not to dwell on that depressing thought, she strode to the largest trunk and lifted the lid, checking to be sure that all her precious dried herbs, roots, and seeds had arrived unscathed. She might need them if Lord Ravenswood changed his mind about believing her claims. “His lordship’s brother forged the signature, so the wedding can hardly be legal.”
Mrs. Graham snorted. “Is that what the man told you while he had you trapped in that room? I suppose he denies there was a dowry, too. I suppose he thinks to throw us out in the street soon as he makes sure we don’t got no legal recourse. I suppose he—”
“Actually, he was embarrassed by his brother’s actions.” Abby opened a satin bag and brought it closer to the candle. Ah, her black haw and boneset seeds had escaped mold entirely. At least something had gone right. “He promised to compensate me for the dowry, and he intends to find his brother and set things right. So stop fretting. If you’ll remember, he was a perfectly respectable gentleman when he visited us in Philadelphia, and he certainly hasn’t changed into a monster now that he’s in England.”
But he had changed into a man she hardly knew and thus a man whose actions she couldn’t predict. Firmly, she thrust that unsettling realization from her mind. For the moment, they were safe, and she must take comfort from that.
“I don’t trust these English lords, I tell you,” Mrs. Graham went on, clearly not as optimistic about the future as Abby was determined to be.
“You certainly trusted them when you thought I was married to one.”
“That’s different. And what are we to do now he’s leaving you out in the cold—”
“This is hardly ‘out in the cold,’ Mrs. Graham.” Swallowing her own apprehension for her servant’s benefit, Abby swept her hand to encompass the room. “And if the dinner he told his butler to send up is anything like the one I could smell from the foyer earlier, we’ll be eating well, too.”
Mention of food perked Mrs. Graham right up. “Why? What were they having?”
“Roast beef, asparagus, at least one kind of meat pie—”
“Lordy, you and your nose! Never seen a body with such a clever one. You could pick a lilac out of a bed of roses, I expect.”
“It’s not hard to distinguish the smell of roast beef and asparagus, especially when you’re hungry.” She forced a game smile. “Anyway, my point is we’re being cared for quite well.”
“But for how long?” Mrs. Graham asked.
“It doesn’t matter. As long as his lordship returns my dowry, I don’t care how long we stay. Because after we have the money, we’re free. We can do anything we want.” She held up a packet of seeds and struggled to maintain her cheery façade. “We can return to America, buy a little cottage, start up the business again, and live as comfortably as we please. This could prove to be the best thing that ever happened to us.”
Mrs. Graham eyed her mistress skeptically. “I’ll believe it when I see it. But mark my words, this ain’t gonna be no easy matter, not with the English involved. You’d best not get your heart set on having that money just yet.”
“I think you’re wrong,” Abby said with false bravado. “It’ll all be fine, I’m sure.”
Yes, perfectly fine. She’d be a woman of property. She’d be free. She could marry whomever she wished.
Tears stung her eyes. A pity then that his lordship was the only man she’d ever wanted to marry.
Evelina waited anxiously in the entrance hall for her future brother-in-law to finish speaking with his last guest. Her mother had gone ahead to the carriage once Evelina had promised to be along shortly. Now if only that pesky Lady Brumley would leave.
“I see that you absolutely refuse to explain how you had a wife show up on your doorstep this evening,” the marchioness remarked.
“As I said at dinner,” Spence answered, strained smile in place, “I’ll soon be making a public
Mrs. Graham snorted. “Is that what the man told you while he had you trapped in that room? I suppose he denies there was a dowry, too. I suppose he thinks to throw us out in the street soon as he makes sure we don’t got no legal recourse. I suppose he—”
“Actually, he was embarrassed by his brother’s actions.” Abby opened a satin bag and brought it closer to the candle. Ah, her black haw and boneset seeds had escaped mold entirely. At least something had gone right. “He promised to compensate me for the dowry, and he intends to find his brother and set things right. So stop fretting. If you’ll remember, he was a perfectly respectable gentleman when he visited us in Philadelphia, and he certainly hasn’t changed into a monster now that he’s in England.”
But he had changed into a man she hardly knew and thus a man whose actions she couldn’t predict. Firmly, she thrust that unsettling realization from her mind. For the moment, they were safe, and she must take comfort from that.
“I don’t trust these English lords, I tell you,” Mrs. Graham went on, clearly not as optimistic about the future as Abby was determined to be.
“You certainly trusted them when you thought I was married to one.”
“That’s different. And what are we to do now he’s leaving you out in the cold—”
“This is hardly ‘out in the cold,’ Mrs. Graham.” Swallowing her own apprehension for her servant’s benefit, Abby swept her hand to encompass the room. “And if the dinner he told his butler to send up is anything like the one I could smell from the foyer earlier, we’ll be eating well, too.”
Mention of food perked Mrs. Graham right up. “Why? What were they having?”
“Roast beef, asparagus, at least one kind of meat pie—”
“Lordy, you and your nose! Never seen a body with such a clever one. You could pick a lilac out of a bed of roses, I expect.”
“It’s not hard to distinguish the smell of roast beef and asparagus, especially when you’re hungry.” She forced a game smile. “Anyway, my point is we’re being cared for quite well.”
“But for how long?” Mrs. Graham asked.
“It doesn’t matter. As long as his lordship returns my dowry, I don’t care how long we stay. Because after we have the money, we’re free. We can do anything we want.” She held up a packet of seeds and struggled to maintain her cheery façade. “We can return to America, buy a little cottage, start up the business again, and live as comfortably as we please. This could prove to be the best thing that ever happened to us.”
Mrs. Graham eyed her mistress skeptically. “I’ll believe it when I see it. But mark my words, this ain’t gonna be no easy matter, not with the English involved. You’d best not get your heart set on having that money just yet.”
“I think you’re wrong,” Abby said with false bravado. “It’ll all be fine, I’m sure.”
Yes, perfectly fine. She’d be a woman of property. She’d be free. She could marry whomever she wished.
Tears stung her eyes. A pity then that his lordship was the only man she’d ever wanted to marry.
Evelina waited anxiously in the entrance hall for her future brother-in-law to finish speaking with his last guest. Her mother had gone ahead to the carriage once Evelina had promised to be along shortly. Now if only that pesky Lady Brumley would leave.
“I see that you absolutely refuse to explain how you had a wife show up on your doorstep this evening,” the marchioness remarked.
“As I said at dinner,” Spence answered, strained smile in place, “I’ll soon be making a public
Similar Books
