Page 58 of When You Rescued Me

Hannah swallowed hard. There was that word again: chance. Samuel, Elinor, Sophia, and now her father had all used it. “And it paid dividends,” she said quietly.

“It did. And I shall be forever grateful. Your mother exhibited immense courage by marrying me. For many years, she was ostracized by those in her class, and even when we were considered amongst the wealthiest families in London, her sisters never truly forgave her for besmirching the family name.

“Thankfully, my shipping business was sufficiently successful by the time you and your your sisters were born that none of you were forced to endure what your mother went through. We never spoke of it because we wanted it to stay that way.”

“I admire Mother all the more for ignoring the ridiculous dictates of Society to marry the man she loved,” Hannah said.

“I repeatedly told her that I did not deserve her, but she never seemed to believe me.”

“She was as wise as she was brave.”

He smiled. “You are cut from the same cloth. I know your sisters believe you have taken after me because of your interest in business, but truth be told, if you had not inherited your mother’s willingness to forge her own path, you would not be sitting in this carriage with the purchase agreement for Fortnum and Mason in your hands.”

A lump formed in Hannah’s throat. She had always wanted to feel more connected to her mother. And to share this particular trait with her was especially meaningful. “Thank you for telling me, Father.”

“I likely should have done it years ago, but it is rarely pleasant to dredge up difficulties from the past.”

Hannah’s thoughts turned to Samuel again. Was this how he felt about his childhood years? She would never have believed that he and her father might share a small portion of common ground. But perhaps her father’s reticence to speak of his past was due to a reluctance to revisit painful memories rather than a desire to keep that part of his life from her.

“Your experiences made you the man you are today, Father. So even though I wish you and Mother had been spared the heartache, I am glad for what you made of it.”

“Thank you, my dear. That is very generous of you.” He gave a small smile. “It is always easier to see how we benefit from our trials in hindsight than it is when we are living through them.”

Hannah nodded. The lump in her throat was being particularly difficult. Her father could have no idea how badly she had needed to hear this. He clearly recognized how far he’d come. Samuel almost certainly did too. Would she ever feel the same? What would it take to overcome her current trial with the kind of valiance her mother had shown? Compassion rather than condemnation, bravery rather than cowardice, and following one’s heart rather than bowing to social pressure? She had already received the answers. They swirled through her head, waiting to be grasped and implemented. She could only pray that she could manage it.

Hannah stepped out of the warehouse in time to watch the Fortnum and Mason cart roll away, its bed loaded down with sugar and molasses. Less than a quarter of her father’s cargo remained in the warehouse now. Hannah guessed her father would hold out for a desperate buyer. There would be some. They both knew it.

“Well, I believe that was a very satisfactory transaction for both parties,” her father said, tucking the bill of sale into his pocket.

“Indeed,” Hannah said. “The representative from Fortnum and Mason seemed pleased.”

She was glad all had gone so smoothly, especially as it had been exceptionally difficult to concentrate on correctly sorting the commodities to be loaded onto the waiting cart from those that were to remain in the warehouse. It was a good thing her father had taken charge of the paperwork. There was no telling what she might have forgotten to do had the duty fallen to her.

Behind her, the door thudded closed.

“Will that be everything, Mr. Dennington?” Mr. Ellerby, the wharf clerk, held a key in his hand. “I can lock up for you if you’re ready.”

“Thank you,” her father said. “That would be much appreciated.”

“We’ve had no problems with anything going missing since those three hogsheads of rum,” Mr. Ellerby said as the bolt thudded into place. “The new lock seems to be doing the trick. There was one of those Bow Street fellows hanging around for a bit. I daresay the thief took notice.” The man pocketed the key. “I’ve not seen him here recently though.”

“Yes,” Hannah’s father said. “I’ve been in regular contact with Bow Street over the affair.”

They started toward their waiting carriage. Hannah purposely kept her pace slow to accommodate her father’s weak leg. Mr. Ellerby fell into step beside them.

“Well, there you are,” he said. “You likely know as much as I do about the investigation.”

“Do you expect any ships to arrive this week?” her father asked.

Mr. Ellerby answered, but Hannah paid little attention. Her father could maintain this conversation perfectly well without her contributing, and her head was too full of other things to add anything more. She gazed out at the water. It seemed that every square inch of space was taken by a vessel of some sort. A small tender bumped up against the wharf, and a short man leaped out. Tossing a rope haphazardly over the nearby mooring pin, he hurried toward them.

Samuel would be appalled by the fellow’s sloppiness. The unbidden thought made her unaccountably happy and was remarkably telling. She did not need to know Samuel’s full background to recognize his diligent and attentive nature. Had it not been clearly manifested by his tireless search for the person responsible for stealing her father’s rum, the memory of his strong arms holding her close as he’d tenderly carried her, wounded and bleeding, from the carriage to her bedchamber would have been sufficient. Her cheeks warmed at the recollection. Perhaps she knew Samuel better than she’d believed.

The man from the boat was moving along the quay quickly. He turned his head once to look back at the forest of ship masts behind him, but already, the lowering sun was blurring the tall poles in the distance. Hannah did not know which ship he had come from, but it if was located beyond those anchored up against the wharf, it would soon be impossible to identify.

“Evening,” Mr. Ellerby greeted the fellow as he passed.

The stranger nodded in response and then looked away.