Have Faith

Chapter 9

"There are far too many silent sufferers. Not because they don't yearn to reach out, but because they've tried and found no one who cares." Richelle E. Goodrich, Smile Anyway

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Chapter Nine

Faith found Lucy in the laundry room with Hattie just before tea time. Lucy was sitting on top of a pile of freshly laundered sheets playing with her doll, while Hattie folded linen.

"Hello," cooed Faith as she leant down to lift Lucy into her arms. Lucy nuzzled the crook of Faith's neck and her hair tickled Faith's nose. It was one of her favourite feelings in the world.

"We were wondering when you would return," remarked Hattie. "Did you find one then?"

"One what?"

"A gift ..." replied Hattie slowly. "Mr Kensington wanted you to help him find a gift, did he not?"

Faith suddenly remembered the false pretences in which Cassian had asked her out. She had initially believed him. She had thought that he wanted her help in picking out a present for a woman. And if she was being honest, she was glad that it was not the truth. It was selfish of her to think so, but it was the truth.

"Oh, yes," she replied. "He bought a painting." Even if it was of Mrs Forster's vile sister-in-law, Faith liked the story they had imagined up. It really had not taken much for her to imagine up that story.

"A painting?" repeated Hattie, abandoning her laundry. "That is not awfully romantic. Why did he not pick out a nice bauble? That is what I would want from an admirer."

Faith shrugged her shoulders as she peered down at Lucy. "Paintings can be romantic too," she said, especially when people buy them together. Faith pushed away the thought. "Thank you for minding her," Faith said appreciatively, changing the subject. "Was she good?"

"As good as gold," promised Hattie. "We washed the linens together, didn't you Lucy?" Hattie smiled at Faith's toddler. "Then when I went upstairs to change the beds, Lucy went with Mrs Denham and helped make this evening's pudding. You helped stir, didn't you Lucy?"

Faith beamed with pride, but also with gratefulness at the acceptance of her new friends in the household. They all had accepted Lucy so easily. It truly touched her heart. Even Mr Wade had warmed to Lucy. Lucy had a sweet way of wrapping people around her little finger. "Did you help stir, Lucy?"

Lucy bashfully hid her face as she nodded.

"Come on," Hattie urged. "Supper will be served any minute."

Faith was absent from the conversation around the table as she cut up Lucy's mutton into small pieces for her. None of the conversation was really aimed towards her when Lucy was around. The ladies all cooed at Lucy, who bashfully enjoyed the attention, and the men were talking about the latest parliament scandal.

Faith could not quite understand how her trust in Cassian had developed over the past week or so. The man managed to extract information from her that no one else ever had. Not that she made it difficult. She freely told him things, but why?

There was something about him. She had sensed it three years ago, and she felt it now. Cassian Kensington was different, and that made her nervous.

There was an innocence about Cassian. He had not grown up around the poison that the rich fed themselves. He was not raised to think that he was above anyone. If anything, he probably still felt as though he was equal to the lowliest street urchin in London.

Cassian seemed to enjoy the privileges that came with bring rich, without having the selfish, entitled, pretentious attitude that seemed to accompany most men.