The Apothecary by Mary Kingswood

Author:Mary Kingswood [Kingswood, Mary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sutors Publishing
Published: 2019-12-13T00:00:00+00:00

18: The Lawyer And The Captain

Annie was sufficiently reconciled with Adam to invite him and his brothers for dinner the following night. Perhaps she had not quite forgiven him for keeping her in the dark regarding the man she had seen in the gardens, but he had assured her that it was only a romantic tryst, not a threat, and not his secret to reveal. She must accept that, and not harbour resentment for a reserve which was honourably founded.

Perhaps her tolerance was due to other factors. Her mother had quietly taken over the management of the house. While never usurping Annie’s role as mistress or countermanding her orders, Mrs Dresden somehow managed to make everything run more smoothly. Everyone seemed more content, and that ease of spirits could not fail to transmit itself to Annie, too.

She had begun to receive condolence visits, too. Mrs Popham had never ceased her calls, but now she called more often, and after a week or two, others of the neighbourhood called to express their shock and sorrow, with varying degrees of sincerity, and to try, subtly or more overtly, to find out why Mr Huntly had been murdered. Lady Alicia Ransome displayed more animation than Annie had ever seen in her before. It seemed that a widow was vastly more interesting to her than a mere wife. Annie did not much like the prying curiosity her callers displayed or what she felt was excessive interest in the murder, but she was glad to feel that she might at last begin to make calls herself, when it was proper for her to do so.

Lady Charlotte Litherholm, now returned from the Duke of Falconbury’s estate, also came.

“My dear, so dreadful!” she wheezed, her plump face creased with distress. “Camilla and I were so very upset to hear of your tragedy. To lose your husband in the full bloom of your marital affection! Such a piteous end to all your hopes. Camilla has been crying unremittingly ever since we heard the news, have you not, Camilla?”

“Yes indeed, Lady Charlotte,” her companion whispered, dry-eyed. “Unremittingly.”

“I hope he has left you well provided for, my dear, for there is nothing sadder than a widow scrambling to maintain her place in society when she has not two pennies to rub together. Now, you will not be contemplating such matters for a considerable while yet, but I do trust that when you emerge from your grief, you will not rush too quickly into a second marriage. Take my advice and reflect very carefully upon it before you do. Society presses women to place themselves and their fortunes into the care of a man, but it is not in the least necessary. Look at how comfortably Camilla and I go on, with not a man to be seen anywhere! We do not feel the lack, do we, Camilla?”

“Oh, no, Lady Charlotte. Not in the least.”

Annie could not help but smile at this well-meant advice, and if she had Lady Charlotte’s fortune,

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