by Abby Ayles
She wasn’t going to make that mistake again. She would make sure she told each and every person who came into her life how much they meant to her.
Mary leaned her head on Hannah’s shoulder and they watched the snow in silence for a few more seconds.
“I best be getting to my work, and you too,” she added.
Hannah gave a sigh and agreed.
“Though how I will focus, let alone get the girls to do the same with such a winter wonderland outside or windows is beyond me,” Hannah said with a smile.
Mary paused just at the door and turned back, “I’m so glad that you’ll be staying on.”
“Me too,” Hannah concurred with a smile.
She waited for the door to close firmly before she turned away from the window and began to dress for the day. She couldn’t help but keep that smile on her lips. She was happy that she was staying on. More than that, she had no fears or reservations about it now.
***
Lord Grimshaw woke to the glistening scene outside his window. He slumped into a very sour mood just from the sight of it.
He had hoped to tell Lady Tara he had no intentions to marry her and send her quickly on her way back to town.
With the snow coming down as it was, there would be no point to such words. Lord and Lady Waldron, as well as their daughter, would be confined to the house until the wet snow melted.
He was familiar enough with the area to know that trying to drive a carriage in such weather was not worth the effort.
Every few feet the wheels would simply sink into the wet snow mixed with the mud below. It would make for a very long, slow, and arduous journey that none in their right mind would attempt if it could be helped.
Now Grimshaw would be forced to continue his role as host to guests he had no desire to know any more personally than he already didn’t.
Grimshaw tried to convince himself that the extra time would be welcome. He still needed to work out his own heart. The Marlow family would be a well enough distraction.
“Good morning,” he said as brightly as he could produce to the three guests in the morning room.
“Oh, Grimshaw, good morning to you,” Lord Waldron huffed from behind the paper.
Grimshaw did appreciate that the man was of few words early in the morning. He detested, however, that Lord Waldron always seemed to grab the paper and spend the whole morning with it.
“I trust you slept well,” Lady Tara said, perfectly dressed in a soft blue gown with white lace trimming.
“Yes of course,” Grimshaw said with a tense smile.
Without the pretense of withstanding the woman for the sake of his children, he was finding it hard to pretend.
“Well, except for the interruption early on,” Lady Tara said with a gleam to her eye that spoke of secret interludes.
Naturally, Lady Waldron caught on this at once.
“What is this? What interruption? I do hope you have more propriety than to leave your room at night?” the woman crooned to her daughter.
“I didn’t leave my room, Mother. Poked my head out, was all,” she added in Grimshaw’s direction with a flirtatious hint.
Lady Waldron looked to Grimshaw and was rather preparing herself to be scandalized.
“Please ease your nerves, Lady Waldron. I had an issue with a member of the staff, but it was resolved.”
“In the middle of the night? What issue could you possibly have in the middle of the night?”
“Betsy told me this morning you had to have a servant forcibly removed,” Lady Tara cooed on.
“No, not quite that severe but I did have to make arrangements for their dismissal despite the late hour,” Grimshaw tried to put as delicately as he could.
He didn’t really enjoy talking over household matters with those outside the household. Nor did he think it was proper to gossip over dishonorably discharged staff no matter how much of a rake he was.
“How unfortunate,” Lady Waldron said as to settle the matter and Grimshaw was glad of it.
“Do you suppose it will snow all day?” Lady Tara asked after a few sips of her hot chocolate.
“I expect it to. And for several more after.”
“Really, how awful. I hate to be cooped up so,” she said with a pout.
Grimshaw considered reminding her that she had yet to take a single turn around the garden since her arrival at Brighton Abby. Why snow would keep her in when the lack of it did the job just fine, he had no idea.
“Well if this will brighten your mood, I just received a letter from Jayden with the morning post,” he said after opening the letter and scanning over it.
“Oh lovely, what does he say?” Lady Tara asked, happy to have Grimshaw divert her to a happier subject.
“He says he plans to come for the Yuletide. I do invite him every year but his schedule doesn’t always allow the visit,” Grimshaw said to the ladies by way of explanation.
“I expect he will come within the week. Hopefully, the chap doesn’t leave until this blizzard passes.”
“Oh, won’t that be wonderful,” Lady Tara said in her sing-song voice. “All of us together again. What fun we will have. And over such a festive time will make it all the merrier.”
“Yes,” was all Grimshaw could manage to say in agreement.
In all honesty, he rather hoped that Lady Tara and her parents would be out of Brighton Abby and his life by the time Christmas was upon them.
Chapter 29
Hannah watched the snow fall for three more days. The excitement of it slowly melted away and was replaced with something else. Worry.
She worried greatly for Joanna McCarthy all alone in her small cottage. With every feather of snow that floated to the ground, Hannah wondered if that was just another flake to block Grannie in her house.
Hannah knew well that the old widow only had so much wood kept in the house and the rest behind the shed. With the chill that came with the storm, she would be going through it fast just to keep a reasonable temperature in the house.
With the snow piling up to almost mid-calf now, could Grannie even push open her door? This snow was far wetter than she had known it to be in London. Hannah learned quickly the truth of all of Mary’s warnings on the second day of the blizzard.
Both girls begged constantly to go out and play. Finally, when the afternoon of the second day got a very small reprieve, Hannah allowed the two to bundle up, double their stockings and go outside. It was thick and wet and melted easily, clinging to the hems of all their dresses.
They had only lasted ten minutes before the biting wind began to pick up again and Hannah insisted they return inside. For the remainder of that afternoon, they sat by the schoolroom fire, with stockings hung to dry, while they sipped hot chocolate and read stories.
Her worry for Grannie by the third afternoon was more than she could bear. She waited till after the girls’ school tasks were completed for the day before going down to the large drawing room where she knew she would find Grimshaw and his guests.
“Beg your pardon, Lord Grimshaw,” she said with a curtsy.
“You’re still here!” Lady Tara blurted out rudely.
All eyes swiveled to her. Lady Tara went promptly red in the cheeks and fanned herself against the outburst.
“Forgive me. I was under the impression that a new governess was going to be seeing to Lord Grimshaw’s children’s education.”
“I have decided that it is in the best interest of Caroline and Rebecca for Miss Jacobson to stay,” Grimshaw said with finality.
Perhaps Lady Tara thought she would still have a future say in the running of the household, though Grimshaw had done nothing but give her the cold shoulder since the blizzard began. She simply narrowed her brown eyes on Hannah, sure that once she was the lady of the house, Miss Jacobson would be no more.
“Is there something you need, Miss Jacobson?” Grimshaw said, giving his full attention back to Hannah.
“Yes,” she said with a little
huff of breath. “It’s Grannie, Mrs. McCarthy that is,” Hannah corrected for all present. “I’m worried about her.”
“What do you mean, worried about her?” Grimshaw asked, pinching his dark brows together.
“Well, she lives all alone. With this storm, I’m afraid she might be snowed in. She only had enough wood in her house for a few days at a time. I’m worried she might freeze,” Hannah finished, laying her worries bare.
“Is she not the lady that you said Caroline ran off to? I dare say she doesn’t sound like a good influence on the child to condone such action.”
“She is a wonderful widowed woman,” Hannah said back a little too sharply.
Lady Tara’s eyes grew big in disgust and Hannah quickly looked to the ground. She had to remind herself that she and the earl had discussed this future union with this woman, or at least the possibility of that.
She had no notion if it still was on the cards. If that was the case, Hannah would have to learn to watch her tongue around the lady. Though Hannah feared such a thing wouldn’t necessarily be an easy task, she was used to standing silently among those who felt they had a higher superiority over her.
“I appreciate that you are worried, but I am sure Mrs. McCarthy is just fine. Matthew lives only down the road a bit over the village shop. He is quite capable of seeing to his own mother’s needs,” Grimshaw tried to reassure her.
“I know he is capable, but I fear he isn’t willing.”
“Why is this a concern she is bringing to us?” Lady Tara chimed in again in an attempt to keep her foot in the conversation.
“I am asking Lord Grimshaw because I would require the use of a carriage to go visit Mrs. McCarthy.”
“Even my most skilled driver would tell you that is unwise,” Grimshaw said, choosing to ignore Lady Tara. “The snow is too deep. You would sink right in and get stuck yourself. I don’t see how you freezing halfway to Concordshire will help the widow.”
“Then a horse?” Hannah said, raising her chin in defiance.
He smiled at her. He couldn’t help but admire her stubborn tenacity.
“I’m sorry, Miss Jacobson. I cannot permit you to go. It is still snowing hard outside. I will see if one of the stablemen can ride out when they are free to check on her.”
“But when will that be? She could be freezing to death,” Hannah took a step forward, shrouded with worry.
“If you don’t allow me the horse, I will find another way,” Hannah added with determination.
Grimshaw struggled to hide his smile. He couldn’t believe that he had fallen in love with a woman so unlike his Ann. Ann had always been quiet, obedient, and open to any of his suggestions or advice. Hannah, on the other hand, was willing to fight him on anything and everything. Sometimes he thought she just did it out of sport.
“That was very rude,” Lady Tara countered.
Hannah took a step back, realizing she had taken things a little too far.
“Fine, forgive my impertinence, Lord Grimshaw,” she said before curtsying and leaving.
“Hannah,” he called out to her, not caring that Lady Waldron gasped at his familiar tone.
Hannah turned around.
“I give you leave to go, but fear I cannot spare the horse,” he said in a teasing manner.
“You know very well I would need at least a horse to get to her,” Hannah countered, hands on her hips.
“I know,” Grimshaw said with a wide smile that reached the pools in his chocolate eyes.
Hannah turned and left the room. The wretched brute. She had only gone and asked him to be courteous to his silly rules. Now he had denied her the chance. Well not denied her per se but removed her ability to do so.
His comment that he gave her leave but not a horse was just to poke fun at her. Curling a smile on her own lips like the one Grimshaw wore, she was determined to prove him wrong.
Grimshaw chuckled to himself over the lady while he rang his bell. Calling in the butler he advised the man to send Johnson as soon as he was able to check on the widow.
“I don’t know why you would even do such a thing. The mouth on that girl,” Lady Tara complained.
He ignored her words and much of all the other things she said for the next half hour. Instead, he mused over Hannah Jacobson and that little chin she liked to jut out when she was determined to have her way.
“Lord Grimshaw,” Mrs. Brennon said, coming into the room in a fluster. “A word in private, if you please.”
“Of course,” Grimshaw said, coming to a stand and walking the woman out into the hall.
In the thirty seconds it took them to reach the seclusion, his mind had already raced to at least a half a dozen reasons why the woman looked so perturbed.
When he turned from shutting the drawing room doors, he never expected the woman to whack him with a handkerchief she had been holding in her hand.
“You wretched man!”
“Ouch,” he flicked back, though it didn’t hurt. “What did I do to deserve being constantly attacked?”
“Well, I don’t know about any other time, but you do deserve it now.”
“Whatever for?”
“For sending off Miss. Jacobson to Concordshire in a blizzard with nothing but her shawl to warm her and her feet to take her.”
“I did no such thing,” Grimshaw countered.
“I tried to stop her,” Mrs. Brennon whimpered into her handkerchief. “She said you gave her leave to go but wouldn’t provide transportation. That she had to walk.”
“I mean I did say that but…”
Mrs. Brennon whacked him again and sobbed, “You wretched man. She will freeze to death.”
If it was any other member of the staff, Grimshaw might have gotten mad at her actions. Seeing how Mrs. Brennon had been a second mother, and really more of a disciplinarian than his own mother, he simply did his best to dart away from her blows.
“I did say those things, but I was just teasing her. She knew that. I never thought she would…”
“Well, she did.”
“When?” Grimshaw said, stiffening into all seriousness. If Hannah was out in a blizzard who knew what could happen to her.
It would be easy enough to simply lose one’s way. There was no road to guide her path and the cold and falling snow was sure to disorient her. Lost in the woods at this time of day was never a good choice. Dusk was close at hand and there were sure to be hungry wolves on the prowl after such a long storm like this one.
“Tell Johnson to ready my horse this instant,” Grimshaw ordered.
“Good man,” Mrs. Brennon said, now patting him on the shoulder with her handkerchief arm, though he still flinched for a moment. “I knew you would do the right thing and go after her.”
Mrs. Brennon gave him a peck on the cheek and bustled off to see that things were made ready for the earl.
“Where are you going?” Lady Tara said, peeking out into the hall.
Grimshaw would have liked to tell her that nothing was more irritating to him than a woman so nosy as to eavesdrop on a conversation she was purposefully excluded from. He didn’t have the time for that though. Every second wasted could be another that Hannah was chased by wolves or froze to death lost in the woods.
“I need to go see to something. I will be back late tonight.”
“Is it that governess? She does seem to cause quite a bit of trouble,” Lady Tara remarked, clearly irritated by the fact that Grimshaw was leaving her side for another woman.
Grimshaw clenched his fist and did his best to steady his breath. It would be uncalled for to yell at the horrible woman, especially since they were still trapped at Brighton Abby.
He turned and smiled as softly as he could to the woman, though she took a step back so Grimshaw guessed he hadn’t done a very good job of it.
“I will do my best to be back as soon as I can,” he said as softly as he could manage and turned to leave before the horrid woman could find a response.
Chapter 30
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Luckily in the time it took him to run to his room, dress in his warmest winter clothes, and make his way to the stables, Johnson had the sense to saddle his fastest steed.
The black stallion was neighing at the chance to leave the confines of the stall after days trapped inside.
Grimshaw mounted in one swift motion and gave the animal its head. He had to admit to himself it did feel good to break from the confines they both had been trapped in these last three days.