Page 67 of The Earl Next Door
She straightened and blinked away more tears, hating the reality that she was still afraid to trust him. “I don’t think I can do that. I will let her stay at the school while I will search for her mother.”
“Good. Maybe that will be a start to healing, Adeline.”
Lyon turned the lock in the door, opened it, and walked out.
Chapter 21
Adeline stood in front of the earl’s door, resolute in what she had to do. It had taken her no small amount of time, courage and soul-searching to get to this point. At first she hadn’t known what to think much less what to say or do. She’d struggled for days with her own tense emotions for the right answer to what she should do, and found there was only one solution.
On one side of her was Fanny and on the other side, Mathilda. Mrs. Tallon stood watch behind them. Each girl had her arms out and palms up carefully holding six neckcloths. It had taken the girls almost two months to get the dozen lengths of cloth finished to the headmistress’s satisfaction. They had met Adeline’s approval, too, after she had looked them over. On top ofthe stacks were short hand-written notes from each girl apologizing to the earl for entering his house.
Really more important than the recompense to the earl was the fact that neither girl had broken a rule since they’d been given the punishment of no play time for a month. Their good behavior could very well be because Mrs. Tallon kept them so busy cutting, sewing, washing, and pressing the fabric over and over again that there was no time for mischief. Or maybe it was that they had finally settled into boarding-school life and were content. Adeline didn’t want to think it had anything to do with the cane that stood in the corner of the classroom, but she couldn’t be sure it didn’t. The actual cause for the change in their naughtiness didn’t matter. That it had happened was all that mattered. The school was functioning the way she’d always envisioned—except for Nora.
That wasn’t likely to change anytime soon.
Adeline hadn’t found it within herself to speak to the little girl yet, but Mrs. Tallon said she was adjusting.
Squaring her shoulders up tight, Adeline drew in a deep breath of late-afternoon air and knocked on the door. Moments later, the butler opened it and looked from her to the girls to Mrs. Tallon. “The earl received your note and is expecting you, Lady Wake.”
“Thank you, Brewster. Would you please ask his lordship to come to the door, the girls won’t be coming inside.”
He nodded. “As you wish, my lady.”
Brewster left the door open, and Adeline heard Lyon coming down the corridor. Her stomach tightened.She’d only seen him at a distance lately and was eager to see him up close again.
“Lady Wake,” he said, “I didn’t realize the girls would be with you. “What is this?”
He looked splendid. Maybe even more handsome than ever. Trepidation filled her but she touched each girl’s shoulder, ushering them forward. Fanny lifted up her offering to him and in a loud voice said, “I’m sorry for entering your house without permission. I wish to give you these.”
“I’m sorry, too,” Mathilda echoed, though not quite as forceful, as she stepped up closer to the earl and offered him the load in her arms, too. “I brought you this gift and hope you’ll accept it.”
“Me too,” Fanny said and smiled so brightly Adeline wanted to hug her. “We had to work extra hard until we made every one of them perfect. Mrs. Tallon said so.”
Lyon continued to look at the girls but didn’t offer to take the neckcloths from them. “That’s quite a few you have there.”
“Twelve,” Fanny said. “We counted each one. More than once, so we know we’re right.”
“That many?” he said and glanced at Adeline.
“Mrs. Tallon said sometimes a gentleman has to wrinkle three or four neckcloths a morning before he gets one tied the way he wants it,” Fanny informed him.
“Did she?” he asked, still making no attempt to receive the gift.
Adeline cleared her throat. “The girls would like to know if you’d accept these along with their apologies.”
“Yes. Of course.” He looked over his shoulder andcalled, “Brewster.” He bent down to Fanny’s level and took hers first. “They’re—handsome.”
“Don’t wrinkle them,” she said, handing them over to him. “They’re not easy to press.” Lyon glanced over at Adeline and smiled. He then took the neckcloths from Mathilda and thanked her, too. He gave them to Brewster. “Have Dome put these away.”
The girls beamed.
“If you’ll pardon me, my lady,” Mrs. Tallon said, stepping forward. “The girls have a gift for you, too.”
Adeline looked at Fanny and Mathilda. “For me?”
Each girl pulled a folded handkerchief from their pockets and handed it to Adeline.
“We knitted the lace and then we had to sew it on,” Mathilda said.
