Page 77 of Aurelia

“I have remonstrated with Roland and begged him to be more… gentle with her. I’ve tried to explain what delicate, mercurial creatures adolescent girls can be.” Mrs. Walker pulled a wry face. “Not that he listens to me, of course.”

It was difficult to imagine anyone remonstrating with Lord Crewe.

“Was he the same with Captain Walker when he was young?”

“No, he was not. Perhaps because they were kept apart for those first few years so when they did finally meet, they were inseparable.” She smiled fondly, looking into her past.

Why had Lord Crewe been kept from his child?

Before Aurelia could embarrass herself by prying, the door opened and the subject of their conversation entered the room. He looked from Aurelia to his mother and she fancied there was a hint of concern in his gaze, as if he worried about what Mrs. Walker might have said.

With Guustin’s presence in the cozy room, the conversation turned to more traditional lines and there were no more fascinating tidbits about Lord Crewe.

By the time they had finished tea three-quarters of an hour later, Mrs. Walker was visibly flagging.

“Are you in pain, Mama? Shall I bring you some laudanum?” Guustin asked.

“No, no, I am not in any pain. Just a bit… fatigued.”

“I know this is when you usually take your nap.”

Mrs. Walker smiled wryly at Aurelia. “Only when one is old does one truly appreciate naps, Miss Burton.”

“You are not old, Mama.”

Aurelia thought it was a tragedy that her hands and, evidently, her knees, kept such a beautiful, youthful-looking woman housebound.

Guustin leaned low and kissed her cheek. “We will leave you, now. But I will come tomorrow, too.”

Mrs. Walker wore a look of pure contentment and Aurelia was touched by the obvious affection between the two. Guustin might have been illegitimate, but—unlike poor Celsa—he was surrounded by love.

“You will come visit again, Miss Burton—please do not stand on ceremony. You needn’t wait for Guustin to pay a call.”

Mrs. Walker’s meaning was clear: come alone and they could talk without restraint.

“I certainly will,” Aurelia assured her, ashamed by how curious she was for any little bit of information about the man who already took up far too much of her thoughts.

Chapter 16

Aurelia’s chance to visit Mrs. Walker again came a mere five days later when Lord Crewe, Guustin, and Celsa all made a trip to Balcrewe.

“Are you sure you do not wish to come?” Guustin asked Aurelia at breakfast.

One look at Celsa’s scowl said that joining the group would be a terrible idea. The girl clearly relished the opportunity to spend the day with her father, even if she had to tolerate Guustin in the process.

“Thank you, but I’ve got too much work.”

“You know what they say about all work and no play,” the earl chided, teasing her for the first time in days—weeks, even.

Aurelia was so startled that she forgot herself. “Are you implying that I am dull, Lord Crewe?”

The earl laughed; his smile warmer than it had been since the tea shop. “You should keep going on exactly as you are, Miss Burton, because the results are truly delightful.”

Aurelia snorted and then blushed when she met Guustin’s amused look.

Aurelia had not lied—there were several things she had to catch up on—but when the clock struck two-thirty, she changed into her habit, made her way to the stables, and headed toward Mrs. Walker’s house.

She had been a bit apprehensive about her welcome, but the moment the maid escorted Aurelia into her gilded cage, it was clear Mrs. Walker was thrilled to see her.