“Mr. Young! Mr. Young!”
Mr. Young had been listening to the story whilst seated at the dining table, but had dozed off within the first five minutes. He was supposed to remind Meredith that it was time to go.
So Meredith roused him and he immediately ran outside to get the coach ready. She then said goodbye to everyone once more. Notably, this round of goodbyes was significantly less painful than the first time, for the children and Meredith knew that it would not be terribly long until they saw her again.
So clutching the stack of drawings, Meredith flew down the worn paved path and waved goodbye once more. Several of the children yelled reminders to give their greetings to Lady Cecilia for them.
“I will! See you all next Sunday! Bye, Ma’am! Bye, Joyce!”
And as soon as she had shut the coach door, she heard Mr. Young snap the horses’ reins and send the coach flying forward. She still could not believe that it was already almost six o’clock! Even if Mr. Young drove the horses at top speed, Meredith was sure to miss her curfew.
I hope I don’t get in too much trouble.
* * *
Hugh had a most relaxed day. That is not to say that he did no work. On the contrary, he was quite productive today, even more than usual. With Miss Meyer having gone out for her day off, he and Catherine could concentrate on their duties rather than worry about what Miss Meyer would say to His Grace or to his friends.
Yes, he had been in a splendid mood all day. Once or twice he even caught himself whistling a tune. Even the sky seemed to be happy for him for there was not a cloud in sight for the entirety of the day. As corny as it may sound, he felt like he had been walking on air.
And now he stood in the entrance hall. It was ten minutes past six, and Miss Meyer was due to arrive at any moment.
And then my worry-free bliss shall be over until next Sunday!
Hugh could hear someone descending the hallway stairs behind him. He reckoned it to be His Grace on his way to his study for he recognized the rhythm of the Duke’s footsteps.
“Oh! Are we expecting anyone, Fletcher?”
Ah-ha! I was right.
Turning around, Hugh found the Duke looking quite surprised to see him standing at the main entrance. “No, Your Grace. I am just awaiting Miss Meyer’s return. Are you on your way to your study?”
“Yes. And if you see Mrs. Oakley, please tell her to bring my dinner there. I have a bit of reading I would like to do. As for Miss Meyer, today was her first day off, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, Your Grace. She was due back at six o’clock. However, I am afraid that she is running a little late.”
Hearing this, the Duke cast his gaze towards the grandfather clock. “I see, well, she’s only ten minutes overdue. So it isn’t a problem. It would be an entirely different matter though, of course, if she were an hour or two late— Oh! I think I can hear the coach approaching.”
The Duke was correct. So Hugh descended the front steps as Mr. Young brought the coach to an abrupt stop in front of the house, which prompted His Grace to say, “My, my, please do be careful, Mr. Young, lest your passenger suffer a motion sickness headache.”
Hugh opened the coach door and helped Miss Meyer alight.
“Thank you, Mr. Fletcher. And I am so sorry, Your Grace, for my tardiness. I am afraid that I lost track of time.”
“Not at all, Miss Meyer. Did you enjoy your first day off?”
“Yes, Your Grace. It was magnificent. Thank you for asking.” out of politeness, Miss Meyer inquired, “Might I ask how your day has been, Your Grace?”
“It was fine, thank you, Miss Meyer. Possibly not as magnificent as your day may have been, but I did enjoy the pleasant weather.”
Before Hugh could inform Miss Meyer that Philippa was going to bring her dinner to her bedroom shortly, His Grace pointed to Miss Meyer’s hands.
“If I may ask, what are you holding, Miss Meyer? Documents?”
Without hesitation, Miss Meyer replied, “Oh, these? No, Your Grace. These are some drawings that the children at the orphanage made for Lady Cecilia. Would you care to see?”
Hugh froze.
This is it, all of that effort and lying through my teeth. All for naught.
