Warmth stole through Allie. She genuinely liked the baroness, whose bright green eyes and rounded elfin features reminded Allie of a grandmotherly sprite. She was grateful to the woman for hiring her as her traveling companion. Without the baroness, she wouldn't have been able to afford the passage to England. And there was no denying that the baroness's lively, talkative nature and her energetic pets had relieved some of the loneliness Allie had lived with for so long.

"You were looking for me, Lady Gaddlestone?"

"Indeed, my dear. I wanted a private moment to thank you for your excellent companionship on this voyage. My previous companion who accompanied me to America proved most unsatisfactory." She leaned closer to Allie and confided, "Several times I detected the odor of brandy on her breath. Most shocking. But worst of all, she had no patience with the boys. Edward, Tedmund, and Frederick could not abide her at all. Oh, that Mrs. Atkins was simply horrid, wasn't she, boys?" The baroness wrinkled her nose and shivered, and the boys narrowed their black eyes and growled their agreement. Allie could almost hear them saying, "Yes, Mama, she was horrid, and if she ever dares come back we'll bite her ankles, chew her shoes, and piddle on her bedclothes… again."

"But you, my dear," the baroness continued, smiling warmly at Allie, "you are what I call a 'dog person.' Not everyone is, you know."

"I enjoyed your company as well, Lady Gaddlestone." She looked down and winked at the trio of mischief-makers. "You and the boys."

"Yes, well, I hope you enjoy your visit to my country." Her gaze flicked over Allie's black mourning gown. Sympathy softened the woman's features, and reaching out, she clasped Allie's hands. "Clearly you adored your David, but three years is long enough to mourn, my dear. I understand perfectly that it's difficult to move on. Heavens, I never thought I'd recover when Gaddlestone passed on. But time does heal those wounds."