This time, it was he who broke the spell, dropping his gaze, sitting back in his chair. “Susannah’s coterie of mothers have grown very fond of you, she tells me. I know they tease you. . . .”

“Teasing is a sign that they accept me. It matters a great deal to me, to feel part of things here.”

“We’re lucky to have you. I know Sue considers you her friend, and I—I don’t know what I’d do without you, to be honest. Even Esther and Molly have grown very close. Now,” Sebastian continued brusquely, picking up a stack of papers, “to work. I’ve had another of my parishioners complaining about the children’s hospital, I’m afraid. His little boy was in a dreadful accident, but there was no bed available, so they patched him up and sent him home. Don’t worry—it looks as if he’ll survive—but it shouldn’t come down to a question of blind luck. The hospital is simply too small to cope with the demand and it will get worse, for we have new families moving into the area all the time. All that can be done in this case is see what help we can offer the poor lad once he’s up and about again.”

FOR THE NEXT TWO HOURS Margaret methodically worked with Sebastian through the stack of correspondence, answering queries, making cases, setting those aside which required home visits. The door-bell clanged regularly, but Esther dealt with the calls, leaving them undisturbed.

“That’s the last of them for today, thank goodness.” Sebastian set down his pen, rolling his shoulders. “Although I do have one personal letter to write, to my sister Selina.”

“I didn’t know you had another sister.”

“She is married to another man of the cloth, as it happens. One rather higher up in the church hierarchy than I. It was through her husband that I obtained my living near Cheltenham.”

“Your well-heeled parish. Don’t you ever wish you’d remained there?”

“And married the fair Emily and had a brood of my own? Not ever.”

“The fair Emily? Were you betrothed?”

“No, no, nothing was ever formalised,” Sebastian said hastily. “She was Selina’s niece by marriage. She didn’t care for my choice of new parish, so that was the end of it. I couldn’t marry a woman who didn’t share my calling. I need someone at my side who is willing to muck in and help me improve the lives of my parishioners.”

“Which is precisely what you have in Susannah.”

“Indeed I do. Poor Sue. When Frederick died, he left her in somewhat straitened circumstances, and she was forced to return to live with our parents. It suited them, but not her. She was bored rigid.”

“So when you were posted here, she must have been delighted.”