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“I see,” he replied, even though he didn’t see at all. He estimated that the gown she was wearing cost more than his income for the month, if not more.
He offered his arm. “Shall we?”
“We shall,” she replied, accepting it.
As he led her down the street, he asked, “How did the evening go with your cousin?”
She let out a puff of air. “Phineas is impossible,” she replied. “He seems to believe that I cheated him out of his inheritance.”
“Why would he believe that?”
Miss Locke hesitated. “Because my grandmother has named me as her heir,” she eventually replied.
He looked at her in surprise. “That is quite generous of Lady Frances.”
“It is,” she responded, “but my grandmother has always been generous when it comes to me. It has been that way since I was a child.” She glanced over at him. “My parents died when I was ten, and she raised me.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” he said, knowing his words were in no way adequate.
She offered him a timid smile. “Before I arrived in Anmore, I was passed around to my other relations, but no one wanted to raise me. After a while, I started to feel like a burden, since I knew no one wanted me to be there.”
“That is awful.”
“That is why I am immensely grateful for my grandmother,” she replied. “She has never once made me feel anything less than loved.”
“She sounds like a remarkable woman.”
“That she is,” Miss Locke agreed. “Even though tragedy befell me when I was young, I have felt blessed that I have a grandmother who has loved me so fiercely.”
“You are most fortunate.”
“That I am,” she replied.
Guy gave her a curious look. “May I ask how your parents died?”
“Influenza,” she replied softly. “There was an outbreak in our village, and our household was hit rather hard. I was one of the fortunate ones since I made a full recovery.”
“I am sorry to hear about that.”
A pained look came to her delicate features. “There is nothing harder than watching someone take their final breath,” she revealed. “It is a sobering moment, and one I hope to never experience again.”
Unsure of what to say, Guy settled on, “What a terrible thing to witness.”
He watched as Miss Locke brought a smile to her face, but he noticed that it didn’t reach her eyes. “I do apologize for the serious nature of this conversation. I can assure you that I did not intend to speak on this subject with you.”
“There is nothing to apologize for, Miss Locke,” he rushed to reassure her.
They stopped outside a brick building on the edge of town. A crude sign above the door read “Blacksmith”. The ringing sound of a hammer hitting an anvil reverberated through the streets.
Guy opened the door and stood to the side to allow Miss Locke to enter first. As he followed her inside, he saw a dark-haired man sitting at the desk reviewing ledgers.
Guy cleared his throat to alert the man of their presence, and his head shot up. He looked at them in surprise before he shoved his chair back and rose.
“Miss Locke,” the man said, raising his voice to be heard over the noise in the back, “I’m afraid I didn’t hear you come in.”
Miss Locke gave him a cordial smile. “I do apologize for bothering you, but I was hoping to speak to Mr. Burke for a moment.”
The man nodded. “I will see if he is available. He just started a new project, and time is of the essence, I’m afraid.”
