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“…and Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar, and Phares begat Esrom…”
The old lady’s eyes had definitely been closed for some time now, but still, one couldn’t be too careful.
“…and Esrom begat Aram, and…”
Was that a snore? Elizabeth’s voice dropped to a whisper.
“…and Aram begat Aminadab, and Aminadab begat Naasson, and…”
Elizabeth closed the Bible and began to tiptoe backward out of the drawing room. Normally she didn’t mind reading to Lady Danbury; it was actually one of the better parts of her position as companion to the dowager countess. But today she really needed to get back home. She had felt so dreadful leaving while Jane was still in such a tizzy about the prospect of Squire Nevins entering their little family. Elizabeth had assured her she wouldn’t marry him if he were the last man on earth, but Jane hadn’t been very confident that anyone else would ask, and—
THUMP!
Elizabeth nearly jumped out of her skin. No one knew how to produce more noise with a cane and a floor than Lady Danbury.
“I am not asleep!” Lady D’s voice boomed.
Elizabeth turned around and smiled weakly. “So sorry.”
Lady Danbury chuckled. “You’re not in the least bit sorry. Get back over here.”
Elizabeth suppressed a groan and returned to her straight-backed chair. She liked Lady Danbury. She truly did. In fact she longed for the day when she could use age as an excuse and carry on with Lady D’s signature brand of outspokenness.
It was just that she really needed to get home, and—
“You’re a tricky one, you are,” Lady Danbury said.
“I beg your pardon?”
“All those ‘begats.’ Hand-chosen to put me to sleep.”
Elizabeth felt her cheeks grow warm with a guilty blush and tried to phrase her words as a question. “I don’t know what you mean?”
“You skipped ahead. We should still be on Moses and the great flood, not that begat part.”
“I don’t think that was Moses with the great flood, Lady Danbury.”
“Nonsense. Of course it was.”
Elizabeth decided that Noah would understand her desire to avoid a protracted discussion of biblical references with Lady Danbury and shut her mouth.
“At any rate, it matters not who got caught in the flood. The fact of the matter is that you skipped ahead just to put me to sleep.”
“I…ah…”
“Oh, just admit it, girl.” Lady Danbury’s lips spread into a knowing smile. “I admire you for it, actually. Same thing I would have done at your age.”
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. If this wasn’t a case of “damned if you do and damned if you don’t,” she didn’t know what was. So she just sighed, picked up the Bible, and said, “What portion would you like me to read?”
“None of it. Bloody boring, it is. Haven’t we anything more exciting in the library?”
“I’m sure we must. I could check, if you like.”
“Yes, do that. But before you go, could you hand me that ledger? Yes, that one on the desk.”
Elizabeth rose, walked over to the desk, and picked up the leather-bound ledger. “Here you are,” she said, handing it to Lady Danbury.
The countess flipped the ledger open with military precision before looking back up at Elizabeth. “Thank you, my girl. I’ve a new estate manager arriving today and I want to get all these numbers memorized so I can be sure he isn’t robbing me blind in a month’s time.”
