Red-faced, the housekeeper opened and closed her mouth several times, then allowed Trevor to take her by the elbow and lead her to a settee. Mary and her three charges retreated to the kitchen. Helen stoked the fire, Becca found the kettle, and Frederica brought fresh water. In moments the kettle was full and heating up. Mary’s eyes filled with tears. They were such dear girls.
Helen picked up the tea tray. “I am sorry, Miss Perkins. I promise Becca and I did not mean to poison the old Turnip—mostly because we did not think of it. We were trying to convince him to retire to Bath so that Poor Trevor could be the new chaplain. Murdering Reverend Turpin would have been much easier.”
Holding her breath, Mary could not believe her own foolishness. Why had she not thought to ask Lord Hampford to find Trevor a living? Both the duke and the duchess had a great deal of influence and many clerical livings in their gift. How clever and kind the Stringham sisters were to try to find a position for Trevor so that he could marry her. It was impossible to stay angry with her charges when they had her best interest at heart.
Frederica elbowed her sister sharply, and Helen raised the tea tray to strike her elder sister.
Holding up her arms, Mary said, “Now girls, no fisticuffs in the reverend’s kitchen.”
Helen raised an eyebrow, holding the tray in midair. “What about his parlor?”
“His hall?” Becca asked, grinning.
Mary bit her lower lip to keep in her laugh as the Stringham sisters all giggled merrily, their argument forgotten. “Thank you, my dear girls, for all your help with the tea. And especially you, Frederica, for identifying the valerian root. Now, why don’t I serve the tea and you return to the chapel.”
Becca put her hands on her hips. “But why do we have to go to the chapel? There will not be a Sunday sermon, after all.”
“Of course we are terribly disappointed,” Helen added with a smirk.
Reverend Turpin was not poisoned, nor did he plan to retire as far as Mary knew, but today would be the perfect opportunity for Trevor to preach in front of the duke and show how competent he was. Perhaps there were other livings in Lord Hampford’s gift. He and his wife certainly had a great deal of connections that could prove useful.
“Trevor, urrhhh, Mr. Wallace, will be giving the sermon,” Mary said in her strictest governess voice. “Please, go and be seated.”
Helen handed Mary the tray. “I will go and fetch Papa. I would hate for him to have a relapse of the Sunday sickness.”
The sisters chuckled and followed her out of the narrow kitchen. Mary took a few more steadying breaths before taking the kettle off the fire and pouring it into a glass teapot. She added the tea leaves and put on the lid. Placing it on the tray with a teacup and saucer, she carried it into the parlor.
Trevor sat next to Mrs. Turpin, whose coloring had returned to normal, and she was no longer frowning as she spoke to him. He had performed a miracle with his calmness and his willingness to listen. He was the perfect clergyman: adaptable enough to speak with dukes one day and harried housekeepers the next.
Mary set the tea tray on the table beside Mrs. Turpin. “Here is your tea, and you do not need to fret about the sermon. Mr. Wallace is a curate and can take your husband’s place. Lord Hampford will not be without a Sunday service.”
The housekeeper’s placid countenance turned abruptly to a frown when she saw Mary, but she nodded almost civilly.
Trevor shuffled to his feet. “If you will excuse me, Mrs. Turpin, it appears that I have a sermon to give.”
Mrs. Turpin stood and bowed stiffly. “You can borrow my husband’s robes, Mr. Wallace. They are hanging in the hall on the way to the vestry.”
He bowed his head, giving the older woman a warm smile. “I appreciate your thoughtfulness, ma’am. Good day.”
Taking Mary’s arm, Trevor escorted her out of the room and into the dark, narrow hall. “I-I have nothing prepared, Mary. I would have prepared for weeks to preach before a duke. I shall make a h-hash of it.”
She could hear the fear in his voice. “Take a deep breath and now let it go. And again. You will do marvelously well. You simply need to read a few scriptures from the New Testament. I suggest Luke 2 about the Savior’s birth. The Stringhams already like you and they are prepared to be pleased.”
Mary did not tell him of her plans to ask the duke for help finding Trevor a living. It would only make him more nervous. She picked up the black robes that belonged to Reverend Turpin and helped Trevor put them on. They were too large and her betrothed looked a bit boyish, like a young man trying on his father’s uniform. She straightened his dog collar and patted down the cowlick at the back of his head that always stood up.
“Any other advice?”
Leaning forward, she kissed his warm cheek. “Keep your sermon to a quarter of an hour. Lord Hampford usually begins to snore at that point.”
She patted his arm and then left him in the vestry and went out to take her seat next to the Stringham sisters. Lord Hampford sat between Becca and Helen, and they both had their elbows out as if ready to wake their father should the need arise. Mary sat next to Frederica, who took her hand for a moment and squeezed it.
Chapter 7
The sacred robes belonged to another man and made Trevor feel a bit itchy, even if he could smell that they were starched and clean. Taking another deep breath, like Mary taught him to, he released it and walked into the chapel. There were at least fifty people there. Five times the amount that had sat there before. They must have all filed in after Mrs. Turpin’s announcement of her husband’s condition. Sitting in the first row in the center was Lord Hampford, his daughters, and Mary. Behind him, Trevor recognized the butler, Mr. Harper, and the housekeeper, Mrs. May, as wellas a few of the grooms.
Had they come to hearhim?
His usual congregation was twice this size, but the humble church was nothing compared to the ancient splendor of this ducalchapel. Glancing upward, he saw the flying buttresses and the gargoyles perched to keep devils away. The mahogany podium in front of him was intricately carved with grape vines.