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“Your Grace,” Mr. Reid greeted, leaning back in his chair. “I didn’t expect you today.”
“It’s an impromptu visit, Mr. Reid,” Stephen said after they shook hands. “I’ve been at home working through the books my father kept, and I don’t quite understand. There are a lot of inconsistencies that don’t add up.”
Mr. Reid frowned, pushing his spectacles further up his nose. He took the documents Stephen handed over to him. “Inconsistencies, you say?”
“Yes, the numbers don’t add up. And as you can see, there are quite a number of bills that have been left unpaid. I don’t know how well you knew my father, but he was always very structured with his books. A very responsible man, despite any other shortcoming he may have.”
“You are certainly right about that, Your Grace.” Mr. Reid’s brows furrowed deeply as he concentrated on the papers before him. “There is a lot to go through, Your Grace. It will take me some time to work through it all and find the issue.”
“Take your time, Mr. Reid.” Stephen was already rising, happy this had been such a short visit. “Please contact me as soon as you find the cause.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Stephen left on his own, giving a farewell nod to the secretary who smiled at him as he passed. There was now a pep in his step, as he was happy that he could stop by to see Hannah soon again.
Shortly after leaving Mr. Reid’s office, he arrived at the Stanton home. This time, it wasn’t Mrs. Stanton who opened the door, but her husband. Stephen blinked in surprise the same time the other man did.
“Your Grace,” he greeted. “Happy to see you’re here again. I think I’m seeing more of you than when we were in the army together.”
“I thought we agreed you would call me Stephen,” Stephen said with a broad grin. He stepped into the house, eyes sweeping the kitchen. “Is Mrs. Stanton not home?”
“She stepped out to go to the market. She thought it would be nice to get some ingredients together to make a tart.”
“I hope I’ll be able to have a bite of that?”
“Stay for supper and you will,” Mr. Stanton stated. “Enough of that though. I’m sure you’re here to see Hannah.”
“That I am. How is her progress?”
“As well as can be,” Mr. Stanton said proudly. “She doesn’t complain about the pain much but I’m not so sure that’s very indicative of whether she really is in pain or not. But she does seem to be fitting in well here. The girls really love her.”
That made Stephen happy to hear. “I knew having her come here was the best choice.”
“Yes, well, stop by a few more times and you just might hear that we’ve adopted her into the family.” Mr. Stanton laughed heartily at that, but Stephen knew very well that it was something the older man was open to if Belle was.
He grinned along with him and began to make his way up the stairs to see her. The closer he got to the door, the more he could hear laughing and talking. He knocked, unable to stop himself from pressing his ear to the wood, ignoring the fact that Mr. Stanton was still nearby.
“Come in,” came a voice that was most certainly not Hannah’s.
Stephen entered to find the three girls sitting on the bed. Miss Julia was by Hannah’s feet, a large book in her lap, and Miss Lily was sitting at the head of the bed with Hannah, her hands in Hannah’s hair. She didn’t stop her braiding even as she took in Stephen standing at the doorway.
The way all three girls stopped and looked at him made the silence much louder. “I get the feeling I just disturbed something sacred,” he said.
“Did you hear anything we said, Mr. Norton?” Miss Lily asked as he finished off the braid and tied the end.
“Not particularly.”
“Good,” Miss Julia said. “Then in that case you aren’t interrupting anything at all.”
Hannah giggled behind her hand. She reached up to touch the braid Miss Lily just finished, looking gratefully at the girl. “You’re really good at this,” she said to her. “I bet I look like a mystical creature with these braids in my hair.”
“Like the fairies they mention in the poems?” Miss Julia asked excitedly. “You really do. Mr. Norton, could you bring that mirror over so Hannah can see how pretty she looks?”
Stephen was more than eager for an excuse to bridge the distance between them. He picked up the mirror and brought it over, his fingers brushing Hannah’s when she took it from him.
“Oh, goodness,” she gasped. “I love it!”
“You have such wonderful hair, Hannah,” Miss Lily said. “It’s so shiny and beautiful. Any hairstyle would look nice on you.”
Hannah beamed at her and surprised Stephen when she turned the smile to him. “Do you like it, Stephen?”
He nodded instantly. “I agree with Miss Lily. You’d look beautiful with anything.”
Her smile widened.
“Girls,” Mr. Stanton said from the door. “It sounds as if your Mother is home. She’ll need your help with supper now that we have Mr. Norton joining us.”
Stephen looked at him and the other man winked. He nearly burst out a laugh.
The Stanton sisters dutifully crawled off the bed and followed their father out the door, leaving him alone once again with Hannah.
