Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 76921 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76921 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 385(@200wpm)___ 308(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Sir Pavenham smiled at her indulgently. “I did know, my lady.”
Jane turned back to her pet, gazing hard at him. Her. “I only hope she doesn’t feel abandoned,” she said after a moment. “We have grown so close.”
“She will remember you with fondness, no doubt,” said Pavenham, “though she will be too busy going about her snake business to be maudlin about it.”
“Her snake business,” Jane echoed. “I like the sound of that.”
“We should return to the garden and our guests.” Townsend nodded at his friend, thanking him without words. “You’ll let us know when your trip is imminent, Pavenham, so we can convey Mrs. Cuddles to you in her traveling compartment?”
“Indeed. That will be excellent. My ship sails within a fortnight, actually. I’ll send a note within a day or two with more specific plans.”
Later that night, Jane lay in his arms and cried, sad tears mixed with relief. “It is for the best, isn’t it?” she asked.
“Of course, my love.”
He kissed and soothed her, and realized he also would miss Mrs. Cuddles when she left on her journey. The old Townsend had been horrified his wife communed with snakes. The new Townsend understood that exotic, unusual creatures could be a wonderful change from the proper and ordinary.
Love did change one, that was for sure.
Chapter Nineteen
Something Important
Two weeks later they went to the docks to bid farewell to Mrs. Cuddles. Jane had already said her goodbyes to her pet snake at home, in private, so she might not have gone at all except that Felicity and her family were sailing back to Italy the same day, on the same ship. That seemed to Jane a fair harbinger, even if the travelers would part ways after the first leg of the journey.
She knew she would see Felicity, Carlo, and their children again one day. That parting was sad but not unbearable. Parting with Mrs. Cuddles was a bit more unbearable, for she knew she’d never see her again.
She rode quietly on the way home afterward, looking out the carriage window at busy streets and busy people. She did not wish to cry. Why, Mrs. Cuddles was even now starting an amazing journey to return to her true homeland. Not only that, but a more trustworthy chaperone than Sir Pavenham could not have been found.
“Everything all right?” Edward asked. “Feeling heartsick, my love?”
“No, I will not grieve. I should not.” She lifted her head and met his gaze, attempting to smile. “Why, I’m excited that everything has worked out so well for Mrs. Cuddles. Will you be sad that your sister’s gone?”
“Of course. My mother will be very sad for a while, for she dotes on the grandchildren, but Felicity writes to all of us regularly. I imagine you’ll receive letters now as well.”
“I hope so. I’m glad I got to meet her and her family.”
They rode a while longer in silence, before Jane burst out emotionally. “It’s only that…I feel like a mama whose birds have all left the nest. Bouncer is gone, and now Mrs. Cuddles. I suppose I will feel like your mother does, pining for her grandchildren. I did love having my pets around.”
“Of course.” He took her hand. “But you will find other things to do with your time. Perhaps by next year we’ll have a baby in the nursery.”
Jane had not told him yet that her courses were late. Well, they were only a day or two late, but they’d always been so regular. A baby in the nursery…what a thing to imagine.
“Babies must be at least as difficult to care for as pythons, don’t you think?” she asked.
“I’d never thought about it in quite that way. But I believe babies take a great deal of care, and for many years.”
She hesitated a moment. “I suppose then it would not make sense to amass any new pets right now. Perhaps I should just reapply myself to gardening or…”
“I think gardening would be a good hobby for you now, yes. The groundsman was telling me of your assistance in the greenhouse, forcing flowers. He says you have a special talent for it.”
“I find flowers endlessly fascinating. Do you know they mate to reproduce in much the same way people do? Well, not the same way, but there is pollination that must happen. Fertilization between male and female parts.”
Edward grinned at her. “Male and female parts, eh? But not quite the same as what we do?”
She gave him a playful swat and looked back out the window, blushing. Why did she have the worst gift for conversation? Thank goodness her husband loved her anyway, despite her interest in awkward and strange things. She’d hoped he might encourage her to adopt some other pet, but if he thought gardening would be better for now, she was willing to spend her time on things that didn’t hop or slither. She would miss the petting and cradling and hugging, but if a child came to them soon, she could do all the cradling and hugging she wished.