1. Chapter 1- Lily #3
For all his sour temper, Lord Hayes could not be faulted for the care he extended to his only child. He’d assigned a pair of maids to the nursery. Every day when Lily brought Rebecca downstairs, the room was aired, the linens changed, and each spare speck of dust cast away with extreme prejudice.
The maids were there now—Mary and Ofelia—each sitting in a chair near their respective fires.
Lily knew without looking that the buckets hanging from sturdy hooks out of child’s reach on either side of each fireplace were filled with water.
There were also four large cans sitting in the hallway that were never to be used for bathing—they were for the risk of fire and fire alone.
When Lily had first arrived, she’d asked Mrs. Clark about the measures. The woman had shaken her head with such a grim expression that Lily hadn’t dared ask again. It was only later that Lily had noticed the scars on the woman’s hands.
And then, the first time she’d helped bathe Rebecca, Lily had understood more completely.
The darling girl had a gnarled, silver scar on her hip.
It appeared as if it had occurred long ago—the scar didn’t pain Rebecca, and there was plenty of healthy pink skin surrounding it.
That might have been the moment Lily broke off a large portion of her heart and handed it over to the girl, much like a shared biscuit.
Rebecca’s past suffering worried Lily—was the house prone to fires? But after a month, she had relaxed enough to sleep halfway through the night without rushing in to check on the little girl. The first time she’d done so, the night maids had nearly come out of their skin with surprise.
The little girl in question was now sprawled at the base of her grand dollhouse, pudgy hands carefully arranging the carved chairs around the dining set.
Lily thought it unwise that such precious furniture had been gifted to a small girl who was prone to accidentally breaking things.
However, every time there was a mishap with a diminutive chair or a dresser, an identical replacement took its place within a fortnight.
Now, Lily was careful to smile at both the maids. “Ofelia, will you please order a bath and arrange for a tea tray to be brought up? And be sure to take a moment for yourself in the meantime.”
Ofelia stood and stretched, shooting a grateful smile at Lily before exiting the room. That left Mary at the farthest fireplace. She wouldn’t be able to hear what Lily planned on murmuring to Rebecca.
“Rebecca, darling.” Lily couldn’t help but run her hand lightly over the girl’s dark curls. “Do you remember the book I read you, about Sir Vernon’s grand adventure?”
Lily nodded up at her with huge brown eyes that were so much like her father’s. “Yes.”
It was a fanciful children’s book, with ink drawings of a man travelling to far countries in a giant yellow air balloon.
“Can you keep a secret?” Lily asked. When the girl nodded with bright eyes, Lily said, “Sir Vernon has invited me to accompany him on his next grand adventure. I’m only telling you because you are the person in this entire household that I trust the most.”
Lily knew that it was a blatant manipulation, but the little girl was terrible at keeping secrets.
She hoped that Rebecca would hold on to this one long enough for Lily to climb out a back window.
In any case, Lily couldn’t leave without telling the girl goodbye, without offering some sort of salve for her absence.
“Can I come, too?”
“Not this time.” Lily smiled and prayed that she could hold back her tears to keep from frightening Rebecca. “Someone needs to stay and take care of Mary and Ofelia and Mrs. Clark while I’m gone.”
“And Papa, too?” she asked, quite seriously.
Lily nodded. “Your papa, too.”
She wrapped the girl in a great hug and kissed the top of her head.
“When will you be back?” Rebecca whispered, shooting a glance down the nursery to make sure Mary wasn’t listening.
“I’m not sure yet.” Lily winced at the lie—she would most likely never return. “But I shall do my best to write you and tell you of all that I see.”
“And you can tell me the rest when you get back?”
“Of course, darling. Now, I must go. Sir Vernon’s great balloon is waiting. But I had to tell you how very much I love you and how desperately I’ll miss you while I’m gone. You must be extra good for me, won’t you? For I will hear a report of your behavior from Mrs. Clark every day.”
“I will.” Rebecca’s voice was muffled from where she pressed against Lily’s chest, returning her hug with an earnestness that had Lily’s eyes pricking with tears. “I promise.”
“Very good.” Lily set her back and smiled down at her. It cost her much, that smile. “Then let Mary and Ofelia bathe you and eat all the good things on your tray as a start.”
“I will.”
“I love you, Rebecca.”
“I love you too, Miss Hughes.”
Lily’s heart very nearly broke then. It was a reminder that the basis for all of it had been a lie, even though Lily’s affection for the girl was very real, indeed.
She gave Rebecca one last hug and set her back before the dollhouse.
When Lily turned back at the doorway, Rebecca was rearranging her dining room once again.