Page 2

On the next bench, she could hear the toddler she had been carrying complaining to her mother that she was hungry. Georgiana wondered if she should buy them something. She peered into her reticule, seeing that she had a few silver coins.

A fortune to some.

She looked around the inn with a cautious eye. Having grown up in a household where she needed to be careful of expenditure and be as discreet about it as possible, she was familiar withwant and hunger. If she could help the young mother feed her children, she would be glad to but not at the expense of her safety.

Caroline soon returned with her ale. “Your food will be ready shortly.”

Georgiana beckoned to her to come closer and saw Caroline frown as if worried that Georgiana would insist on teaching her a poem, but she obediently bent closer.

“Could you make sure the young mother and her children have something to eat? Put it on my bill.”

Caroline beamed. “That is truly kind of you, ma’am. Do not worry, I will not say a word, and nobody will know it is you that is paying,” she whispered with a small giggle.

“Thank you,” she replied, blushing a bit with embarrassment.

It was all so unnecessarily dramatic. Caroline practically crept towards the young mother and Georgiana rolled her eyes as she took a sip of her ale. It was quite sweet and much to her surprise, she found that she liked it a lot.

She could not recall having drank ale before.

Who knew it was this good?

She took another sip and relaxed, feeling quite at home in the establishment. Shortly, she received a tray laden with a bowl of steaming stew and a whole loaf of bread, together with a pat of butter. She swallowed hungrily, immediately cutting a piece of bread and spreading it liberally with butter before taking a bite.

“Mmm,” she said appreciatively.

Caroline beamed. “You like it?”

She nodded.

“Good. I have ordered the same for Missus Beamer and Sue. The other babe is too young for solid food. Still breastfeedin’.”

Georgiana acknowledged the serving girl’s update with a raise of her brow. She had been sitting next to the woman for five hours and had not gotten half the information Caroline had obtained in mere minutes.

“That is good.”

Caroline gave a clumsy curtsy and skipped off.

If she thinks she is being discreet, she is sadly mistaken.

She ate quickly, realizing how hungry she was. There was a pleasant buzz around the room as people conversed around her. She felt no need to speak with anyone aside from Caroline, whocame up to her from time to time to check if she needed anything else.

Even as she kept her head down, she made sure to keep her ears open for any mention of a young lady with straw-colored hair and brown eyes or a tall slim gentleman who was loud, demanding, and entitled.

Surely someone would remember him.

“Still worried about your sister?” Caroline asked, putting down a second tankard of ale unasked.

Georgiana sighed. “Yes. She is quite young and easily led.”

Caroline sat down opposite Georgiana. “And the dandy? He is a bit of a cad, is he not?”

Georgiana laughed bitterly. “A little more than a bit,” she said.

“Does he want to despoil her and then abandon her, hopeless and alone?” she asked breathlessly, her wide eyes shining with interest.

Georgiana closed her eyes. “God, I hope not.”

She was beginning to realize that Caroline possessed a flare for drama that could rival Daisy’s.