Perhaps catching was not the way. Perhaps what was needed was simply to return, to let the tree bud and bloom again. To start anew.
He glanced at Amanda; simple delight still played over her features. He looked past her to the house. Considered what could be. And how much it might cost.
She looked up, joy and sunlight in her face. "Thank you for bringing me here. She linked her arm in his. But now we'd better lunch, then knuckle down to our chores." He let her lead him back into the house.
Colly had been slaving in the small parlor all morning; he insisted on serving them their lunch-pasties and bread-in there, as befitted their station. Realizing it made both Colly and Onslow uncomfortable to be sharing a table with their masters, they accepted their banishment from the warm homeliness of the kitchen with good grace.
At the end of the meal, however, they forbore to tug the bellpull, but piled the empty dishes and carried them to the kitchen, and thence, despite Colly's protests, into the scullery. Th
ey returned to the kitchen just as the back door was forcibly thrust open.
"Humph!" A large country woman stumped in.
Amanda's eyes widened. The woman wore a hat perched atop a bonnet, a muffler wound around her throat, and a shawl tied about the shoulders of her serviceable black wool coat. Beneath the gaping coat, she was wearing a quantity of wraps and blouses, and a veritable mountain of skirts. Her feet were encased in large boots.
In each hand, she carried multiple string bags bulging with produce, from turnips and leeks to pigeons and pullets.
Head down, the woman barrelled straight for the table; with an "Oomph" of relief, she dumped the string bags on its surface.
Only then did she look up. She was tall and heavy-boned, with a round, ruddy face and straight grey hair pulled into a tight bun. She noted Onslow, Colly and Amanda, then her gaze locked on Martin. She nodded. " 'Bout time you got here."
Amanda glanced at Martin; a smile was flirting about his lips.
"Good afternoon, Allie."
"Aye-it's that an' all to see you back where you belong." With a nod for Colly, the woman started to unpack her bags. "I'll tell you straight I never believed you'd done it-what they said-and now you're back, I'll expect you to set to and get the matter sorted. It ain't the thing for a belted earl to have hanging over his head."
In between thumping packages on the table-packages Colly was quickly unwrapping and putting away-Allie had been shooting narrow-eyed glances at Amanda. "Now, who's this?"
"This," Martin responded with unimparied calm, "is Miss Amanda Cynster." To Amanda, he said, "Allow me to present Allie Bolton. Originally my nurse, Allie continued to hold that title long after I'd left the nursery. We had a cook-housekeeper but in reality, it was Allie who ran this house."
Walking forward, he continued, "As you'll quickly learn, she's distressingly tyrannical, but has a heart of gold and always has the family's best interests at heart." Reaching Allie, he hugged her and kissed her cheek.
"Get away with you!" She batted him back, flustered, pleased as punch and trying to hide it. "That's not the way I taught him to behave," she humphed to Amanda, "you may be sure."
"I'm quite sure he was a handful." Amanda tried to interpret the shooing-like gestures Martin, now behind Allie, was making. Colly, too, was nodding encouragingly. She glanced at the last of the packages being unwrapped-a pat of butter. The penny dropped; she stepped closer. "Of course, we don't know what your present arrangements are, but we'd be very grateful if you could see your way to returning to your position here."
"Humph! Aye-with only him"-Allie nodded at Colly-"to look after the house, I imagine the place is in a right state."
"We've started opening up rooms, but… well, as I don't know how things used to be…"
"Leave it to me." Packages stowed, Allie untied her bonnet, set bonnet and hat on the dresser, then started to unbutton her coat. "I sent word to Martha Miggs-she'll be here tomorrow and we'll have the place to rights in no time."
The determination behind the words made it clear nothing would be permitted to stand in Allie's way; Amanda felt a weight lift from her shoulders, felt relief slide through her veins. "We have an injured gentleman upstairs-he was shot by a highwayman, and my coachman was, too." She waved at Onslow, who was edging toward the door.
"Gracious heavens!" From under her voluminous skirts, Allie pulled out an apron and tied it about her ample waist. "I'd best take a look at their wounds, then."
"Mine's healed well enough-I've got to see to my horses." With a nod to Martin and Amanda, Onslow escaped through the back door.
"I'll see to you later!" Allie called after him. She turned to Amanda. "Right, then! You'd best take me up to this gentleman, and then we'll see about opening more rooms. Colly, you'll be needed-don't disappear."
Martin watched Allie hustle Amanda before her on into the house. Colly sighed, but he was smiling as he bent to stoke the fire. Martin felt his own lips curve, felt the gesture warm a place deep inside him that had been cold for a long, long time. He hesitated, then, smile deepening, turned and went to help Onslow.
Household activity the next morning approached the recognizably normal. Reggie was still weak; he'd boggled when Allie had descended on him, making eyes at Amanda, pleading for rescue, but Allie had quickly subdued him. He ate the breakfast she presented him without a murmur, then let her bully him downstairs to doze in a chair in the sunshine.
After a good night's sleep in the room next to Reggie's, aired and dusted to Allie's high standards, then breakfasting with Martin in the sunny small parlor, Amanda, restored to her usual, stubborn and determined self, went looking for Allie to thank her and put herself at the older woman's disposal. There was a great deal to do; helping seemed a quick way to learn the ins and outs of the household.
She found Allie in Martin's room, shaking out the bedclothes that draped the huge bed. Yesterday, after finishing with Reggie and completing the room Amanda now used,