The Obsessions of Lord Godfrey - Stephanie Laurens Page 0,61

the woods to the west and north as far as they stretch, and farmland to the north and to the east.”

Godfrey nodded. The Hinckley Hall lands couldn’t be termed extensive, yet if well managed, would likely be sufficient to support the Hall, at least during normal times.

They reached the tiny village of Galphay shortly after and traveled past the handful of cottages. Not much farther, they reached another lane and turned north, soon meeting other carriages and riders heading to the church.

St. Andrew’s Church proved to be a sizeable edifice built in medieval times. After halting their horses and the carriage in the graveled area beside the church, Godfrey helped Harry assist Mr. Hinckley into his wheeled chair. Then with Harry pushing his father ahead, Godfrey strolled between Ellie and Maggie and admired the lines of the church’s tower and its mullioned windows. As they neared the door in the south face of the tall stone tower, he noted the carving decorating the door frame and gracing the stone arches of the windows.

“That’s twelfth century,” he murmured, impressed.

Ellie smiled. “You’re right—the congregation here dates from before that time.”

It was still an active and quite decently sized congregation; as he and Ellie followed Harry, Maggie, and Mr. Hinckley down the aisle to the second pew on the left, the ornately carved pews to either side were commendably filled.

Harry halted the chair alongside the second pew, and Mr. Hinckley grasped the pew’s raised side, levered himself up, and shuffled to claim the first place on the bench seat.

In what was obviously an established routine, Harry pushed the chair on, and Maggie, Ellie, and Godfrey followed as Harry rounded the front pew and made for the side aisle. Harry positioned the chair in a spot against the wall, while Ellie—followed, at Maggie’s urging, by Godfrey—filed into the pew from that end. Maggie followed him, and Harry brought up the rear.

With Ellie next to her father, they sat, and Godfrey noted the smiles, nods, and quiet greetings Mr. Hinckley and Ellie, and Maggie and Harry, too, exchanged with many of those in the surrounding pews.

Judging by the tenor of those exchanges, the Hinckleys were not only well-known but also well-liked and respected.

While they waited for the minister to enter, Godfrey studied the interior of the church—the nave, the chancel with its ornate arches, and the chapel to one side. It was not only beautiful but also eminently functional. As he gazed at stonework he knew had stood there for centuries, the aura of permanence, of a place of worship anchored in this soil with roots buried deep, reached him clearly.

Sensing rising expectation that the minister would soon arrive, he glanced around again, admiringly tracing the line of the nave’s roof back to the foyer inside the south-facing door and saw Morris stepping into the central aisle. Morris continued to the pew opposite the one the Hinckleys occupied.

Godfrey recalled Morris lived nearby. He hadn’t seen either Pyne or Masterton, but both lived in Ripon, which boasted a cathedral; Godfrey imagined that if either man was so inclined, they would attend services there.

Morris sank into the space at the end of the pew—clearly his accustomed place. The pew was otherwise empty; locals probably regarded it as the Malton Farm pew. He exchanged nods with Mr. Hinckley, then directed half bows to Ellie and Godfrey.

Godfrey returned a nod as another gentleman, closer in age to Godfrey and well-dressed in neat and plain style, entered Morris’s pew from the other end. Oblivious to the newcomer, Morris was exchanging a whispered comment with Mr. Hinckley. The unknown gentleman’s gaze rested on Morris in an assessing way as the man walked closer.

Then the man bent, and when he straightened, he held a scrap of a paper in his hand.

Morris finally noticed the man. The gentleman held out the paper. “I believe this is yours, sir.”

Morris took the paper, stared at it, then fleetingly looked at the man and mumbled a thank-you. Morris stuffed the paper into his pocket and pointedly stared straight ahead.

The well-dressed man smiled faintly and sat a little way from Morris.

Puzzled, Godfrey studied Morris’s now-ruddy face. From his pinched lips, Morris would have liked to put more distance between himself and the stranger, but couldn’t without drawing attention to that fact.

Before Godfrey could make anything of that observation, a stir at the back of the church heralded the arrival of the minister. Godfrey rose with the rest of the congregation and, curious to see what sort of