“Please, eat,” Quinn said. “Jo and the others will be down any minute, but let’s not wait for them. The early bird gets the worm.”
I did as I was asked, only too gladly. The bread was soft and instead of cheese, I discovered they were spread thick with butter. “This is…delicious.”
Quinn smiled and nodded her head approvingly. “Lizzie is the greatest cook the world has ever seen.”
“Oh, dearie me, not true.” A voice came from behind me. I turned to see a redheaded woman making her way into the room with another tray of sandwiches.
“This is Lizzie,” Quinn said.
“Welcome, welcome,” Lizzie said. “You must let me know all of your favorite foods and I’ll make them all for you while you’re here.”
“That won’t be necessary,” I said. “I don’t want to cause any extra work for anyone.”
“Nonsense. This is what I live for.” Lizzie’s face and figure were round. Pink cheeks glowed with health and good humor.
“This is the best sandwich I’ve ever eaten,” I said.
“I’m going to like you. Now I must get back to the kitchen. I wanted to get a good look at you first, Phillip Baker.” Lizzie looked over at Quinn. “He’ll do just fine, don’t you think?”
“Lizzie, mum’s the word,” Quinn said.
“Yes, yes, quite right.” Lizzie curtsied and then scampered from the room. I wondered if she’d left fairy dust in her wake.
While I ate, Lord Barnes joined his wife on the couch. The little girls approached, shooting shy glances as me.
“Ah yes, come meet our guest,” Lord Barnes said.
Quinn gestured for them to come closer. “This is Delphia, our youngest, and Adelaide, who is seven. Girls, this is Philip Baker, Jo’s friend.”
“Nice to meet you,” I said.
Delphia peered at me. She was an exceptionally pretty child, with large blue eyes and hair the color of dried grass. “Did you come from far away?”
“Yes, New York City.”
“Papa and Mama went there once,” Adelaide said, then flushed, as if embarrassed that she’d spoken. She was also fair of skin but didn’t have the robustness of her sister. A little too thin, and very serious eyes made her seem older than seven. She had the same shade of blue eyes as her sister, but her hair was so blond it was almost white.
“Papa hates it there,” Delphia said. “Too many people.”
“Delphia,” Lord Barnes said, laughing. “When did you hear me say that?”
Delphia shrugged as she turned her gaze toward the cakes. “I don’t know. You say a lot of things. Can I have cake?”
“You two will have a sandwich first and then you may have a cake,” Mrs. Barnes said.
They climbed onto a wide easy chair and sat together. Delphia’s legs were too short to dangle over the seat and stuck out straight in front of her. Adelaide sat with her hands folded on her lap as Mrs. Barnes gave them each a square of sandwich. While they nibbled, they watched me.
“Girls, it’s not polite to stare,” Quinn said.
“Why?” Delphia asked.
“Because it might make a person self-conscious,” Mrs. Barnes said.
“What’s self-commerce?” Delphia asked.
“I’ll explain later,” Adelaide said to her sister. “For now, you should be quiet.”
Delphia’s eyes flashed with annoyance but she kept whatever retort she had to herself.
“How was your trip out here?” Mrs. Barnes asked me. “The train scared me to death the first time I took it from Denver to here. I thought I was going to die by falling off one of those steep tracks.”
“I thought the same.”
We were interrupted by Josephine’s arrival. She rushed in looking flushed and sat in the chair next to me. I caught a whiff of perfume that reminded me of jasmine. It was the smell from her letter to me. I’d been right. “I’m sorry I’m late. I lost myself in a book and didn’t realize the time.”
Delphia, having finished her sandwich, asked for a cake.
“I’m going to give you each one, and then you’ll go off to play and let the adults talk,” Quinn said.
“As long as we get cake, I don’t care,” Delphia said.
“Delphia, please mind your manners,” Quinn said.
“Sorry, Mama.”
The next few minutes we talked further of my trip out here. I mentioned that I’d met Martha Neal.
“This is a small town,” Lord Barnes said. “Not surprising. Tell us, Phillip, what can we do to help your transition into our little town? What kind of work are you interested in finding?”
“I trained as a cabinetmaker before the war. Other than that, I don’t have many skills.”
“Would you want to set up a shop?” Lord Barnes asked.
“Eventually, yes. But I’d need capital for that. Until then, I’ll take anything. If you have anything around here that needs fixing, I could help.”
“But you’re our guest,” Josephine said. “We can’t put you to work right away.”
“No, I’d prefer to work,” I said, hastily. “I like to earn my keep. It would help me feel less of a burden. Your offer to stay here at the house is the kindest thing anyone’s ever done for me.” A tickle of guilt bothered me.
“Good man,” Lord Barnes said. “Everyone in this family works one way or the other. There’s a place for everyone in Emerson Pass. When you get settled, perhaps we can talk further about your shop.”
“Thank you, sir.” I could have teared up right then and there. Would this be the place I finally found a sense of belonging?
The rest of the hour passed pleasantly. At five, Josephine asked if I’d like to get bundled up and take a walk out to the barn. “I could show you the animals.”
“Can I come?” Delphia asked from the corner. She’d put her doll facing the wall, as if she’d been naughty. I had a feeling Delphia herself had faced the corner quite a few times.
“No, sweetheart,” Lord Barnes said as he patted his knee. “You and I are going to read a book so that Jo can show Philip around.”
“All right, Papa.” Delphia climbed into his lap and snuggled close.
Josephine stood. “Phillip, would you care for a tour or would you rather rest?”
I jumped up, both excited and terrified at the prospect of spending time alone with the lovely Josephine. “No, I’d love a tour. Show me the way.”
“We’ll see you at dinner,” Mrs. Barnes said.
I thanked them for tea and followed Josephine to the foyer. The idea of Josephine alone had me reeling. Part of me wanted to run and hide. However, the bold part of me that lay dormant most of the time urged me forward. I’d come this far. No turning back now.
“Do you have a coat?” she asked.
“No, just my suit jacket.”
She tugged open the closet door and pulled out a green-and-black-checkered hunter’s jacket. “There’s an old one of Theo’s or Flynn’s in here. Would you like it? The snow stopped, but it’ll be cold.”
“Yes, please.” My first instinct had been to say no, but that would have been foolish. The weather was frigid here. I would have been completely chilled on the way from the train station had Harley not had wool blankets in the sleigh.