Once Mrs. Ward had finished bathing, she was dressed in the nightgown and put in bed. A knock sounded on the door. “Who is it?”

“Mr. Patterson. I’m the doctor.”

She opened the door and was pleased to see that he was relatively young. Probably not much older than Matt. “Please come in. I sent for you out of caution. Mrs. Ward was half frozen when we found her and the children.”

Eleanor stood back while he examined Mrs. Ward. A few minutes later, he glanced at the children. “When was the last time you ate?”

Billy shrugged. “Yesterday or the day ’afor?”

“Feed them all broth and bread. Nothing heavier until tomorrow. How long are you here?”

She looked at her maid, who went to the door. “We will go to my home in the morning.”

“Try to keep Mrs. Ward as warm as possible. If you had not found her when you did, she could have died. You should also know that she is with child.”

“I understand.” A thought occurred to Eleanor. “You do not seem surprised by any of this.”

The expression on his face was grim. “You might not have heard about the miner uprising in the area. Several men were killed, and their families as well as those of some of the organizers have been left to the mercy of the mine operators. I am not surprised. I wish there were more people like you to help them.”

Con Kenilworth, her brother-in-law, got all the newssheets; this could not have occurred more than a few days before. “Thank you for coming. How much do I owe you?” The doctor appeared uncomfortable with her question. “Perhaps you would like to send the bill to Worthington Place, near Kettering.”

“Thank you,” he said in a relieved tone. “I must admit, I have never taken money from a lady.”

Jobert slipped back into the room, followed by a servant carrying a large tray with bowls of soup, bread, and a pot of butter. When the doctor left, she whispered, “Whitmer said to tell you there’s a man in the common room looking for a family by the name of Ward. He said they belonged to him.”

Belonged to him? “There is no slavery in England.”

She nodded. “That’s what he told the man. He said he and the other outriders will take turns sleeping by the door, inside if the family didn’t mind.”

“Does he think the landlord might tell this man they are here?” Jobert shook her head and shrugged. “Let the landlord know I will match what that scoundrel is paying him and tell Lord Kenilworth how he helped us.”

A rare grin appeared on her face. “That should do it, my lady.”

That was what Eleanor had thought. “I still think we should take precautions.”

“Yes, my lady.” The maid left the room again.