A Rose for Laura by Callie Hutton

13

Keniel bounced the unhappy baby in his arms and continued to pace. Babies crying and dogs barking were always on his list of sounds he couldn't abide.

Laura came flying into the room, out of breath. "What's wrong?"

"Aside from squalling babies, sick caretakers and neither of us familiar with the care of infants?"

She placed her hand on her chest. "Why did you call me? You frightened me. I thought things had gotten worse."

"I was desperate. Another one woke up and started crying. Now we have eight babies to deal with. I just hope the other two stay asleep."

"One hopes, but since I am not familiar with the care of babies, maybe once we get the others fed we should consider waking up the other two and feeding them as well."

Keniel's brows almost rose to his hairline "Wake them up? I think you have lost your senses, Miss Benson."

"Not necessarily. We don't want them to wake up hungry as soon as the others are all settled for the night." She moved to one of the cribs and picked up the baby. Rubbing the little one's back, she began pacing back and forth as they'd been doing since they'd arrived from the soiree.

"Is Mrs. Evans making the porridge?"

"Yes. She was quite alarmed to learn that you were handling babies."

"Not as alarmed as I am, for sure," he mumbled as he passed Laura going in the other direction.

"I wonder how Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Baker do this day after day?" She switched babies, returning a crying one to his crib and picking up a screaming one. "I'm thinking with the extra money we will be getting from the new sponsors, we should hire another caretaker."

"Or two. Maybe three. I'll pay." He continued his trek across the floor. He looked down at the baby in the crib next to him who was beet red from crying. With a sigh he put down the one he was holding and picked the other one up. And continued with his march.

There didn't seem to be any reason to attempt conversation because they had to shout at each other, so they walked in silence. After about twenty minutes, Mrs. Evans hustled through the door with one of his maids behind her, who looked as though she had just been awakened from a comfortable deep sleep.

Both women carried trays with bowls and a large pitcher. Mrs. Evans put her tray on a table by the wall and directed the maid to do the same thing.

"I thought with the four of us we could get the babies fed quicker," Mrs. Evans said.

"Excellent idea. Remind me to raise your pay."

His housekeeper scooped a blob of what Keniel assumed was the porridge into the four bowls. She handed one to him, Laura and the other maid, whose name he couldn't remember, which embarrassed him since he'd always known the names of those who served him. Perhaps the din in the room had dulled his memory.

Each bowl also had a spoon tucked into the glob. They each found a chair and began to feed the babies. The little ones must have been quite hungry because they gobbled down the mess quickly.

Just having four babies with their mouths busy cut down on the noise in the room. Five were now screaming because another one had awoken.

"I have three baby bottles here that the caretakers use. When you're finished with a baby, pass her or him along to me, and I'll start the milk feeding," Mrs. Evans said.

Laura stood and handed her baby to Mrs. Evans who placed the nipple in the child's mouth. Even those who had not received the milk yet lay quiet in their cribs once fed.

After close to forty-five minutes the room was blessedly quiet, and Mrs. Evans and the maid had begun changing nappies. Keniel found the silence deafening, but welcoming. He turned to Laura and had to keep from grinning. She was, without a doubt, a mess.

Her gown was wrinkled and spotted with strange things. Her hairdo had come undone, and streams of curls hung limply from her head. She looked as though she could drop in the very spot she stood in and sleep for hours.

"Mrs. Evans, if you have everything under control, I would like to escort Miss Benson home."

"Yes, of course, Mr. Singh. Catherine and I will finish up here."

Ah, Catherine, that was the young maid's name. He nodded. "Thank you. I do appreciate both of you giving up your sleep to help us out." He extended his hand to Laura. "Come, let me see you home."

Instead of arguing that she could go by herself, she merely nodded and took his hand. They descended the stairs and he helped her into her cape.

Laura raised her hand over her mouth to stifle a yawn. "What time is it?"

Keniel checked his timepiece. "A few minutes past three o'clock."

Once they were in the carriage and on their way, he rested his head against the squab and then decided that wasn't a good idea because he would probably fall asleep as he was having a hard time keeping himself awake. That seemed odd to him because he spent long nights working at the club. Of course, handling adults, even those who had too much to drink and were losing money, was easier than dealing with numerous squalling babies.

Keniel walked her up the steps and since it was so late, she used a key to open the door. "Good night." She stepped over the doorway and quietly closed the door.

* * *

Laura wearily climbedthe stairs to her bedchamber. What a disaster the evening had turned into.

As she undressed the best she could since her maid was sound asleep in the next room and Laura didn't have the heart to wake her up, she tried to think of what her next step should be since the townhouse she and Keniel had viewed seemed perfect.

So much had happened since they'd left the soiree that she'd also almost forgotten gaining a new sponsor. Hopefully she would receive the final documents from Lord Hereford soon since she wanted to lease the new residence but needed to assure the committee members that they could afford it.

Hunt's sponsorship would help as well. Hopefully, the new residence would not be snatched up by someone else before she could see exactly how much the new sponsors were willing to contribute. Since Keniel had found the townhouse, with luck, he would be able to convince the owner to wait until Laura had a definite way to pay for the home.

Her head spinning with information, she donned her comfortable cotton nightgown and crawled into bed. The long evening and taking care of babies worked their toll on her however, and she was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the comfortable pillow.

"Miss Benson,I have two messages for you." Sophia, her lady's maid stood over her, waving papers in her hand. Laura closed her eyes and rolled over, pulling her pillow over her head. "No. Not yet. It's too early."

"I'm sorry to tell you it is not too early. In fact it is past one o'clock in the afternoon."

Laura moved the pillow off her head and turned to stare at the woman. "One o'clock? In the afternoon?"

"Yes, miss, I've not known you to sleep so long. It must have been quite a party last night."

"Yes, a party." Laura shifted her body so she sat with her back resting against the headboard. She yawned and stretched, slowly coming awake. Noticing Sophia still held the missives in her hand, she reached out for them.

The first one was from Keniel who wrote that unless he heard back from her, he would visit at two o'clock that afternoon. The second one was from Lord Hereford who said he would have the papers ready for her perusal the next morning and would send them by messenger.

"Two o'clock! I better hurry and dress. Can you have a quick bath set up in the bathing room, Sophia?" She threw the covers off and swung her legs over the edge of the bed.

"Yes, miss. It won't take long. I already have your outfit for today set out. I chose the lovely yellow walking dress which looks so wonderful on you."

"Thank you." Laura moved from the bed to the window, her spirits immediately lifting at the bright sunshine pouring through the window. "'Tis a lovely day."

An hour later, she'd barely fastened her bracelet which completed her outfit when Sophia arrived at her bedchamber door with the news that Mr. Singh had arrived and awaited her in the front parlor.

Laura hurried down, her stomach growling. It had been many hours since her dinner the night before. On her way to the front parlor, she stopped one of the footmen and asked him to request a light lunch be sent in. With that finished, she entered the room to see Keniel standing in front of the window, his hands clasped behind his back.

She was struck by his countenance. His wide shoulders filled out his jacket well and his trousers clung to powerful legs. He stood with his feet apart, all confidence and strength. A noticeable fluttering joined the hunger pangs in her stomach.

He turned, his eyes taking her in. "Good afternoon, Miss Benson."

She dipped a curtsy although it wasn't necessary since Keniel was not a member of the aristocracy. Then she remembered that being the son of the former Earl of Huntington and the brother to the current one, he was indeed due a curtsy.

"You slept well, I hope," he asked.

"Yes. I hardly remember climbing into bed last night. My maid only woke me an hour ago." She took a seat near the window, enjoying the warmth from the sun. "How are things in the nursery?" Another reason to feel bad sleeping so late. The orphans were her responsibility, yet Keniel was the one dealing with them in his house.

"Actually, I'm assuming quite well. Things were quiet when I arose, and Mrs. Evans informed me that Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Baker were feeling better and had resumed their duties."

"Oh, thank goodness." She shook her head. "I'm so glad they're well, but more so since it must have been something they ate to have recovered so swiftly. That also means it was not some sort of ailment that they could have passed along to the children."

"Miss Benson, Cook has sent in a light lunch to the dining room for you and Mr. Singh."

Laura looked up as Marvin, the footman she'd asked to request lunch, entered the room.

"Thank you." She stood and Keniel rose alongside her. "I haven't broken my fast yet today. Will you join me for lunch?"

"Yes. Thank you."

Once they took their seats at the table, the sight of a tureen of soup, a tray of sandwiches and a platter of cheese and fruit had her stomach rumbling again.

Laura moaned as the lovely thick soup slid down her throat. She opened her eyes to see Keniel staring at her in a strange way. She felt her cheeks flush and he cleared his throat.

"The reason I asked to speak with you today is I am working at the club tonight and I am quite certain I will see Mr. Murray there, the owner of the townhouse we viewed, since he rarely misses a night of gaming." He nodded his thanks as Laura poured tea for him.

"I want to make certain that you are definitely interested in the property. I assume since you said you've just awoken that you have not spoken with the other committee members?"

"No, I have not spoken with them, but I don't want to lose the residence, either, so I will make the decision for all of us and say yes, please advise Mr. Murray that we will take the townhouse."

"I will tell Murray to go ahead and notify his man to draw up the paperwork. I'm sure he will be pleased because he is to leave for the country in a few weeks for the winter and wanted this settled before he left."

They finished their lunch congratulating each other on how fine they handled the crisis the night before. Eventually, Keniel checked his timepiece. Snapping it closed and tucking it into his waistcoat pocket, he said, "I'm afraid I must leave now. I am past the time I normally arrive at the club."

Laura pushed back her chair and stood. "Of course, I'm sorry to have kept you so long." She strolled with him down the corridor to the front hall.

"It was my pleasure, and you didn't keep me so long. I don't often share a table with such a charming and lovely hostess." He studied her for a minute as if deep in thought. "Would you care to see how a gaming club operates?"

Her eyes grew wide at those unexpected words. "Yes. I would. It sounds so interesting."

He turned so the butler could help him into his coat. "I know you were there briefly when you learned the orphans had to be moved, but you didn't really see anything. As you were probably told, we do not allow ladies on the gaming floor of the club, but on the upper floor, besides the dining room, there are offices and a large glassed-in area where the gaming can be observed.”

She wagged her finger at him. "I still believe some of the men who patronize the club are responsible for the abandoned children, but I think seeing how it is actually run would be fascinating. And I have come to know you and your brothers as honorable men, so if such a place must exist, I'm glad it is your family."

He dipped his head slightly at her words. "If you care to come tonight, I can send a carriage for you." His demeanor changed. "Unless you have other plans. I'm sure you do, actually, since you are quite busy."

She shook her head, interest building inside her. "No. I do not have anything planned for this evening that is as interesting as a gaming club." Not exactly a lie because the musicale she was to attend that evening was merely a repeat of Lady Donovan's three daughters' performance from other years. She would send a note around, begging off with a megrim.

Keniel's face lit up. "Excellent. If Mr. Murray is at the club tonight, I can bring him upstairs to meet you."

She felt like a child awaiting her birthday party, although still feeling guilty to experience such joy at a place where men lost money that could be used to help orphans. "That's a wonderful idea! He can meet me, and I can assure him we will take excellent care of his property."

Keniel took his hat from the butler and placed it on his head and stepped out the door. "I will send a carriage for you around nine o'clock."

"I shall be waiting."