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Hannah was lumbering down the corridor toward them, so their time together was at an end, for now. “Hannah,” Lucas called out to her, “I have given Lavinia orders to rest, as she claimed to be feeling poorly, and now I may be assured that you will see my orders are carried out.”
“I was more than glad to see you two leave. It gave me all the reason I needed to get out of there and find some peace and quiet—wait, you’re feeling poorly, luv?” she said, a look of concern on her face. “You do look peaked, after all. Are you ill?”
“No, Hannah, I’m not ill, but I do think perhaps a lie-down will do me good.”
“I will look forward to seeing you both at dinner, then,” Lucas said, relinquishing her into the care of Hannah—and there was no one he trusted more to take care of his beloved Lavinia than Hannah Broome. “Rest well, my love.”
* * *
“He called you his love,” Hannah said to Lavinia the minute the door closed behind them.
“I heard what he called me,” Lavinia replied. “Help me unlace this corset, if you would, please.”
Hannah unfastened the back of Lavinia’s dress and began loosening the corset. “Men don’t use that word lightly, Livvy.”
Lavinia had nearly cried when Lucas had used the endearment on her. “Men say whatever suits them, Hannah,” she replied. “Lord Cosgrove said it several times, and he’s not the first, as you well know.” She slipped her arms out of the sleeves of her dress, letting the garment slide to the floor. The corset soon followed. “Ah, what a relief. Now I can breathe.”
“Lucas isn’t like them others,” Hannah said. “Step out of that dress so I can get it off the floor before the wrinkles set in; there’s a good girl.”
Lavinia did as she was told.
“He’s a fine man, I’ve come to see,” Hannah continued. “Oh, he’s not above a lie or two—that’s clear enough—but that’s the worst sin I’ve seen in him so far. He lied to help my Livvy girl, now didn’t he? It were wrong him lying and calling you his betrothed when you aren’t, but just perhaps it was wishful thinking on his part.”
“It wasn’t wishful thinking, Hannah. It was pride. He loved Isobel, and she married Thomas instead.”
“Well, he don’t love her now; that’s plain enough for anyone to see. Up on the bed with you.”
Lavinia dutifully crawled onto the bed and plumped the pillow under her head until it felt comfortable.
“As far as I’m concerned,” Hannah continued as she fussed about the room, “he’s twenty times the man Lord Cosgrove is, earl or no earl. You could do a lot worse than Lucas Jennings, Livvy.”
“That’s high praise, coming from you. And I will go one further: I will confess that Lucas is the best man I have ever known.”
Hannah stopped fussing and turned to face Lavinia. “I should have taken you away from that ne’er-do-well of a father of yours—and let him do his worst to me to try getting you back. But I didn’t, and that’s the sad truth of it, and I will never forgive myself.”
“Hannah.” Lavinia stretched out her hand to her dear friend. “I will not hear you berating yourself in such a way. You are as dear to me as though you were my real mother, for you are the mother who raised me and took care of me and protected me from harm. If it weren’t for you, I would be—well, I can’t bear to think what would have happened to me. I love you dearly, Hannah.”
“Oh, Livvy,” Hannah said, sitting on the edge of the bed and stroking Lavinia’s hair back from her forehead. “And I love you, my sweet girl. It would do my heart good to see you settled with a decent man at your side. Primrose Farm is a blessing we never expected to have, but it will be a lot of work. It would be that much more of a blessing if you had someone who matched your strength by your side, helping you.”
“You match my strength.”
“It’s not the same, luv.”
Lavinia sighed. “I know. But he is not mine to have, Hannah. Day after tomorrow, Lucas and I will be meeting with his parents and explaining everything to them. And then you and I and Artie and Delia will prepare to leave Alderwood.” Hannah’s fingers were working their magic, and Lavinia found herself becoming drowsy.
“That makes me sad, for you and for him,” Hannah said. “Now, sleep, dearest. Perhaps in your dreams, you’ll find the way.”
“The way where?” Lavinia mumbled, nearly asleep.
“The way to love,” Hannah said.
