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Becky seemed to vacillate between giddy delight at being the recipient of small gifts that would necessitate repacking much later tonight and tears over the coming departure. Fortunately, she did not seem to waste much thought on her uncle. Perhaps a quiet word about some unfortunate delay would be enough to assuage her concern and not spoil her last night.
This accomplished, Theo encouraged removal to the dining room, where grace was followed by further quiet conversation, as she tried to keep up her end of exchanges while keeping her own concerns in check.
Perhaps he had other matters of business he deemed more important than finally making his triumphant debut into their rural society. But from what she’d learned of his character, he didn’t seem so prideful that he’d either want to make such an entrance or be so conceited that he would look down on their village. She was half-tempted to send Mr. Brigham to visit Mannering and discover if some accident had befallen the captain, but the outdoorsman’s presence became increasingly necessary as the night wore on, taking on a footman’s role of retrieving the hot dishes from the kitchen and helping Mr. Siddons to serve the meal.
Lord, wherever he is, You know. Be with him, keep him safe and well.
“What do you think of that, Miss Stapleton?”
Theo blinked. What was Mr. Crouch asking about?
He smiled. “I suspect you are too busy thinking on all the things that must be done still to pay attention to my conversation.”
“Forgive me, sir, but you have the right of it.”
“My wife is the same.” He cast a fond look across the table at Alicia, a meek woman who possessed a heart of gold. “She always says she wants to entertain, but when the time comes, she is forever busy in making sure every little thing goes to plan that she often forgets to eat.” He cast a look at Theo’s nearly full plate. “Or take the time to relax and enjoy her guests herself.”
“Fortunately for me,” she confided, “I have been sure to seat myself next to themostunderstanding member of the community, whom I am confident will know how to extend grace and overlook my momentary abstractions.”
“Most fortunate for you,” he agreed, with a chuckle.
She smiled and carefully cut into her portion of roasted chicken. As she savored the taste—Annie had outdone herself tonight—Theo shifted her attention to the end of the table, where the general had finally lifted his head from his meal and was speaking to Becky.
“We’ll be sorry to see you go,” Theo’s grandfather said. Though his words were gracious, the gladness washing his features suggested the opposite.
Naturally enough, such comments threw Becky into wrinkled-brow confusion, which only grew as the general spouted further observations, the chief of which seemed to consist of the likelihood of rain, which he strongly believed might make the River Till rise, and thus prevent any departure at all.
“Oh, Grandfather,” Theo protested, “you should not tease Becky so.”
“I’d much rather stay here,” Becky insisted. “I hope it rains for days and days!”
“The poor pet,” Mama murmured.
“It’s my belief that rain would be a fitting farewell to you, my dear,” Lady Bellingham said. “Your family has had a long association with this part of the world for many a year now, so rain to accompany your departure seems only appropriate, dear Rebecca. Tears, you know.”
Feeling that Becky would not fully appreciate this point of view, and that Lady Bellingham was not to be persuaded from seeing things from any angle but her own, Theo did what she could to distract and entertain and play the role of the hostess even as her heart grew increasingly sore.
While she knew it was only right and good for the girl to live under the offices of her uncle, Theo could not help but recognize she would miss her young charge. Becky’s presence had brought renewed purpose for Theo and had brought joy to the Stapleton household, even though the reason for her stay had been due to the most trying of circumstances. Theo was going to miss having a younger perspective. Once again she must resign herself to the dull certainties of existence at Stapleton Court.
Despite her best efforts to stimulate invigorating conversation, she couldn’t help but feel that the dinner itself was falling sadly flat, with no sign of England’s hero. Her lips curved wryly at her presumptuousness at wanting to cause a sensation, and she mocked herself for being as quick to self-conceit as anyone else in the village.
Ah, well. Perhaps this was just another lesson in pridefulness, which she had best pay heed to.
Dinner drew to a conclusion and, owing to the early time of Becky’s departure the next day, the guests soon made their farewells in a chorus of well-wishes, hugs, and tears.
“I can’t believe we see the end of the Mannerings.” Lady Bellingham dabbed a lace-edged handkerchief to her eye. “So sad, my dear, so sad.”
Frederick Bellingham, who had studiously avoided eye contact with Theo these past days, offered a short bow and his best wishes for Miss Mannering’s future and his hope that her travels would go well.
Theo was not at all sad to see the last of their guests depart, which seemed to relieve Grandfather and her mother also, both appearing so weary that she insisted they leave the clean up to her.
“You too, young lady,” she advised Becky. “Your friends have been very kind bestowing such lovely gifts on you, but I’m afraid you will need to repack so you can fit them in your trunk.”
“Thank you, Theo.” Becky gave her a hug, which made the efforts of the past days all the more worthwhile.
Her lack of mention of her uncle’s whereabouts soothed Theo’s fears that Becky might have taken his absence as a personal affront, but Theo’s questions about him persisted, an undercurrent of speculation accompanying her efforts to assist Annie and Hettie with the rest of the cleaning.
Where was he? Why hadn’t he come? He had never struck her as an unfeeling kind of man, and his absence at what was Becky’s final meal with friends seemed to suggest a hardness of heart she was loath to believe about him. Perhaps he truly had suffered some misadventure. But this, too, she could not entertain for long, given the man had fought so bravely and so well and, by all accounts, was well able to acquit himself in trying conditions. Which left the other emotion, that mingled with a degree of pique—injured pride at not being able to unveil the great man himself, and annoyance that he would be so uncaring about his niece that he should forgo attendance at what would prove to be her last engagement in the district.
