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“Not like mine.”
Esther glanced over at him. “Don’t you ever tire of keeping all of those secrets to yourself?”
“I do not,” he replied. “It is much safer that way.”
His mother pushed her bowl away. “Your father and I had no secrets between us.”
“Is that so?” Guy asked.
“I trusted him completely,” his mother said.
He smiled at her. “That must have been nice.”
“That is what I want for both of you,” his mother remarked. “To find someone you can trust with your heart.”
Esther’s eyes held amusement. “Now that Mother has started to recover, she has been encouraging me to find a suitor,” she shared.
“Why not?” his mother asked. “You need not waste your life on me.”
“I don’t consider it a waste to take care of you.”
His mother reached out and placed her hand over Esther’s. “I know, but I want you to be happy.”
“I am happy,” Esther asserted, “especially since Guy brought home some books for me to read.”
Guy chuckled. “I am happy to oblige.”
His mother shook her head as she removed her hand. “There is more to life than reading. I daresay that you have reading fever.”
“I take care of the house before I even crack open a book,” Esther defended. “Besides, I will have less time to read now that I am mending the clothes that Lord Hawthorne sent over.”
“What clothes?” Guy asked.
Esther shifted in her chair to face him. “I mentioned to Lord Hawthorne that I was looking for work, and he said that they were looking for a seamstress at Hawthorne House.”
“That was most fortunate.”
“It is,” Esther agreed. “I will finally be able to contribute to the household expenses.”
“That is my job, not yours.”
“I know, but I want to be able to help you,” Esther said. “You work so hard to provide for us.”
“It is my privilege.”
Esther gave him a sad smile. “I know what you gave up to take care of us.”
“And I would do it again, in a heartbeat.”
“I know your father would be very proud of you,” his mother remarked. “You are a hard worker, just as he was.”
“Thank you for that, Mother.”
His mother lifted her brow. “Now, I find myself very curious about this young woman you have spoken about,” she said. “Will you tell me more about her?”
Guy pressed his lips together. “There is nothing to tell,” he replied. “She is an heiress, and I won’t be seeing her again.”
“How did you forge a friendship with her?” Esther asked.
