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Encouraged by the attention, she continued, though slowly to allow time for their gazes to linger on her. Amelia took a dainty sip of tea, then announced, “I tripped. It was horrifying. Lord Miles was there, but he made no attempt to catch me.”

Siobhan could not control what happened next. When attempting to keep from laughing, food spewed from her mouth and across the table. Coughing when accidentally swallowing bits, she fought to catch her breath.

Her father stood and pounded her back none-to-gently until she finally stopped. “Are you all right?”

Her hand shook when she reached for the teacup and drank all the contents down. “I am truly sorry, Amelia.” She tried to sound sympathetic, but was certain she had failed.

This was confirmed when Amelia pushed her food splattered plate away, and gave her a narrow-eyed look. “Did you laugh?”

Siobhan got up and filled two new plates with eggs, toast, and slices of cheese, sliding one in front of Amelia. “I did not. I choked.”

Their father, the caring soul, studied Amelia. “Did you injure yourself badly, dear?”

Once more garnering attention, her sister’s face turned from suspicious to full of dismay. “I did! I scratched my nose a bit, and my knees. Thankfully Mother was near, and she helped me to stand. While the dreadful Lord Miles walked away, not bothering to find out if I was injured.”

There was silence and Siobhan looked from Amelia to her father. The sweet man looked at his daughter with concern in his eyes. “I am so sorry for your fretful time, darling.”

Siobhan refilled her teacup. “So that is why you came home early.”

“My gown was stained and hair disheveled. I lost the butterfly pin that I’d put in it,” Amelia nearly wailed.

To Amelia’s dismay their father could not hold back and chuckled. “I am sorry, but you must have presented a comical picture.” When Amelia glared, he held up a hand. “I am glad you are not injured, dear one.”

“You should speak to the horrible man and take him to task for allowing me to fall.” Amelia pinned their father with dewy eyes. “Say you will.” She blinked to make the show complete.

Siobhan turned away from them and rolled her eyes. Her sister’s performance was almost good enough for the theater. But her father didn’t appear to recognize her attempts to manipulate the situation. Instead, he proceeded to place some eggs and meat on his toast before cutting a bit to eat. “Next I see him, I certainly will,” he agreed, and waved his fork.

*

Later that morning, Siobhan could hardly wait to tell Henriette what had occurred. Unfortunately, upon arriving at her friend’s house, her butler informed Siobhan that Henriette and Jean-Paul had gone to visit a sick aunt and had not yet returned.

“Would you prefer to return home, Miss? I do not think it would be safe for you to go to the market and such alone,” the driver said as he helped her back into the carriage. “I will tell the man to have Miss Henriette send word when she is back from her visit. It will be safer.”

But Siobhan knew the children were waiting and the idea that they were hungry hung like a cloud over her head. She could not delay her visit. Nor would she risk the chance that they wouldn’t be fed that week, for who knew for what reason and for how long Henriette would be delayed? “Please have him tell Miss Henriette and her brother that they can deliver the items to the shelter at their convenience, but I will make our other, usual stop,” she told the driver and he hurried to pass her message along to the butler before the carriage got on the way.

While she rode alone, her mind wandered to the night before. Despite her warning, Miles had gone to the garden with Amelia. Either that, or her sister had followed him out. Still, it seemed he’d avoided being ensnared by her mother’s not-so-carefully formulated plan.

Perhaps her mother and Amelia would set their sights on someone else. Especially now that Amelia had apparently developed a strong dislike for him after he’d let her fall.

She frowned to herself. She didn’t know Lord Miles well, but it was inconceivable to her that he would allow a woman to fall. He didn’t appear to be uncareful or uncaring. He had been most kind when she’d taken her fall into him, which was more public and certainly more embarrassing.

So she had to assume it was Amelia who was at fault; she must have tried too hard upon seeing their mother approaching. It occurred to her that now all of society would gossip about how clumsy the Blair sisters were. Her mother had always blamed her for being a public spectacle, so it was ironic that her favored daughter would be the one to cement their reputation for a lack of grace. Her mother should have come up with a better strategy. Siobhan would almost appreciate the humor of it, if it wasn’t going to cause such a bad look good for the family.

The carriage pulled to a stop with a jerk. In a moment, the driver was at the door. “We are here, Miss,” he announced as he opened the door to assist her. She reached for her market basket and climbed down.

Once in the market, she was lost in a sensory experience. The aromatic scent of fresh fruit intermingled with the heady aroma of tea and other spices. The almost-melodic voices of vendors who called out while displaying their offerings for passersby to inspect layered, one over the other.

People mingled, moving from one space to the other, reaching for items, haggling with merchants, and then paying. The music of the marketplace was further enriched by the jingling of coins, the shrieks of children at play, and the murmurs of groups of men standing idly by waiting for wives, sisters, or mothers.

After choosing some candies for the children, Siobhan added fruit and several loaves of bread from the nearby bakery to her basket. The driver hurried over to take it from her and walked with her to the building entrance.

“Go visit your family. I will be a bit since I have to help her bathe and see that the children are fed,” Siobhan told the driver who looked up at the building and wrinkled his nose.

The man seemed reluctant when handing her the basket. “I do not know, Miss. I can visit with my mother another day. I’d feel better if I remained here with the carriage until you return.”

“Nonsense,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. “Your mother looks forward to your visits. She’s elderly, and she needs to see you. I’ll be fine.”

He frowned and shifted, looking at his boots before he lifted his face to hers. “Okay, Miss. I’m going to leave the carriage here today, but I will not be long. Please ensure that you do not go anywhere. Please, wait for me here, in the carriage. I do not plan to be longer than you. Once I have helped you with the water, I will hurry to meet my mother.”