Page 7 of Miss Davis and the Architect

“What is it for?”

“It cleans the mouth. I had sensitive gums recently, so Miss Toussaint made the elixir for me. You swirl it around in your mouth, then spit it out.”

“Curious.” The waif wandered closer to inspect the glass, diminutive compared to the height of the dressing table. “What is in it?”

“Pyrethrum, some rosemary essence, nutmeg, a little bergamot, and some very strong brandy. Which is why I water it down before I use it.”

“What is pyrethrum?”

“It is a daisy.”

The girl reached out and took up the glass, raising it to her nose to sniff it. “It smells good and foul at the same time.”

Jane grinned. “Indeed.”

The girl tilted her head back, her deep blue gaze so intense that Jane unintentionally stepped back.

“May I try it? My gums have been bothering me.” She stretched her mouth open to reveal pearly white teeth. The front two were missing to give her a gap-toothed smile.

Jane found herself rather charmed by the child. She gave a nod. “If you promise not to swallow any?”

Raising the glass, the girl took a mouthful to swirl it around for several seconds exactly as Jane had done, then turned to spit it into the empty pitcher. She straightened back up, smacking her lips. “It does taste foul!”

Laughing, Jane took the glass from her. “How are your gums?”

“They feel clean.”

“Excellent.” Putting the glass down, Jane dropped a little curtsy. “I am Miss Jane Davis. Who might you be?”

“Tatiana Thompson. The earl is my uncle.” The last was said with reverent pride.

Jane realized that the gentleman she had seen disembark from the carriage earlier that day must be the new brother of the earl.

Well, not new, per se. Just newly discovered.

“Then we are related … distantly. The earl’s son is my cousin.”

“Ethan?”

“That is correct.”

“My papa grew quite stern when he heard about Ethan.”

“Did he?”

“He did. I think he had an issue with how long the earl had been married.”

Jane rubbed her face, not sure how to respond. “Um …”

“Is it because Ethan is a bastard? Like my papa?”

Jane could not prevent a grimace from flickering across her face. How did she wind up being the unfortunate party to address this question?

“I think it best you ask your papa about that.”

“Is Ethan a bastard?”

Jane shook her head. “Ethan is a very nice boy. A true gentleman. It is true his mother and the earl were not wed, so he is natural born. But it is not polite to call someone … that.”