With Lydia on her hip and approval from Katie Archer to slip out for the evening, dinner being served already, Eliza crossed the Hope Springs River and made her way up the road directly to Maura’s home.
Aidan answered the door. When his eyes fell on Lydia, his face lit. He’d been such a dear older brother to her when they all lived at the Widows’ Tower. He was still so sweet with Lydia. And though she clearly hadn’t remembered him from that time a year ago, she’d warmed to Aidan quickly. He held his arms out to her, and she made the switch with a smile. Between Aidan and Patrick, Lydia was most certainly loved.
Eliza followed Aidan inside and was immediately greeted by Maura’s new husband, Ryan. She’d come to know him a bit since arriving in Hope Springs, and she truly, truly liked him. He loved Maura and treated her the way she deserved to be treated. His mum lived with them and was a dear woman, clearly fond of her new daughter-in-law and grandson. Theirs was a happy home, and Eliza couldn’t have been more pleased for her dearest friend.
Maura, however, did not appear to be present. Ryan’s mum wasn’t, either.
“Is Maura off chatting with her family?”
Aidan, bouncing Lydia in his arms, answered. “She’s in her room with Granny Callaghan and Dr. Jones.”
Eliza looked to Ryan. “Is she unwell? Is it her cough?”
He shook his head. “She’ll be having a baby nearer the end of the year. Owing to the trouble with her lungs, Doc wants to look in on her regularly.”
“A baby!” Her heart pounded an excited rhythm in her chest. “Are you just as happy as can be?”
Ryan smiled broadly. “I am that.”
“Ma cries and cries,” Aidan said.
“Happycrying,” Ryan was quick to explain. “She loves babies, my Maura. And she’s hoped for more children. It’s a dream for both of us.”
Eliza closed a bit of the gap between her and Ryan and lowered her voice. “Is she healthy enough?”
“Dr. Jones says she has strength enough. And her cough is worlds better than it was. None of us is afraid for her.”
Palpable relief washed over Eliza. How she had worried for her friend. Maura fled New York in a desperate attempt to save her own life. To know her health had not simply held steady but had improved so drastically since her departure did Eliza’s heart a world of good.
Aidan sat on the floor with Lydia, pulling faces and making her laugh. Such a sweet boy, precisely the kind and caring young man she’d loved so dearly in New York. The longer she was in Hope Springs, the more convinced she was that Lydia needed to be here. If only she, herself, felt confident she could live her life as a housekeeper without drowning in lost dreams.
Mrs. Callaghan and Maura stepped out into the room a minute later, neither looking the least concerned. That only added authority to Ryan’s earlier declaration.
“Eliza!” Maura’s smile blossomed. “Have you come to call on us, then?”
“Lydia missed her favorite brother.” She glanced at Aidan. “From what I hear, she’ll have to share him soon enough.”
Ryan set his arm around Maura and pressed a light kiss to her temple. This was a happy family and a loving home. An unexpected, powerful realization hit Eliza in that moment: she wanted this. She wanted a home of her own, one with Lydia, with space that belonged wholly to them. She would love to have a husband at her side and extended family around her.
She mourned so many things about the time she’d lost with Terrence. That she was alone in such a real and constant way was most certainly one of them. But she hadn’t come to cast a pall over Maura’s home and happiness. She kept a smile on her face and reminded herself of all the joyful things she’d found in this new home of hers. A roof over her head. Kind people to work for. Lydia’s ready acceptance of their new surroundings. Patrick’s gruff kindness. Maura and Aidan so nearby again. She had ample reason to be happy.
“Look who’s come to visit,” Aidan said to his Grandmother Callaghan, leading Lydia over to visit with the dear lady.
At the same moment, Ryan dipped his head closer to Maura’s and said quietly, “What did Dr. Jones have to say?”
Eliza didn’t have a place in the interactions happening around her. She didn’t begrudge any of them their connections. She knew this family well enough to be fully confident that she wouldn’t be set adrift for long.
Dr. Jones stepped out of the room where he’d been visiting with Maura and her mother-in-law. He had a way of examining a space quickly and efficiently; no one ever doubted he was aware of every detail around him. That his evaluation led him to cross directly to her spoke volumes about his character. He noted that she was alone and sought to alleviate it.
“Mrs. Porter,” he said quietly. “It’s nice to see you again. How is your daughter feeling?”
“Better,” she said with a light laugh. “I did try to convince Miss Emma that we hadn’t reason for worry. You claim greater authority in her eyes, apparently.”
“I’m glad I could reassure her.” His all-seeing gaze took in her face. “Are you feeling well? You seem . . . weary.”
“I am,” she confessed. “Not ill or pained or anything of concern. I’m simply a mum with a very young child, working long hours without any extra hands to offer me a bit of a respite.”
He nodded. “A wearying proposition for even the most capable of women.”
