At Alanna's suggestion, Randolph had ceased wearing a wig, and he plunked his hat atop his head and left the shop without telling his employees when, or if, he would return. He stormed down Duke of Gloucester Street, his hands clasped behind his back and an angry scowl on his face. People stepped out of his way, but he heard what they were saying behind his back.
That Alanna was staying with him was obviously common knowledge, but he could not understand why it was being viewed in such uncharitable terms. He had spent his entire life in Williamsburg, and was amazed to find people did not have a better opinion of him. He would have to write to his daughter that very day, so that she would hear the truth from him before one of her more ambitious friends sent word of her father's imagined indiscretion. Infuriated by the unfairness of the malicious gossip circulating about them, Randolph returned home in a wretched mood.
Seated at the window seat in the parlor, Alanna saw Randolph coming up the walk. He looked so upset, she laid her book aside and went to the door to greet him. "What's wrong, Randolph? Has my uncle been bothering you again?" she asked.
In the few days Alanna had been with him, Randolph had been enormously flattered by the depth of her concern. He wasn't used to being met at the door by a woman other than Mrs. Newcombe, and Alanna showed far more sensitivity to his moods than his housekeeper ever had. "No, I've not spoken with John since I picked up your clothes. There is a reason I'm home early though. Let's go into the parlor and discuss it."
Alanna understood what was the matter before Randolph had completed a halting preamble to the problem. "It's too late for me to find another place to live today, but I'll go out first thing in the morning, and look for new lodgings. Innkeepers don't have to worry about gossip the way private citizens do. In fact, a resident who's at the heart of a controversy is probably good for their business."
"No, you're not leaving here, and that's all there is to it. Neither of us is acting in a scandalous fashion, and I refuse to behave as though we were. Don't you see? If you move into an inn, people will assume we had something to be ashamed of, and we don't."
Randolph had tossed his hat aside as he had come through the door. With his boyish curls and bright blue eyes, he was such an attractive man, she wasn't surprised people were so eager to believe they were lovers. Remembering that Charity Wade had described him as fine-looking, she suddenly had an idea.
"Thank you for wanting to stand by me, but let's just wait and see what happens in the next few days. If the gossip subsides, fine, I'll stay, but if it continues to embarrass you, I'll leave regardless of how loudly you protest."
"No, you won't," Randolph argued.
"Yes, I will. You once asked to meet Christian, and I don't see any reason for us to abide by my aunt and uncle's rule forbidding him visitors any longer. Because you've come home early, would you like to see him today?"
Randolph saw through her effort to distract him from the issue at hand, but his curiosity got the better of him and he agreed. "Yes, I would." Eager to go, he rose to his feet.
"Good." Alanna kept her fingers crossed the whole way, but when they arrived at Charity's, nothing went as she had hoped. As she so often did, Charity came to the door holding Christian, but he had awakened from his nap feeling cranky and out of sorts. His face red from crying, he reached out for Alanna, but kept right on fussing.
"His gums are swollen," Charity explained. "I believe he's cutting his first tooth."
"Poor baby. He seems very unhappy about it, doesn't he?" Alanna quickly introduced Randolph, but rather than smiling prettily as she had expected her to, Charity just seemed embarrassed, gathered up her children, and disappeared into the bedroom for the entire duration of their visit. With Christian's mood so far from good, Alanna did not want to stay long anyway. Randolph's interest
in the child seemed sincere, but she did not want to risk boring him. She excused herself and carried the boy into the back room.
"Why are you hiding in here?" she whispered. "I thought you and Randolph would like each other."
Charity had been scrubbing the floor before they arrived. She was wearing a faded dress, and her hair was sticking out from under her cap in long, damp wisps. "Oh, Mrs. Hunter, he's a fine gentleman, and look at me! There's nothing for him to like."
"That's not true. I'll bring him back with me on Sunday. Put on your prettiest dress, and make the effort to smile at him. He'll like you, believe me he will."
Having no inkling of Alanna's matchmaking plans, Randolph began to criticize Charity as soon they left her house. "Are you sure that woman is giving Christian enough attention?" he asked. "She seemed overwhelmed with the responsibility for her own children, and the boy deserves the best of care."
"You're mistaken. Charity is wonderful to Christian. I simply chose the wrong time for a visit, is all. Christian was fine this morning. He's really a very good little boy, even if he was unhappy just now."
Randolph nodded thoughtfully. "Even if Mrs. Wade is a capable woman, her house is awfully small for four young children. You don't plan to leave Christian with her much longer, do you?"
Randolph wasn't aware of her argument with Hunter over the boy, and Alanna saw no reason to share such a private torment with him now. "If there were a way for me to nurse Christian myself, then I'd be raising him, but because I can't, he'll have to stay with Charity a while longer."
Randolph hadn't meant to broach such a delicate subject; badly embarrassed, he remained silent until they reached home. "I need to go back to lock up the shop. I'll see you at supper."
Alanna entered the house, discouraged her plan to spark a romance between Charity and Randolph hadn't had a more auspicious beginning. She had always considered Charity attractive, but apparently all Randolph had had a chance to observe was a harried young mother with more children than hands. Well, things would be different on Sunday, and she would hold a thought for them until then.
When Randolph came home, he handed Alanna a small box. "It's something for Christian. I should have thought of it earlier."
"Thank you, how sweet of you." Alanna removed the lid to find a small sterling silver bell suspended from a mother-of-pearl hoop. Christian's name had been engraved on the bell, and it was such a beautiful gift, she was deeply touched by it. "Thank you. You're the first person other than Elliott and me to give Christian a present. It was very thoughtful of you. You made this yourself, didn't you?"
"Yes. It's not just pretty, however. I've made a great many of those over the years, and babies love to chew on them. With teeth coming in, that will be all Christian will want to do."
Alanna shook the hoop, and the bell rang with a musical tone. "You do beautiful work. I've always enjoyed visiting your shop."
Randolph sat down beside her on the settee. "Thank you. Is there anything you'd like me to make for you? It could be a wedding gift. A teapot perhaps?"
The mention of wedding gifts made Alanna's heart lurch. Melissa and Ian had received so many pretty things, and yet they had all been left for Graham and her to pack away. No one was likely to give Hunter and her such lovely presents, but rather than gifts, she would have appreciated the kind words and good wishes she doubted they would ever hear. Randolph was her only friend, it seemed; she gratefully reached out to touch his sleeve lightly.