Mercy asked Emmaline. Really, they ought to be practicing penmanship or working out sums, but the sun had come out, and Mercy was sure that children ought to spend time outdoors whenever the weather was decent.Emmaline’s pretty eyes sparkled for a moment, and Mercy took heart in that brief flash of interest. She was making progress with her pupil, and she knew that was as important as making sure the child could read and write and do sums. She hoped Emmaline would soon feel as comfortable with her as she’d have felt with her mother.Mercy corrected herself. That was not what she wanted at all. She wanted Emmy to feel comfortable and confident in her own skin, able to stand up for herself and not be afraid, whatever situation arose. She wanted her to establish some kind of bond with her uncle so that when Mercy left Ashby Hall, the child would not feel abandoned as she must have done when her father and then her other uncle had died.Because Mercy fully intended to compose her letter to Andrew Vale as soon as she put Emmaline to bed that night.
