Gretchen had secured another job. Even though Gretchen had assured her she and her family would be fine, Kitty couldn’t help but worry about her. Gretchen didn’t have the kind of money to give her the freedom to do whatever she wanted. Unlike Kitty, she had to work.
When Kitty arrived at Gretchen’s residence, she was surprised to see that Benjamin’s uncle was having tea with Gretchen, Hattie, and Teddy in the small drawing room. Teddy seemed more intent on eating his biscuit than listening to the conversation, but there was no doubt that everyone was having a good time.
“Did you bring your husband with you?” Michael asked her as she sat in a chair.
“No, I came here by myself.” Kitty ran her hands along the book she had brought with her. “Do you come to read stories to Teddy, too?”
“No, I didn’t come to read,” he replied. “I thought I’d see how things are going for the lady who used to be your chaperone. From what Benjamin told me, it doesn’t sound like you and your husband will change your minds and ask us to play chaperone again.”
Her cheeks warmed, and she glanced at Gretchen. Just how much should she say? While she and Aaron had experienced pleasant visits when he came by to see her, nothing of significance had happened between them.
“It’s nice that Lord Northton is finally treating you the way you deserve to be treated,” Gretchen said. “It turns out Mr. Stonewall was correct about him.”
“Lord Northton isn’t perfect, but then, none of us are,” Michael added. “I think he learned that it’s better to wait and see what someone is like before judging them.”
Gretchen sipped her tea then said, “Yes, well, I learned that, too. This was one job that taught me something I needed to know.”
“Are you and your husband happy?” Hattie asked Kitty.
Kitty shifted in the chair. She wasn’t sure if she’d say she and Aaron were happy. Emilia and Benjamin were happy. Lilly and Roger were happy. She could, however, say that she and Aaron managed to be getting along better than she’d expected. “We’re not as opposed to each other as we once were.”
Hattie’s enthusiasm dimmed, but Gretchen told Hattie, “If you had been there when they first married, you’d be surprised by how much of an improvement that is.”
Hattie seemed happier by this, and Kitty decided that was enough. Unlike Lilly and Emilia, she wasn’t inclined to share things with everyone she knew. She preferred her privacy.
“Well, I don’t wish to intrude on your time together.” Michael set his empty cup on the tray and rose to his feet. “I hope you have a pleasant visit.”
Gretchen got up and followed him to the door. They talked in voices so low that Kitty couldn’t make out what they were saying. She hadn’t expected to ever see Michael here. Yes, he knew Gretchen since they’d been chaperones in the same household, but she didn’t think they had gotten to know each other that well. Apparently, she was wrong.
She forced the observation aside and opened the book to a story Aaron had said he had enjoyed as a child. It was one of his books. He had brought the book over to her yesterday when he came to pay her a visit. After reading a few of the stories, she found one that she thought Teddy would enjoy.
When she found the page she needed, she glanced up at Teddy and saw that he was no longer bored. He was looking at her expectantly. She felt a smile tug at her lips. She recalled how boring it was to be in a room full of adults when she was a child. It was a shame he would never realize that to adults, such conversations weren’t boring, but it warmed her heart to know he had two aunts who were good to him.
Gretchen returned to the room. “Would you like something to eat or drink?” she asked Kitty.
“No, I already had something before I came,” Kitty replied.
“Teddy and I are done,” Hattie told her sister.
Gretchen nodded and gathered the cups and half-eaten biscuit Teddy hadn’t finished. “I’ll be right back after I take these to the kitchen. There’s no need to wait for me to begin the story. I don’t think Teddy’s patience will last much longer.”
Noting the way Teddy was fidgeting in his seat, Kitty started the story.
***
One afternoon, Aaron and Kitty took a stroll through the menagerie. He’d never been here before, and since