Page 14 of An Honorable Arrangement
"I'm sorry." Tears threatened, and she ran ahead to the Wayfarer. She used her coat sleeve to wipe her face as she reached the steps to the hotel.
"Miss Sommers!" Captain Phillips called from the street.
Sarah took a deep breath and faced him. "Hello, Captain."
Mrs. Cochran stood by his side but sheepishly looked away from Sarah.
Stepping down, Sarah went to the cook. "Mrs. Cochran, it was kind of you to come."
At a jog, Montgomery joined them. "Captain, Mrs. Cochran, good to see you both again. Why don't we sit down and talk inside?"
ChapterFive
It shouldn't matter what Sarah Sommers thought of men or him, but the idea that she believed he would behave how that pig of a cousin of hers had hurt him more deeply than he cared to admit. Even so, he needed to protect her. There was something about her that touched him and made him want to keep her safe.
Monty secured one of the Wayfarer’s private dining rooms. As he held a chair for Mrs. Cochran, he ordered tea.
Captain Phillips smiled at Sarah, making Monty want to break his perfect nose. He restrained himself and asked, "What brings you here this evening?"
The Captain looked to the cook, but when she didn't speak, he said, "Mrs. Cochran has worked at Fallcrest Manor for many years. I thought she might be able to inform Miss Sommers of things that would help in any decisions she might need to make."
"What might you wish to tell me, Mrs. Cochran?" Sarah's tone was kind and soft when she spoke to the mousy cook.
Tugging on the edge of her cap, Mrs. Cochran glanced around the table. "What do you wish to know, miss?"
"Were you at Fallcrest when I was born?" Sarah leaned forward, and the movement pushed her breasts to the edge of the table.
They swelled above the square neck of her dress and proved distracting.
Mrs. Cochran checked the door as if her employer might burst through at any moment. "I came to Fallcrest the year after you were born. You were just walking." She grinned. "It was a very happy time. You wouldn't have recognized Mr. Sommers if you saw him then. He was a different man."
"Why was that?" Sarah cocked her head.
Lord, she was adorable.
A perplexed look crossed Mrs. Cochran’s face. "Well, because the missus was still alive, and he'd not started in on the drink."
"You must be mistaken. My mother died when I was born." Gaping, Sarah sat back.
Mrs. Cochran looked ready to bolt from the inn.
Not ready to let that happen, Monty smiled. "It's all right, madam. Just tell us what you know. It may be that Miss Sommers was misinformed."
"The missus died when you were just two. The other servants said she'd never been the same after giving birth. They said she remained sickly and sad after you were born. Then one day, she spent the morning playing with you. We all thought she'd taken a turn for the better. She called for your nanny to take you to the nursery and threw herself from the window." Mrs. Cochran looked down at her hands.
Sarah's eyes were wide and filled with tears. "She took her own life? You must be mistaken."
"I'm sorry, miss. I wish I was."
The tea arrived, and while it sat in the middle of the table, no one moved to pour.
Sarah stared at her hands clasped with white knuckles on the table. "Is that when my father began to drink?"
"Yes. At first, he was sad over his loss, but then his sorrow turned to anger. He's rarely sober now, and even when he is, he's mean and dangerous." Mrs. Cochran shrank into her seat as if the admission might bring her employer out of the walls.
"And he blames me for my mother's death. I can see why now."
Captain Phillips took charge of the tea and handed Sarah a cup. "You must see that he is misguided. Your mother suffered, certainly, but it was not the fault of a two-year-old child."
