Page 13 of A Provincial Peer

Caroline laughed. “For having met Meg so recently, you have a sound understanding of the way in which she distributes her enthusiasm.”

“It was a lucky guess.” He smiled. “I am glad you feel that her visit has been a success. You are both welcome to return anytime. Indeed, now that Giles knows you are back at the vicarage, I daresay he will be quite put out if he does not see you both here occasionally.”

“That’s right.” Giles exited the stall, closed the gate, and handed Meg off to Caroline. “As long as ya don’ go chasin’ after cats on th’ milkin’ parlor roof, it would be a treat t’ ’ave ya visit.”

Gratitude filled her. Portsmouth was a bustling city. She’d discovered a love for the sea there, and over the years, she’d made some good friends in the neighborhood where Fred had found them lodging. But she’d never truly experienced the feeling of belonging that she felt in Leyfield. Nor had Portsmouth ever truly felt like home. She’d sometimes scolded herself for comparing her happiest childhood memories with her more challenging, lonely moments in Portsmouth, but the warmth she felt in her chest at this moment suggested that perhaps there was more to it than that.

“You are very kind,” she said.

“Nah,” Giles said. “’Avin’ you an’ Miss Meg come just gives me an excuse t’ get out o’ cleanin’ th’ milkin’ parlor.”

Caroline smiled. She knew full well that Giles worked exceptionally hard and that there were younger farm laborers charged with that onerous chore. A quick look at Lord Benning’s face told her that he was not fooled either. The gentleman’s brown eyes sparkled with something that looked remarkably like mischief.

“Ah,” Lord Benning said. “It seems I have a shirker on my hands. Have Millie hitched to the cart, and as penance for neglecting the milking parlor all this time, I request that you drive Mrs. Granger and Meg back to the vicarage.”

If Caroline had not caught Giles’s grin, she might have objected to Lord Benning’s demand. But it was likely that the gentleman had noticed her reach for the barn’s doorframe so as to steady herself as she exited the building, and as much as she hated to admit it, a ride back to the vicarage would be welcome.

“Yes, m’lord,” Giles said, starting for the stables right away.

Lord Benning turned to Meg. “What do you say to that, Meg? Would you like a ride back up the lane?”

Meg’s eyes widened. “On a horse?”

He chuckled. “I had thought a cart might suit you and your mother better this time.”

She cocked her head to one side and eyed him thoughtfully. “Do you have a horse?”

“I do, indeed.”

“May I see it one day?”

“Most certainly.” He smiled, and Caroline marveled once again at his patience with her daughter. “His name is Saxon, and if I am here the next time you visit, I shall take you to meet him in the stable.”

That, it seemed, was all the reassurance Meg required. Skipping the short distance between them, Meg reached for Caroline’s hand. “Come, Mama. We are going to ride in a cart.”

Summoning the last of her strength, Caroline gave Meg a questioning look. “What do you say to Lord Benning before we leave?”

Meg dropped into a tumbling curtsy. “Thank you for showing me the baby cows, Lord Benting.”

The gentleman bowed politely. “It was my pleasure, young lady.”

The rumble of wheels sounded on the cobblestones, and Giles appeared around the corner of the carriage house, driving a horse-drawn cart. He reined the horse to a stop opposite them.

Lord Benning offered Caroline his hand. “May I?”

Grateful for his assistance, she placed her gloved hand in his. His grasp was gentle, but she sensed the strength in his arm and shoulders as he guided her onto the cart seat. Once she was situated, he lifted Meg off her feet and set her beside Caroline.

“I am most appreciative, my lord,” Caroline said.

Acknowledging her thanks with a slight inclination of his head, he stepped away from the vehicle. “I hope you will both return very soon,” he said. “Good day to you.”

Giles snapped the reins, and the horse ambled toward the gate now being held open by a stableboy.

* * *

It had been the best part of a fortnight since Caroline Granger and her daughter had visited the barn, and yet Benedict was still haunted by the series of tragedies Caroline had endured in the last few months. He knew full well that misfortune could befall anyone at any time, but as a titled gentleman of considerable means, he was far more used to solving such problems than being stymied by them. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he’d tried, he had yet to come up with a way to ease Caroline’s burdens. And he was discovering that feeling helpless was a sensation he disliked immensely.

He’d seen Caroline and Meg only once since their visit to the farm. They’d been at church the previous Sunday, sitting with Nora in the Moore family pew. But as he’d been seated across the aisle, in the Farwell pew, he’d not had the opportunity to speak with either of them. As before, Caroline’s face had been obscured by her headwear, which made it all but impossible to ascertain whether her health had improved since her arrival in Leyfield. And he’d been given no opportunity to inquire. By the time he’d made his way out of the church and into the churchyard, Caroline, Meg, and Nora had disappeared.