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“Believe me,” she said as emphatically as she could. “That will not be a problem.”
“I shan’t touch you either, so relax,” he said, suddenly irate. “Now,” he said, coming closer to her. “Keep still while I unfasten your bodice. You look extremely chilled.”
About forty minutes later, Evie was washed, dressed in a dry day gown, with plaited hair. She came downstairs to see Gabriel helping the old woman in setting the table. She raised her brow at the unlikely tableau. Gabriel was not the kind of man she would imagine knew anything about the etiquette of setting the dinner plates, but the old woman didn’t seem to protest.
“May I help?” Evie asked when she neared the table.
“Don’t you worry about a thing, child,” the woman said. “You need to rest; your husband will take care of you.”
Evie swallowed an urge to laugh. Didn’t the woman know she had a viscount, an heir to an earldom, in her kitchen, running around like an errand boy?
Gabriel didn’t say a word of protest. He was amicably discussing something with the old lady, being his most charming self. Evie smiled and sat at the table.
“My old Mr. Travis was the one who cooked in our house,” the old lady said. “He was working as a footman for the old baron but spent quite a lot of time in the kitchen just watching the chef cook. That’s where he learned all his recipes.” She put a pie on the table. “All I can make is a half-decent eel pie and a stew.” She cut the pie and put the pieces on everyone’s plates. She sat at the head of the table, and Gabriel sat across from Evie.
Evie looked at her plate.Wonderful,another eel pie. Would she ever have a decent meal on this journey? She picked up a spoon and dug into the stew and buttered bread rolls.
“This is delicious, Mrs. Travis,” Evie said.
The woman cackled. “Nobody ever calls me Mrs. Travis. Never did. I was born in this small village, and everybody just called me Jane. When my husband died a few years back, people started referring to me as Widow Jane. I don’t mind either.”
“Thank you, Widow Jane.” Evie felt uncomfortable addressing the woman so familiarly. But if that’s what she wished, then she would comply.
“I’ve lived in this cottage since I was born,” the widow continued. “Mr. Travis was born on Baron Bingham’s estate and moved in with me once we married. My parents died young, and I inherited this cottage from them. Unfortunately, my little dwelling is not bringing him enough profit. And he wants to run me out of my land!”
“Ahh,” Gabriel drawled. “That’s why you were so sour toward me when I first came over?”
“They tried to force me out, then tossed some food scraps on my property so the vermin would run me out, but they haven’t succeeded yet.”
“When is your lease up?” Evie asked. Unfortunately, she knew that sooner or later, the old woman would have to comply. The land was not hers. It was the baron’s. She was just leasing it from him.
“I have the lifetime lease. That’s the issue. They can’t raise the rent; they can’t make me leave.”
Evie looked at her in disbelief. She hadn’t heard of such a thing before.
“It was given to the first settlers,” Widow Jane explained. “And since my family were the first settlers, we just transfer the lease in our wills. Of course, I have no one to transfer the lease to, but the least they could do is let me die in peace.” The old woman nodded to herself.
“Can they?” Evie looked at Gabriel. “Can they run her off her property?”
“Not legally, no.” Gabriel cleared his throat. “But there’s more than one way to get rid of someone.”
“And didn’t they try it all?” The woman scoffed. “The only thing they haven’t tried was seducing me out of the house. I thought that was a clever one.” She looked suggestively at Gabriel.
Evie raised her eyebrow and looked questioningly at him. Gabriel waggled his eyebrows at her, smiled, and regarded the old woman.
“Would it have worked?” he asked in a mock seductive voice. Evie rolled her eyes.
Widow Jane laughed her croaking laugh. “Maybe if I was younger. You are a handsome devil. Too handsome for your own good.” She looked over at Evie. “That child of yours is going to be even more so. Just look at you two. What was God thinking putting the two of you together?”
Evie felt herself blushing.What indeed?
“And what are you two doing traveling these roads?” Jane asked. “Where are you headed?”
Evie looked at Gabriel, hoping he would take on concocting a story for them.
“We are on our way to visit family,” he said, clearing his throat. “Evie’s family lives in Scotland, you see. She wanted to tell them in person the big news.” He smiled affectionately.
“Scottish, are ya?” Jane eyed Evie suspiciously. “I would have figured Irish.”
