face fell, and Ethan slumped. Abigail made herself bend to retrieve the parasol so they wouldn’t see her own disappointment.
Linus came out of the trees a short time later. Ethan watched him warily.
“What happened, Doctor Bennett?” her mother asked. “You and Abigail left us so suddenly.”
“I’m sorry if we concerned you,” he said. “There was a stranger in the wood. He rode away. No harm done.”
She didn’t believe that. Their watcher had escaped, and they had no idea if he had been a passing traveler curious about the castle or a French agent looking to capture Linus again. And the hopes she’d begun to cherish felt as trampled as the grass. Worse, the ache inside her refused to leave, spreading from her arm to her chest.
Linus walked beside his son on the way down the hill. Once again, Abigail brought up the rear. This time it felt lonely.
“If you would remove your items from the hamper,” he told her mother as they reached the flat, “I’ll take it back to the Mermaid on the way home. Thank you for making the arrangements.”
Her mother glanced from him to Abigail and back. “It doesn’t seem to have been worth it.”
“I’m sure Ethan enjoyed himself,” he said, putting an arm about his son.
Ethan took the hint. “Thank you very much for inviting us, Mrs. Archer, Miss Archer.”
Her mother’s face melted. “You are very, very welcome, dear boy. Any time.” She hurried to open the hamper and begin taking out the things that belonged to them.
“Will you still be available tomorrow morning to look after Ethan?” Linus asked her.
It was as if she wasn’t there. Abigail rubbed a hand on her arm. That only made him frown.
Her mother frowned as well as she finished sorting through the hamper. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“No reason at all,” Abigail assured her. She met Linus’s gaze. “You heard my mother. Ethan is always welcome. And I’ll be working in the shop, so you needn’t worry you’ll have to speak to me.”
Her mother gasped. “Abigail, how rude. Apologize.”
Not to him, she wouldn’t. “I’m sorry, Mother,” she said.
Her mother turned to Linus. “I don’t know what’s gotten into her, Doctor Bennett, but I hope you know you’re always welcome as well.”
“Until tomorrow,” he said, hefting the hamper. Ethan shuffled after him out the door.
Her mother shook her head. “You will end up an old maid if you don’t mend your ways.”
“What ways are those?” Abigail snapped, tossing the parasol onto the sofa. “Taking care of myself? Having an opinion? Protecting those I love? I can promise you, I will never change there.”
Her mother’s lips thinned. “I’m not going to live forever, you know. What will you do when I’m gone? You’ll be all alone.”
“I have friends, acquaintances, the shop customers,” Abigail countered. “I don’t need a husband, Mother. I didn’t particularly want one until…”
Her mother started nodding, white curls bouncing. “Until Doctor Bennett. I knew it. He’s the right one for you, Abigail. Give him a chance.”
Abigail closed her eyes. “He doesn’t want a woman like me, Mother.”
Arms came around her, and she leaned into her mother’s hug. “Then he isn’t the man I took him for,” her mother murmured. “Any man would be fortunate beyond words to win a bride like you.”
The tears came then. She couldn’t stop them. She cried for what might have been, for who she was determined to be, for whatever the future held. Her mother rubbed her back and crooned nonsense words. At length, Abigail pulled back.
“Better?” her mother asked, eyes bright with her own tears.
“Better,” Abigail agreed, attempting a smile. “And thank you.”
“You may thank me when you are standing at the altar,” her mother told her, chin coming up. “And I will have a few words to say to Doctor Bennett in the morning.”
Dread dropped like a lightning bolt. “Mother, you mustn’t say anything to him. This is between him and me.”
That chin edged higher. “It most certainly is not. I have a right to see my only daughter happy.”
“But not Doctor Bennett miserable,” Abigail told her. “Please. Leave this to us.”
Her mother eyed her. “You have two days. Then I scold him.”
Abigail started laughing despite herself. “Well, I’m sure he wouldn’t want that.”
She snapped a nod. “No, he wouldn’t. So, see that you bring him up to scratch before then.”
Up to scratch. Ready to propose. Is that what she wanted?
The wonder and joy of the idea rushed up on her like a wave crashing against the Dragon’s Maw. It