The following evening, Esther snapped on her gloves as annoyance and trepidation whirled through her. Her aunt had not refrained from peeking through the parlour’s net curtain looking for Lawrence’s carriage for the last quarter of an hour. She really hoped it had not been a mistake deciding to tell Aunt Mary of her growing relationship with Lawrence. Esther had been finding it increasingly difficult to keep her happiness hidden and knew, before long, her aunt would guess something had changed in her niece’s life.
Accepting Lawrence’s offer of his personal transportation had been utilised to impress and, hopefully, appease her aunt. Although even Esther had to admit there had been a positive, if slight, shift in her aunt’s attitude as the Coronation loomed. As a staunch royalist, Aunt Mary was in jitters of excitement over the upcoming events and that, in turn, had benefited Esther, due to her involvement in Pennington’s Coronation window. An avid shopper at the store, her aunt was often astounded by the interior and had slowly begun to accept Esther played a big part in its execution.
Maybe, now, she could also hope for Aunt Mary’s blessing to pursue a possible courtship with Lawrence… even if she’d never surrender to her aunt’s snobbishness or her constant association with Violet.
She pressed her hand to the jumble of nerves in her stomach. The prospect of meeting Lawrence’s sister and her children was far more disconcerting than anything else that might bother her.
‘Ooh, I say, this must be Mr Culford’s carriage now. Yes, yes, it is. It’s slowing to a stop.’ Her aunt leapt away from the window and rushed to Esther, gripping her hands. She grinned, her eyes shining so brightly, ten years immediately vanished from her features. ‘You have a lovely time, my dear. I’ll wait up for you.’
‘There’s really no need to—’
‘Nonsense. Nonsense. Now, don’t keep the gentleman waiting.’
Esther opened her mouth to chastise her aunt’s obvious social climbing but snapped her mouth closed. To say anything about Aunt Mary’s misplaced rapture would only damage their fragile amicability.
She kissed her aunt’s cheek. ‘I won’t be late.’
‘Oh, my dear,’ Aunt Mary laughed, pulling Esther into the hallway and towards the front door. ‘Take all the time you need.’
Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Esther exited the house and climbed into the carriage. The driver touched the brim of his hat to Esther and then Aunt Mary, who waved from the doorstep. Once Esther was settled inside, the carriage door closed with an expensive thud and the driver climbed aboard, emitting a sharp whistle to set off the single piebald horse.
Esther leaned back and gripped her purse.
The city passed by the windows. The evening was clear and warm as women strolled by beneath their decorative parasols, arm in arm with their beaux or husbands, all of whom were smartly dressed in dinner jackets and top hats. Bath was a riot of colour in the wealthier areas and a sea of brown and grey in the slums, but as the carriage passed the Abbey and through the winding streets lined with shops and restaurants, Esther couldn’t imagine ever wanting to live anywhere else.
Bath was where she belonged and, as they continued up the steep slope of Gay Street into the Circus, her gaze was automatically drawn to Lawrence’s beautiful honey-coloured townhouse, and she hoped he felt the same. For, surely, her heart would be broken should he ever move away with Rose and Nathanial.
As the carriage drew to a stop, she inhaled a strengthening breath and took the driver’s offered hand, before stepping onto the flagstone pavement.
Smoothing her dress, Esther adjusted her hat and patted her hair with slightly trembling fingers before starting along the short pathway to Lawrence’s door. Just as she reached for the knocker, the door was abruptly thrown open and Esther came face-to-face with one of the prettiest women she’d ever seen.
‘Miss Stanbury! You’re here. It’s so lovely to meet you.’ The woman beamed, her bright blue eyes warm and welcoming and almost identical to Lawrence’s. She pressed her hand to her breast. ‘I’m Cornelia, Lawrence’s sister. Come in, come in.’
Although uncertain what to expect from her first meeting with Lawrence’s sister, Esther certainly hadn’t anticipated such an unadulterated salutation. Mystified, she somehow found her voice past the frantic thump of her pulse. ‘Thank you. I’m glad to be here.’
‘Might I take your shawl?’
‘Cornelia, will you please give Esther a modicum of breathing space?’ Lawrence’s rich, deep voice came from behind his sister. ‘You’ll frighten her away.’
Esther glanced over Cornelia’s shoulder and her heart flipped when her gaze met Lawrence’s. Dressed in a dark suit and snow-white shirt and tie, he looked positively edible. He slowly came towards her as Cornelia lifted Esther’s shawl from her shoulders.
Without breaking his gaze from hers, Lawrence took Esther’s hand and tugged her gently forwards and pressed a kiss to her cheek. ‘You look wonderful,’ he whispered against her ear.
An illicit thrill shot through her body as she turned to face him. ‘As do you.’
‘So, Miss Stanbury…’ Cornelia came between them, causing Lawrence to step back. She threaded her hand through Esther’s elbow. ‘Lawrence tells me you work at Pennington’s?’
‘I do and, please, call me Esther.’
‘Well, Esther, I want to know everything. What it’s like to work there. How you came to your position as head dresser. Everything. Let’s go upstairs to the drawing room.’ She propelled Esther towards the stairs. ‘The children will join us shortly. Would you like some wine?’
Buoyed by Cornelia’s infectious warmth, Esther smiled at Lawrence. He grinned back, his eyes soft with transparent love for his sister. Esther relaxed her shoulders, happy that Lawrence held so much affection for his eldest sibling. As an only child, Esther couldn’t think of anything more delightful than to love a person she’d grown up with.
She stared around her at the wonderful opulence of the hallway. From the gorgeous silk wall coverings, to the gilded mirror above an ornate side table, to the beautiful Persian rug beneath her feet, Lawrence’s home was welcoming, warm and perfect for raising his young family. They mounted the stairs and her gaze was drawn again to the portrait of Abigail. Yet something felt different from the last time she’d been here when she stared into Abigail’s eyes. This time Abigail seemed to smile back at her, her gaze soft with welcome.
Esther smiled. Maybe it was entirely right she was here. In the home of a man she could come to love.
Their pre-dinner drinks passed in a flurry of excited questions from Cornelia about Pennington’s, and Esther did her best to keep up. She offered Lawrence’s sister titbits about the store’s plans and how much she loved her work, adding a few discreet details about her plans for the Coronation.
Cornelia positively beamed with delight when Esther confessed that London had acquired one or two pieces from Pennington’s for the less senior royals to wear during the King’s procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey.
‘I must come by the store and see you before I leave for Mama’s.’ Cornelia’s smile wavered. ‘Our mother is gravely ill, you see. I must visit her and hope that Lawrence will join me.’ She glanced at Lawrence who stood at the fireplace, his sombre gaze as often on his sister as Esther. ‘Everything is changing in my life at the moment and not just our mother’s illness. My husband and I are separated, Miss Stanbury. Even though Lawrence thought me happily married, nothing could be further from the truth.’ She took a deep breath and smiled once more, her gaze happy. ‘But now I want to experience more of the world as you have. I simply must visit Pennington’s again while I’m in the city.’
Sad for Cornelia’s unhappiness but pleased by her enthusiasm for the store, Esther nodded. ‘And I’d be more than happy to show you around. Be sure to send word of when you’d like to visit and I’ll do all I can to take a break from my work.’
Cornelia squeezed Esther’s hand. ‘Thank you. I’d love to learn more about your suffrage efforts, too. If there’s nothing else I’ve learned through my estrangement from my husband, it’s women must unite. Now, I can hear the children. Shall we go into the dining room?’
She swept from the room and Esther slowly rose from the settee. Lawrence drained his sherry, placed his empty glass on a small side table and offered her his elbow.
‘You know…’ he sighed, as they left the drawing room, ‘Cornelia isn’t usually this animated about anything. You’re having the most bizarre effect on her.’
‘I can’t imagine what you’ve said to her to make her think me such an exciting dinner guest.’
‘All I’ve said…’ he leaned closer, his warm breath tickling her ear, ‘is you are special, talented and incredibly beautiful.’
She shivered and leaned away from him, arching her eyebrow. ‘Is that all? Well, I really thought I would be worthy of so much more.’
He gently placed his hand at the base of her spine. ‘Into the dining room with you, Miss Stanbury. The evening is young. Who knows what else might be added to your list of attributes?’
Laughing, they walked downstairs and into the dining room.
The moment Rose and Nathanial turned from their chattering with Helen and saw Esther standing at the door, they clambered down from their seats at the table and ran forward, wrapping their arms about her waist. Esther squeezed them tight, tears of happiness burning behind her eyes as she sent up a silent prayer of gratitude to God for granting her such contented delight.