Page 98 of Harpy of the Ton
Lawrence trudged alongthe path home. Sir Halford might pay well, but Lady Merrick found fault in everything. Either the rosebushes didn’t produce enough blooms, or the beans in the kitchen garden refused to grow to their full height.
His answer that he wasn’t responsible for the frost that morning had been met with an equally frosty reply.
“Mr. Baxter, it’s yourjobto ensure the weather is fair.”
At which point he’d tried to argue the beneficial effect of frosts on the parsnips and was met with an accusation of deception.
Why was it that when faced with a problem, a woman sought someone to blame rather than a solution?
Except Bella. Though she’d been irritable of late. Perhaps Lady Arabella Ponsford was beginning to resurface?
You’re being unjust.
Her shortness of temper was never directed at the children—she weathered their misbehavior with aplomb. Nor was it directed at the house, which was spotless each time he came home.
It was directed at him.
He pushed open the door and entered the house.
“A lady’s maid is not just a servant to dress her when she asks,” a voice said from behind the parlor door. “She must also act as a—a… What’s that word, Mama?”
“Confidante,” Bella voice said.
“What’s a confidante?”
“Someone you trust with your secrets. Like a friend.”
“Like Tommie. I can tell him anything,” Jonathan said. “Do you have a friend?”
“There’s Sophie,” Bella said.
“She doesn’t live here anymore. That means you have nobody.”
“I haveyou, sweet boy.”
Lawrence entered the parlor. His heart swelled at the sight of Bella and Jonathan curled up in front of the fire—mother and son spending a quiet moment together.
Only they weren’t mother and son.
Jonathan spotted him first. “Hello, Papa. I’mreadingwith Mama.”
Something about him looked different—more grownup, somehow. Was his little boy turning into a man?
Bella glanced up, and Lawrence’s chest tightened at the beautiful expression in her eyes. She looked as if she belonged there, holding his child in her arms.
“What’s that you’re reading?” he asked.
“The Lady’s Maid: a Guide for Aspiring Young Women,” Jonathan said proudly. “Did I get it right, Mama?”
“You did.” Bella ruffled the boy’s hair and kissed the top of his head.
“What do you think, Papa?” Jonathan asked.
“You read very well, though I wouldn’t have thought a book about lady’s maids is right for you.”
“We’re going to ask Mrs. Gleeson after church on Sunday if she has a copy of Johnson’s dictionary we can borrow,” Bella said.
The little boy pointed to his face. “No, I mean, what do you think aboutthese?”
