as a wealthy lord, if Gabe wanted my child, nothing could stop him. Certainly not a small, timber-framed building where I resided with two French women.
I turned and looked behind me only once I was near the shop. Gabe was gone, yet, his presence remained. Domineering. Threatening. The hold he had on me had never truly broken, and I worried it never would. I started to look away when I spotted a man standing near an oak, watching me. He was tall, but non-descript. Who was he? A shiver whispered down my spine. A warning. He didn’t nod, nor wave, but turned and disappeared into the trees. Had he been watching me? Or was Gabe making me suspicious?
Desperate to get inside, I spun around to dart toward the shop, only to hit a warm body. A scream slipped from my lips
Gloved hands gripped my shoulders. “Ginny, it’s only me! Goodness, you’re shaking.”
The familiar voice startled me. I stumbled back a step. “Violet?”
Red hair gleamed under the fall sun, matching the color of the leaves in the maple tree not far from us. There was no mistaking that hair, those brilliant blue eyes, that wonderful smile. She stood before me in all of her innocent glory. It had been a year since I’d seen her. It felt like a decade. She looked the same, yet, in some way different. Or maybe I was the one who was different. I could see the hesitation in her gaze, but barely had time to wonder about it before she threw her arms around me. I closed my eyes and sank into her. Hugging Violet was like coming home.
“It’s so good to see you!” she whispered. “I thought…I thought the worst, Ginny. You don’t know how many nights I’ve worried, wondering what had happened to you.”
“Violet!” I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her closer, and breathing in her familiar scent. “Did you not get my letters?”
She pulled back, breathless. “Yes, I got your letter just a few days ago. I was going to write back, but I wanted to see you in person.”
Had she finally forgiven me? I cupped the sides of her face. “I can’t believe you’re here.”
She took my gloved hands in hers, the happiness in her eyes fading slightly. “Where have you been?”
Confused, I hesitated. “Did you not get the other letters?”
She shook her head. “Letters? I only received the one.”
Confusion gave way to shock. I should have known the dowager wouldn’t have mailed my letters. My fury simmered. If I ever saw her again… No, I didn’t want to see her again. Not when she could so easily hurt me. Not when she knew every one of my secrets. Not when Mr. Wrolf would be near.
“Ginny, I was so worried! And that man, Lord Chambers, he came to the Landcaster house those months ago, asking to speak to me, demanding I tell him where you were.”
“He did?”
She nodded, all wide-eyed innocence. “Where have you been?
I sighed. Too much had happened this last year to explain it all on the street corner. But all that truly mattered was that she didn’t hate me, she hadn’t been ashamed. But would she when I told her the truth? If she hadn’t gotten my previous letters, that meant she knew nothing about Izzy.
“Come.” I slid my arm through hers and pushed open the shop door, the bell overhead ringing. “There’s a lot that’s happened.”
“Ginny, tell me.”
“There you are, Evangeline!” Miss Lamier swept into the room, the baby in her arms. “Your lovely daughter has been crying for you.”
I reached for the baby.
“Your daughter?” Vi whispered, her eyes going wide as saucers.
I swallowed hard, cuddling Izzy close. She murmured, cooing, as if finding comfort in my presence. If Violet judged me, if she judged my daughter… If, when I looked at her, I saw condemnation in her eyes, I wasn’t sure what I would do.
“I’ll put on tea,” Miss Lamier murmured, leaving us.
“Lord Chambers?” Vi whispered.
I nodded.
Instead of looking disappointed in me, she looked oddly relieved. “I thought…I thought perhaps the child was Mr. McKinnon’s.”
“No.” I watched her closely. What an odd thing to say. What was this fascination she had with Mr. McKinnon? “Vi, do you…”
“Yes,” she shouted, as if relieved. “I’ve been in love with Mr. McKinnon since the first day I saw him. The day I noticed him watching you.”
I flushed, uneasy. I couldn’t deny that he had felt some sort of attraction toward me, and I wouldn’t lie to her. “I’m