Page 44 of A Bonny Pretender
She picked up her skirts and took the steps two at a time, tossing a smile at the servants. “Gideon! Aunt Maeve! We’re here!” She stopped in the entrance hall. To her left was a parlor, to her right a small receiving room, and past that the stairs. At the landing stood her aunt.
“Oh, my dear Brigid,” exclaimed Aunt Maeve. She descended and held out her arms. “Ye look lovely.”
Brigid wrapped her arms around the woman who sounded so much like her own mother. Her hair was darker, but the facial features and voice were so similar she swallowed a lump in her throat. “I’m afraid I’ve abandoned my friends.”
“Let’s go meet them.” Aunt Maeve wore her dark hair up in a severe chignon, but her indigo eyes danced with laughter. “Still impetuous?”
Brigid grabbed her hand and led her outside. “This is Lady Brecken and Lord Raines. They generously offered to escort me.”
“Lord Raines,” she said with a nod of her head. “Thank ye for taking such good care of my niece.”
“It’s been my pleasure, ma’am.”
Brigid grinned at him, sure that her aunt must see what a wonderful and handsome man he was. “And this is Lady Brecken.”
“Fenella’s sister! I’m so happy to make yer acquaintance.” Her aunt held out her hands and took Evie’s. “I assume ye’ll be staying with yer sister?”
“I thought I’d stay with my grandmother. My sister and I spent so many summers there.” She put a hand over eyes and squinted at an upper-story window. “Someone is waving at us.”
The sash opened and a brown-haired beauty leaned out. “Sister, get up here this verra minute or I’ll come to ye.”
Brigid laughed. “I’ll be right there.” She turned to Evie and Frank. “That’s Lissie, my brother’s widow. Dinna forget to call on me in the morning as ye promised.”
The viscount bowed. “Yes, Your Majesty. We will pick you up tomorrow afternoon for a tour of the mill.”
“Do ye have a place to stay, Lord Raines?” asked Aunt Maeve. “We’ve a room here if ye’d prefer.”
“I couldn’t put upon you, ma’am,” he said. “I’ve been told the Buck’s Head has appropriate lodging.”
“Oh, that won’t do at all. Political tensions are high in this town and the national strike was recently put down. The hotel is occupied with city magistrates and soldiers waiting for the pot to boil over again. Gideon said the horses are kept saddled in the courtyard behind the building, ready to put down any more insurgent radicals.” She tapped her mouth with a forefinger. “If you prefer a hotel, I would try the Black Bull Inn.”
“Ah, that’s where we’re to drop off the post-chaise.” He tipped his hat. “Thank you, my lady. If there’s nothing available, then I will indeed press upon your hospitality.”
Brigid was thrumming with excitement and barely heard their conversation. She gave Evie another hug as footmen took down her luggage and stopped herself before giving the same to Frank.
“Come along, Boy-O. Ye’ll be staying with me for now.” She turned to her aunt. “We, er, stumbled across the lad on our way. I’ll bring him to the mill tomorrow. He’s a hard worker and needs a home.”
“Aye, right.” Her aunt nodded at the butler. “Could ye find a place for…” She looked back at Brigid.
“Boy-O,” confirmed Brigid. “I’ll explain it all over a cup of tea.”
*
Frank dropped offEvie next. Her grandmother’s house was a two-story red brick in the lovely neighborhood of Grahamston. They passed shops, gardens, and even a theater on their way.
“My grandparents owned a bookshop near here. It’s not Mayfair, but it’s a mix of honest, upstanding merchants and tradesmen.” Lady Brecken peered at the house and gave a sigh. “This is my second home. I have so many memories here.”
A plump woman with spectacles came rushing down the front walk. “My Evie, my sweet girl, let me look at ye.” She hugged Lady Brecken, pushed her back an arm’s length, and let her eyes drift from head to toe, then hugged her again.
“Lord Raines, this is my grandmother, Mrs. Douglas.”
The older woman smiled, showing a dimple in each cheek. Frank thought she must have been a prime article in her day. He took her hand and bowed over it.
“Will ye join us for dinner, my lord?” she asked, her dark brown eyes curious. “I’ve heard so much about ye.”
“I hope it’s all good,” he murmured with a meaningful glance at Lady Brecken.
“Verra,” Mrs. Douglas agreed with a nod of her head, her tight gray curls bobbing at her cheeks.
