Kendra smoothed a hand over her son’s shining hair. “Of course Lord Foxton can write, and you should write him back.”

“I will.” Christopher stepped away from her, his lip quivering. “Is this good-bye?”

Lady Agnes said, “I’m going to invite your mother and Lord Foxton to dine with me and spend the night, so you can say your good-byes in the morning if that’s agreeable to you all.”

Kendra glanced at Lucas, who nodded. “We’d love to. We can say our farewells after we’ve all breakfasted.”

Christopher gave her a big smile. “I’ll see you in the morning then!” He turned to Benjamin Thomas. “Where is the dining room?”

“On the ground floor of the residence hall. Come along now, Kit.” He flashed a mischievous glance at Lady Agnes. “The food is really pretty decent.”

“Considering the amount you young barbarians eat, it’s hard to get enough food on the table to feed you all,” she said fondly. “Now off with you, lads.”

The two boys headed off at a brisk pace while the adults followed more slowly. Kendra found her own mouth trembling. Lucas took her hand quietly. “I know it’s hard to watch him go, but children must learn to use their wings so they can fly.”

“And then they fly away,” Kendra said with a sigh.

“Yes, but that one will return to you regularly,” Lady Agnes predicted. “You’ve given him the love and confidence he needs to test those wings.”

Kendra prayed that the headmistress was correct. “Do you always spend so much time introducing new students to the school?”

“It varies,” Lady Agnes said. “Because Christopher is young and has gone through a difficult time with his father and his former school, I thought he needed the extra attention. Bringing his pony here was very wise.”

“I’m glad Patches arrived so quickly,” Kendra said. “Credit goes to Lord Foxton for knowing someone who could make it happen.”

“Making things happen is a gift you share with Lord Kirkland,” Lady Agnes said to Lucas. “He’s always looking for talented men and sometimes women to solve problems if you’re looking for work.”

Lucas smiled but shook his head. “I prefer to set bones.”

“In that case, you can work for me!” Lady Agnes said with a laugh. “I’m sure you can imagine the number of things a school full of adventurous young fools can break.”

“Indeed I can!” Lucas said feelingly. “If you have a boy with a problem that is difficult to fix, let me know. I’d be happy to come down to see what I can do.”

“I might take you up on that,” Lady Agnes said.

The three of them continued to chat amiably as they crossed back to the private wing of the school. Kendra felt light enough to fly. Her children were safe. Now she could concentrate on fixing her own life.

CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 26