Page 70 of Cloaked in Beauty

Quite unusual for a wealthy household, but Mama had explained that the loneliness had eaten away at her after she and Grandmother left, and having Fellows and Mrs. Krouse keep her company at table had deflected the isolation. When her brother or other company visited, the servants would return to their small table in the kitchen, but Letty didn’t want them to feel unwelcome just because she had returned.

“I would be happy for you to stay.”

Fellows smiled at her in a rather indulgent way that had her wondering if she’d just made her first of many social faux pas.

“We’ll have plenty of opportunities to dine together in the future, miss. Tonight is for you and your mother.”

She glanced to her mother and saw the same longing in her gaze that radiated through Letty’s chest. Yes, they needed time together. Time to get to know each other once again and to build a new relationship atop the ashes of the old.

Mrs. Krouse placed a dish mounded to astounding heights with every possible food imaginable in front of Letty. Good heavens. If she ate all of that, she’d bust the seams of her trail-worn clothes. Ordering her eyes not to widen with the incredulity running through her, she stifled the laugh that begged to be released and thanked the housekeeper with an appreciative smile.

“Would you see that Mr. Carmichael receives a plate as well?” After all he’d suffered on her behalf these last weeks, Philip deserved to feast. She’d have to sneak some roast out to Rusty later, too.

Mrs. Krouse bobbed a curtsy. “Of course, miss.”

“Thank you.”

Once Fellows and Mrs. Krouse left the dining room, Mama stretched a hand out to Letty. “Would it be all right with you if we held hands while I say grace?”

Sliding her fingers into her mother’s open palm stirred precious memories of praying over tea parties, walking about town, or the comforting touch of Mama sitting at her bedside holding her hand until she fell asleep on those nights after Daddy died.

Together they bowed their heads.

“Almighty God, your blessings are beyond measure. How I have longed for this day. A day of joy and reunion with my beloved daughter.” Mama squeezed Letty’s hand, and a warmth bloomed in Letty’s chest that filled her more than any food ever could. “How faithful you are. How good. How deserving of our gratitude. Thank you, Father, for keeping her safe all these years. Thank you for watching over her and Mr. Carmichael on their journey. Thank you for the chance to get to know the woman she has become.

“We ask, Lord, that you will continue to provide your protection over her and bring those who wish her harm to justice. We pray, too, for my mother and the health difficulties she is experiencing. May she be well enough to travel soon so that our family might be whole once more.

“We thank you for this bounty of food you have provided and ask that we may receive it with grateful hearts and humble spirits. In the name of your Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ, amen.”

“Amen.” Letty squeezed her mother’s hand and took a heartbeat to absorb the perfection of the moment. It felt holy. As if unseen angels lingered to share in their joy.

“Tell me more about your grandmother,” Mama said as she took up her fork.

Back in the carriage, Mama had asked why Grandmother hadn’t accompanied her, and Letty had explained about her heart trouble as well as her insistence that she travel with Mr. Carmichael. There’d been a tense moment when Mama had asked if Philip had treated her in an honorable fashion while they’d been alone together, but she’d seemed to believe Letty’s assurances that he’d been a perfect gentleman. Letty could tell that Mama didn’t like the fact that her unmarried daughter had spent so much time alone with a man, but they both understood the stakes and agreed that preserving Letty’s life had taken precedence over preserving her reputation.

“Grandmother agreed to stay with the Darbys while she recovered. She asked that we send her a telegram as soon as I arrived safely so that she could take the train and join us.”

“I’ll give Fellows a coded message to send to let her know you’ve arrived, but I think it best that she wait until after your birthday to join us here. Things are still precarious. Especially for you.” She pointed her knife in Letty’s direction. “I don’t want you leaving this house until I’m assured that Drake Radcliffe no longer poses a threat. Not until you are able to sign the will your uncle Stefan has drafted.”

Letty chafed a bit at the idea of being stuck inside, but she’d mentally prepared herself for such a scenario. At least her birthday would arrive soon. She only had to wait until the day after tomorrow.

“The one that removes Uncle Drake as a beneficiary, right?” Mama had given her an overview of the plan during their carriage ride.

Mama swallowed the bite of potato she’d been chewing and nodded. “Yes. It’s been written for ages, just waiting for your return.”

“Do I get any say in who the new beneficiary will be?” Ever since Mama had mentioned the will, Letty had been thinking about who she would name as her heir. A rather morbid consideration, but she needed to make sure that she didn’t trade one villain for another.

Her mother froze and blinked twice before lowering her forkful of carrot back to her plate. “I hadn’t thought . . . of course you should. When Stefan stops by tomorrow you can ask him any questions you have about the will. He’s worked hard to safeguard your inheritance and can advise you should you wish to make any changes to the will. I tried to anticipate what you might choose, but I suppose you might see it as presumptuous of us to name beneficiaries without consulting you.”

Letty touched her mother’s arm, eager to reassure her. “I don’t think it presumptuous at all. The will needed to be crafted and ready. It makes perfect sense for you and Uncle Stefan to guess at my wishes.”

Her mother visibly relaxed, and Letty realized for the first time that she wasn’t the only one afraid of being a disappointment.

“We wrote it as if you wouldn’t need an heir for many years, for that was our dearest desire.” Mama smiled, and Letty’s own mouth curved in response. “We named your husband as your beneficiary first.”

Philip’s face immediately flooded Letty’s mind, and her cheeks began to heat.

“Then any children you might have. On the contingency that you have neither husband nor children at the time of your . . .” She couldn’t bring herself to say it, and frankly, Letty didn’t mind not hearing the word that had been haunting her for the last fortnight. “The shares in Radcliffe shipping will come to me, and the funds currently in your trust will go to your grandmother. It seemed fitting since she cared for you for all these years. And if Mother is no longer with us at that time, then the money will be dispersed among the charities your father supported.”