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Louisa watched Gregory’s reaction and was delighted to see that the young man was rather moved by what her father had said. He placed the fork that he had been holding upon his plate, took up his napkin, and patted his mouth with it. It may have seemed like he was just wiping himself, but Louisa could tell that he was trying to cover up his emotional expression.
“Thank you,” Gregory said simply, and Archie gave him a small nod. There was a quality to Gregory’s voice that led Louisa to believe that he was currently trying not to cry. And so attempting to assist him, she changed the subject.
“Where would you prefer us to sit, Your Grace?” Louisa asked Agnes.
“Anywhere but the head of the table,” she said lightly, and both Louisa and her father laughed. They took seats beside each other, but Louisa was disappointed that her father had chosen to sit between her and Isaac.
The breakfast that followed was, of course, extravagant, and Louisa thought that her father’s eyes were going to pop out of his skull if another basket of fruit was laid upon the table. The conversation between the two families was polite yet friendly, and it made Louisa feel quite at ease.
She could not believe that such a well-respected, high-class family was being so kind to her and her father, especially considering their circumstances. She did not question it, however, and instead simply revelled in the pleasant company.
At one point during the meal, Louisa managed to catch Isaac’s eye surreptitiously, and they shared a pleased look. However, Louisa felt another pair of eyes upon her and looked over just in time to see Gregory looking away very quickly. She could not, for the life of her, figure out why he seemed to be watching the two of them so closely. That was unless he felt the same way about her that Agnes originally had and was determined to keep the two of them apart.
When the meal came to a close, Archie thanked the Quince family so profusely for their generosity that Louisa practically had to drag him to their carriage. When she had finally got him in the carriage, she looked back one final time upon the estate and saw that Isaac had come to the door to see them off.
She gave him a wave, and he waved back, and the adorable smile upon his face was almost too much for her. She forced herself to turn away, and then she and her father rode off in their carriage back to the home that would only be theirs for a short time longer.
