AllFreeNovel
Share Us
It always amazed him that such a voice belonged to a petite elderly woman. He quickly rolled away from Lavinia and rose to his feet, still feeling rather dazed from the close proximity of Lavinia’s enticing face.
“Delia!” Lavinia sat up, and Lucas assisted her to her feet, shaking his head to clear it. “Mr. Jennings and I have been inspecting the farmhouse and had a bit of a spill when taking the stairs.” She brushed her hair from her face and then gave up and removed her bonnet, causing the rest of her curls to tumble down her back.
“If you say so.” Miss Weston stood—more like struck a pose—just inside the doorway, and Lucas got the distinct impression that it was more for show than concern over what she’d observed—not that it had been anything but an accidental spill, Lucas reminded himself. He had not accosted Lavinia, nor had she made any overtures toward him.
Mr. Drake’s head popped around the doorjamb, and then he came in to take his place next to Miss Weston.
“And now we shall inspect the upper floor,” Lavinia announced in an authoritative tone. “I hope we’re able to descend the stairs a little more gracefully than we ascended them just now,” she added jauntily.
“I shall save you if that is the case,” Mr. Drake said cheerily. “I’m sure there’s a ladder or a rope around here somewhere that can be put to use.”
“I told you so,” Lucas murmured so only Lavinia could hear.
Lavinia threw her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter and looked straight at Lucas. He coughed, trying to cover his own laughter. It was no use; they both failed, laughing until tears were running down their faces.
“I say, what’s so funny?” the old man asked indignantly.
Hannah stomped into the entry hall at that moment. “It’s a fine mess we’re in to be sure, Livvy,” she said, unaware of what had gone on before. “The coachman’s wondering if he’s to leave us here or take us elsewhere, considering the state of things. He’s hankering to be on his way and wanting to be paid too. I’m not keen to see him take that carriage and leave us here, what with the house not exactly fit for human habitation.”
That was quite a speech coming from Hannah Broome. Lucas wasn’t sure he’d heard her sling that many words together at one time before. She was right though. Decisions needed to be made, and quickly.
Lavinia dabbed at her eyes, all the humor draining from her face. “True enough,” she said. “Tell him I shall be along shortly.”
She and Lucas quickly assessed the upstairs rooms, consisting of what originally would have been four bedrooms of varying sizes and a linen closet. They were empty and dirty, with several broken windows, and had been subjected to the elements in areas where the roof was missing. Fortunately, the rot wasn’t beyond repair, which indicated the roof had developed holes only in the last year or two. It was a small blessing, but a blessing nonetheless.
Since Lucas was now familiar with which treads on the stairway were the most stable, he was able to maneuver himself partway down and then lift Lavinia over the trouble spots more easily. Mr. Drake’s rescue was not needed after all.
Lavinia gathered her little band of travelers together in the main hallway while Mr. Grimes and Garrick lurked just outside the door, waiting for instructions. Drake had located an unbroken chair somewhere, and Miss Weston now sat in it. Lucas stood to the side of the room in the role of observer, allowing Lavinia to take charge. This was her affair to manage, not his.
“There’s no reason to beat around the bush, my dears,” she began. “It is entirely apparent that the house is not habitable, although nothing about the farm’s current state was mentioned in the letter. I am dreadfully sorry I didn’t think to find out more about Primrose Farm before we set out, only to face disappointment like this. If we’d stayed in London—”
“If we’d stayed in London, you’d still be battling old Hinchcliffe and fighting off Lord—”
“Hannah!” Lavinia said sharply, cutting her off. Lucas wondered again who this Hinchcliffe character was and what hold he had on Lavinia. And now Hannah had let slip that there was also a Lord Somebody-or-Other Lavinia had been fightingoff. As in advances.
Lucas’s blood heated with annoyance.
“Nonetheless,” Lavinia continued before Hannah could say more. “We did leave London, and we are here now. We shall simply have to return north to Sleaford and take rooms until the farmhouse can be made habitable. I don’t see any other solution. I shall hire laborers as soon as I can. One step at a time and we’ll get there eventually.” She looked around for agreement.
“Back the way we came, then, it seems,” Miss Weston said, her frail shoulders collapsing in on themselves for the merest moment before straightening again. Miss Weston had struck the perfect balance of abjectness and resolve with her statement, Lucas thought abstractedly, arousing sympathy without adding to Lavinia’s guilt. It had been a subtle yet artful performance, managed in the uttering of one sentence.
“Beggin’ your pardon, Miss Fernley.” Mr. Grimes stepped fully into the hallway. “I couldn’t help but overhear the conversation. I’d like to remind you that our arrangement was for me to bring you here and for me to continue on my way south from here back to London. If you’re planning to return north to Sleaford, we’ll need to discuss things a bit.”
“Yes, of course. I understand fully.”
“I wish we’d thought to bring sandwiches,” Mr. Drake said. “I’m feeling a bit peckish all of a sudden.”
“Ididbring sandwiches, Artie,” Lavinia said. “And cheese and apples and jars of lemonade and water as well. I may not have had the foresight to realize the farmhouse would be in such a state, but I at least assumed there might not be a hostelry nearby to provide us with luncheon.” The clenched fist she was hiding behind her skirts during her speech told Lucas she was nearing her wits’ end, and he had to admire how well she maintained her composure and smooth tone so far. “Hannah,” she continued, “I’m sure Mr. Grimes or his associate would be kind enough to help you fetch the basket from the back of the coach, as there is plenty of food for all. And after we’ve had the opportunity to eat, Mr. Grimes, we can discuss our travel arrangements, if that agrees with you.”
“Aye, ma’am, it does, and thank you.”
“I think we must avail ourselves of whatever stairs or floors suit our personal fancy. It shall be a picnic.”
“Oh, how I adore a picnic!” Miss Weston said, clapping her hands at her breast.
“We’ll be right back, then.” Grimes tipped his cap and followed Hannah out the door.
Lucas suddenly had an inspiration—a thought that should have occurred to him sooner. But it hadn’t dawned on him until this very moment, when the acuteness of his newfound friends’ situation had become blatantly obvious. “If you would excuse Lavinia and me for a moment,” he said to Miss Weston and Mr. Drake. “I wish to speak to her privately.”
