William shifted uncomfortably in his stance. “Do you think I made a mistake?”
“I can’t say, but I can say for certainty that Dinah thinks you did.” Hawthorne gestured towards the dining room. “Shall we finish our dinner?”
“I’m afraid I am not hungry.”
Hawthorne gave him an understanding look. “A drink, perhaps?”
“That would be splendid.”
William followed Hawthorne to his study and stopped near the settee. He watched as his friend picked up the decanter and poured two drinks.
As Hawthorne picked up the glasses, he asked, “What do you think your mother’s vision was for the orphanage?”
“I don’t rightly know.”
“She wanted a lady to run it,” Hawthorne said as he extended him a glass. “Why do you suppose that was?”
“To exhaust me.”
“I doubt that. Your mother always had a specific way of doing things. She was purposeful in her thoughts and actions.”
“That she was,” William agreed.
Hawthorne took a sip of his drink. “If she wanted a lady to run the orphanage, there had to be a reason behind it.”
“My mother was progressive,” William said. “I know she would approve of what Miss Lloyd was trying to do.”
“But you don’t?”
William brought the glass up to his lips. “I am just worried that the orphans will not be content with their lot in life afterwards.”
“Isn’t that for them to decide?”
After William took a sip, he lowered the glass to his side. “What Miss Lloyd proposed will require a lot of time and effort.”
“Which she was willing to provide.”
“She cannot understand the intricacies of those orphans’ lives.”
“But you do?” Hawthorne asked.
William sat down on the settee. “What am I to do?” he asked. “Allow Miss Lloyd to do as she pleases in running the orphanage?”
“That sounds like a solid plan.”
William shot his friend an annoyed look. “Do be serious.”
“I am,” Hawthorne replied. “Miss Lloyd appears to be, by all accounts, a clever woman, and Dinah seems to like her.”
“There must be another lady who will run the orphanage and do precisely as I say.”
“Is that what you want?”
“Pardon?”
Hawthorne came to sit across from him. “I have discovered that women who challenge us make us better men.”
“I am not looking for a challenge.”
