust the most.”
Lily knew that it was a blatant manipulation, but the little girl was terrible at keeping secrets. She hoped that Rebecca wouldhold on to this one long enough for Lily to climb out a back window. In any case, Lily couldn’t leave without telling the girl goodbye, without offering some sort of salve for her absence.
“Can I come, too?”
“Not this time.” Lily smiled and prayed that she could hold back her tears to keep from frightening Rebecca. “Someone needs to stay and take care of Mary and Ofelia and Mrs. Clark while I’m gone.”
“And Papa, too?” she asked, quite seriously.
Lily nodded. “Your papa, too.”
She wrapped the girl in a great hug and kissed the top of her head.
“When will you be back?” Rebecca whispered, shooting a glance down the nursery to make sure Mary wasn’t listening.
“I’m not sure yet.” Lily winced at the lie—she would most likely never return. “But I shall do my best to write you and tell you of all that I see.”
“And you can tell me the rest when you get back?”
“Of course, darling. Now, I must go. Sir Vernon’s great balloon is waiting. But I had to tell you how very much I love you and how desperately I’ll miss you while I’m gone. You must be extra good for me, won’t you? For I will hear a report of your behavior from Mrs. Clark every day.”
“I will.” Rebecca’s voice was muffled from where she pressed against Lily’s chest, returning her hug with an earnestness that had Lily’s eyes pricking with tears. “I promise.”
