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"Good." Quinn wasn't going to ask anything more but being much like a cat, curiosity got the better of her, "What happened to Nickie's mother?"
"She died."
"Poor, Nickie. I'm so sorry to hear that."
"Not to speak ill of the dead but she wasn't a very nice person. He never really knew her and she wasn't very maternal."
"Yeah, Lord Scarcliff seems to pick them that way, doesn't he?" Quinn muttered mostly to herself but Mrs. Hamston grinned in response.
"Was she his great love?"
"Heavens, no. But then the late Earl was a hard man and didn't believe in the nonsense of feelings and love. He raised his son to believe it as well."
"Does Lord Scarcliff have other family?"
"A mother and two sisters but they live in the London townhouse and have not been to visit since Lord Scarcliff's betrothal to Miss Danvers."
Quinn's jaw dropped at that. "He'sbetrothedto Katherine?"
Mrs. Hamston was silent for a moment before she answered, "Yes."
Quinn knew that was how marriages were done in this time -- it was a business contract nothing more -- but still to bind yourself forever to such a creature seemed an awfully big sacrifice.
"What are Lord Scarcliff's mother and sisters like?"
The smile that spread over Mrs. Hamston's face was answer enough, "Charming," she eyed Quinn a moment before she added, "They would like you very much."
Quinn had been in the 18th century for almost a week and trying to reconcile what she knew now to be true, that she actually walked through time, with how that seemingly impossible scenario could be true was causing more than a few sleepless nights.
If she was sent here, which even saying that to herself had her unconsciously looking around for the men in the white coats, why was she sent here? In her heart she believed she was meant to fix the past, whatever happened here that caused the Scarcliffs to fall out of existence. If that was the case then she needed to seriously get a move on it because there was no telling how long she was going to be lingering in a time that was not her own.
With this in mind, Quinn started interviewing the staff. She found, especially after the fall and the removal of Nurse Jenkins, that most of the workers were very willing to talk with her but so far she hadn't found any clues as to what happened here. She learned, as Thaddeus had implied, that Katherine was not liked at all. What Quinn found interesting was the fact that it wasn't just Katherine's cruelty that had the staff taking a wide berth but also the belief by most that she was not "right in the head."
The late Mrs. Scarcliff was equally disliked but most of the staff didn't interact with her. That seemed odd since, as the Lady of the Manor, it would fall on her to work closely with at least Mrs. Hamston. According to Mrs. Hamston though, the staff wasn't hired for Whispering Winds until after Nickie's birth and Mrs. Scarcliff had no interest in the day-to-day activities of the manor, leaving the running of the place to Mr. Tilward and herself. She also mentioned household journals that Quinn was very interested in reading to better understand how a castle was run in the 18th century.
It seemed Archer had spent most of his time on estate business, paying very little attention to the staff and their comings and goings. The staff was in agreement that Archer did not like his wife and, in fact, he had not even mourned her when she passed. Additionally interesting to Quinn was that almost every person she spoke to mentioned that at times they saw a sadness in Archer: a soul-deep pain as one would experience when suffering a great loss. Quinn didn't understand what fed this sadness, if it indeed existed, but it could explain Archer's behavior since she'd been there. He was angry all the time but maybe the anger was really a cover for something more painful.
The one person she had yet to speak to about any of this, the one person who would probably have the most insight, was Archer himself. She wasn't sure how to bring up the subject to him especially since the man took astounding care in avoiding her.
Her investigation was floundering and with little else to do she was finding herself becoming rather antsy. How the women of the time didn't perish from boredom she didn't know. Women were expected to do very little, nap throughout the day, work on needlepoint and drink tea. Where was the exercise to both the mind and the body? Quinn was dying to go for a run but she certainly couldn't run in the gowns she had to wear. Maybe if she could get a pair of breeches and a shirt from Thaddeus? If she ran really early in the morning no one would have to see. Of course, she didn't have sneakers but the shoes the staff wore seemed fairly sturdy. She'd be willing to give anything a try since all the food she'd been eating was starting to take its toll.
Thaddeus was working with Archer again so she waited until she caught him alone.
"Good Morning, Thaddeus."
"And to you," he offered before he took her hand and brushed his lips over her knuckles. He pulled her hand through his arm and started leading her around the gardens. "What are your plans today?"
"Well, actually, I was wondering if I could borrow a few things."
His eyebrow rose at that. "Such as?"
She explained her idea but his expression gave nothing away. He waited a few minutes before he replied, "You amuse me so, dear Quinn. I think I'd like to see this. May I join you?"
"Okay," she succumbed.
"Very, well. I will have the items brought to you discreetly. What time shall we meet? Perhaps before dawn tomorrow morning near the old oak tree?"
"Perfect."
