“What is it?” she asked, in an abrupt voice, caught at a disadvantage.
“I am sorry to interrupt,” he said. “But the driver told me to fetch you. He said we must be on our way on account of the snowfall.”
“Of course,” said Evelina, standing up quickly. “I was just thinking the same thing.” She paused, feeling disoriented. “How long have I been here?”
He smiled slowly. “About a half hour. Not so very long.” He paused, staring at the nativity scene. “It is beautiful. It reminds me of the orphanage where I grew up. They always put up a nativity scene for the children at Christmas. It is one of my best memories of my time there.”
Evelina gaped at him. He was speaking to her in such a free, easy manner, as if they were equals. This had never happened before.
She contemplated her options and thought.I could nod politely, keeping my distance, which was the appropriate action, or I could take the opportunity he was offering to talk to him, as if they really were equals. What will I do?
Chapter 4
Evelina kept staring at him. One minute turned into two. The coachman was starting to look embarrassed as realisation dawned on his face that perhaps he shouldn’t be talking about his life in such a way to a lady.
“I am sorry, milady,” he said hastily. “I have overstepped.” He took a deep breath. “I have never worked as a servant in a grand house before, and I forgot I shouldn’t address you in such a casual manner.”
Evelina smiled slowly. He was so discomfited and clearly hadn’t been aware it wasn’t appropriate to be talking to her in such a manner. He had disregarded the invisible boundary line between their stations.
But suddenly, she didn’t care about that invisible boundary line. She was curious about him. He was so friendly and open. He seemed like a nice person. As well as being one of the handsomest men she had ever seen, of course. But she tried to push that thought aside.
“Do not apologise,” she said quickly. “You grew up in an orphanage? Where are you from?”
He looked uncertain if he should reply. But then he smiled, regarding her with that open look again.
“I did,” he said. “St. Ursula’s Orphanage in Shrewsbury, where I have lived all my life, until I came here.” He hesitated, his gaze drifting back to the nativity scene. “The carers in the orphanage were kind and did extra things at Christmas for the children, so we wouldn’t feel like we were missing out so much, not having a family.”
Evelina’s heart contorted. What a sad start in life he had, although it sounded like the orphanage he had grown up in was better than a lot of them. And she knew now that he wasn’t from any of the rural villages around here. He was from Shrewsbury, which was the largest city in the county. He had journeyed a long way from home to take his new position at Bosworth.
“I am glad to hear that your Christmases were happy there,” she said in a gentle voice. “What else did the carers do for the children to mark the season?”
His smile widened. “We always had a Christmas play,” he said. “I was usually one of the sheep, or a shepherd. But Ididget the coveted role of Joseph in my last year there.” He laughed at the memory. “We also had a choir and sang Christmas songs for the local businesses in the area. On Christmas morning, they would reward us with the gift of an orange each, which we were very excited to receive.”
Evelina’s heart contorted again. To take such joy in receiving anorangeas a Christmas gift was truly astonishing. But then, she supposed thatanygift when one lived in an orphanage was something special.
She thought of how many gifts she and Richard had always received. Mama and Papa had always spoilt them. There was an abundance of wealth in her family. But it hadn’t just been the gifts, it had been spending that special day with family which had made the experience so rich. Something which the man standing in front of her had seemingly never experienced in his life.
“Were you always an orphan?” she asked in a curious voice.
He sighed. “I was around two years old when I went to live there,” he said, in a low voice. “I must have had a family until the time I was abandoned, but I can’t remember them.” He hesitated. “I have tried, but there is nothing. Just a blank slate.” His green eyes had a faraway look.
“No, there would be no memories,” said Evelina in a gentle voice. “Two years old is far too young.” She hesitated. “I am glad to hear that you have some pleasant memories from your time in the orphanage, at least.”
He smiled at her. “That is very kind of you, milady,” he said. He hesitated, his intense green eyes almost pinning her to the spot. Then they slid back to the nativity scene. “You enjoy the Christmas season very much, I see.”
“Yes,” she said, in a faltering voice. “I have always loved Christmastide; it reminds me of my late mother. I feel very close to her during this time.” She paused. “She is the one who started the tradition of delivering Christmas baskets to the villagers. She also used to take me here to see the Nativity scene in this church.” She smiled wistfully.
“I am sorry for your loss, milady,” he said in a soft voice. “You obviously loved her very much.”
Evelina’s heart twisted. “I did,” she said. “She was the centre pin of our family. My father feels her loss keenly. They were devoted to one another.” She took a deep breath. “But life goes on. I must try to fill the gap in our lives caused by her absence in any way I can.”
He kept staring at her intently. There was a sudden silence, filled with a strange tension that she had never felt before.
Abruptly, she realised they had been chatting away for over five minutes. It had flowed like honey. He seemed to realise it, too.
“We should get back to the carriage, milady,” he said.
“Yes,” she said, taking a deep breath. “Time has gotten away from me.” She hesitated. “I enjoyed our talk, Jude.”