Page 51 of The Good Fortune of Miss Robbins

“Well, if there is ever anything you need, please do not hesitate to send word. I am not far from you, as you know. And you may call on me and the children any time.” He felt his face grow warm. He wasn’t accustomed to giving such an eager and open invitation.

“You are very kind ... and generous.” She gazed up at him in a way that made him tug at his cravat.

Where had all the air gone?

They were nearly to his front door.

“We shall be looking forward to attending the ball next week, Lord Brookhaven,” Mrs. Drake said. “Thank you for your gracious—”

“I shall walk you to your door.”

Mrs. Drake began falling behind. She was breathing heavily, and he realized he’d quickened his pace and was walking too fast for her. Well, it was a good way to keep her from talking.

He slowed a bit, and they soon reached Charlotte’s door.

“Good day, Mrs. Drake, Miss Robbins.”

“Thank you for accompanying us.”

He nodded and turned to leave, just as he thought perhaps Miss Robbins had been lifting her hand to him.

He cursed himself for not taking her hand. He imagined the sensation of kissing her hand, even though the fabric of her glove would separate his lips from her skin. But it was too late now.

Mr. Anthony Welton did indeed call on me the next day.

We’d just arrived home after taking Samuel and Annabelle to the park with Lord Brookhaven. It had been a lovely outing. Lord Brookhaven had gazed deeply into my eyes, and I’d felt a bit lightheaded, like those women who swoon in novels. I was both breathless with joy and amused at my foolishness. He lingered with me at my door, but I didn’t make the mistake again of assuming he might want to kiss my hand, and we parted with a slight bow on both sides.

Mr. Welton was very pleasant and attentive, complimenting me and smiling a lot. I gathered that his mother and Mrs. Drake were close friends and had been for many years. If I am honest, I enjoyed his attention. He made no attempt to disguise his interest in me, which I found refreshing. I was well aware, however, that I knew nothing of his character.

The next day Mr. Anthony Welton called again while we were away and left his card. I found that I wasn’t bothered by missing him, as Lord Brookhaven and I were taking the children to see the menagerie at the Tower of London.

The children gasped and exclaimed over the animals, asking, “What is that?” and “Does it eat people?” and “Does it live in the jungle or the desert?”

Lord Brookhaven was gentle and patient, answering their many questions and explaining things in a way that was appropriate for seven-year-olds.

“How do you like the menagerie?” Lord Brookhaven asked me when the children were distracted by watching the lions being fed.

“It is fascinating to see the exotic animals, but it also makes me a bit sad to think of them caged like criminals, unable to roam as they were created to do. But the children are learning about them and enjoying them. I actually liked seeing and learning about the Tower of London more.”

He paid quite as much attention to me as Mr. Welton had, but I enjoyed Lord Brookhaven’s attention more, as he was serious when he gazed into my eyes, listening to my every word.

I watched as Samuel and Annabelle would let their older brother take their hand and lead them, the way they respected his instruction, and how they looked up to him. It was obvious they loved him.

Indeed, how could anyone not love him?

But the next day, I was home during calling hours.

“Miss Robbins, you are a breath of fresh air,” Mr. Anthony Welton told me once he arrived.

“And how am I a breath of fresh air?” I knew he was only flirting with me, but I was curious if he would be able to come up with a plausible answer to that.

“You are not like all the other young ladies on the hunt for a husband.”

“No, I suspect I am not. For one thing, at five-and-twenty, I am older than they are. And for another, I don’t need a husband and therefore am not ‘on the hunt,’ as you say.”

“Alas,” he said, grasping at his chest, “you are destined to break my heart, Miss Robbins.”

I only laughed at his dramatics.