“But I caused it.”
The weight on his chest shifted, dug a sharp edge into his ribs. “I did the same to Marigold, didn’t I? I never asked what she wanted, I just assumed I knew.”
His mother said nothing as she watched the sheep with an affection he didn’t understand but recognized, nonetheless.
“I shouldn’t have acted without talking to her first,” he said, his breath catching as the words fell from his lips, the knowledge scratching at heart like pernicious thorns.
His mother was watching him, her gaze hot on his profile. “I don’t know exactly what you did wrong, but yes, you should have.”
This knowledge sapped whatever strength remained in his spine, and he fell back against the cool grass, his chest and throat burning. “I’ve lost her.”
His mother leaned back as well, and he wanted to curl up against her, a child seeking refuge in a storm of his own making. “You might have. But I wouldn’t count yourself out yet.”
“Why is that?”
“She’s the one who left. You need to be the one who stays.”
Chapter 37
Marigold’sgazescannedthebrick facade of the Westminster School, the spires of the medieval Abbey spiking into the sky behind the structure, and attempted to ignore the burning in her throat. The rumbling of London carried over the high walls and vaulted ceilings, but was muffled, as though a damper had been placed over her when she crossed into the courtyard.
Lily’s hand fell on her arm, and Marigold’s breathing eased. “It’s an excellent school,” her sister said. “The boys will thrive here.”
“How d-do you know?” How did any of them know the best way forward, the one that would protect her sons and allow them to flourish?
Lily scoffed. “Idon’t. I don’t have children. But you seemed satisfied, and you can trust your judgment as a mother.”
After Reggie requested to go to school, Marigold enlisted Lily’s help in writing to every parent they knew in London, inquiringabout options that wouldn’t require him to leave home. After visiting several sites, she felt the calmest in the school at the center of English government. Of course, she’d have to leave Yorkshire, but putting space between herself and Archie, all the memories they created together, would only do her good. The two weeks since the trial hadn’t granted relief, nor keeping herself busy packing up their temporary home. Now she could occupy herself with finding a new place to put down roots, this time at the heart of society.
She shuddered at the thought.
Marigold linked her arm with her sister’s and let her head fall against her shoulder. “I’m so grateful you came. I couldn’t have d-done this without you.”
Lily’s shrug bobbed Marigold’s head as she steered them through the adjacent cottage garden toward the high street. “All I did was call on some friends for advice. Besides, I needed some time away from the stables. Things are complicated.”
Marigold lifted her head and assessed her sister, noting the uncharacteristic tension in her lips. “Complicated how?”
“Whit is back.”
Marigold halted in place, too stunned to react to the incensed mutterings of the pedestrians behind her. “Whit?” she hissed. Her sister’s husband had been on the continent for going on a decade, so an unannounced return to England was nothing short of shocking. “What on earth d-does he want?”
“I have no idea,” she said, but the hair’s-breadth hesitation made Marigold suspect her sister knew more than she was letting on.
“And you’re happy with this?”
“Of course not!” Lily’s mouth worked for a moment as she crossed and uncrossed her arms. “I haven’t seen him in years.”
“So send him away!”
Lily shook her head. “It’s not so simple. Besides, I’ve been lonely, Marigold. I spent so long building a life around his absence, but now…”
Marigold grabbed her sister’s hands. “You’re d-doing so well without him.”
“Of course I am. I don’tneedhim. I don’t need anyone.” The tremor in her voice betrayed the potency of her words.
“Lils, what are you thinking?” Marigold steered her recalcitrant sister towards a tea shop, hoping some sugar and a powerful brew would give them both the fortification needed for the conversation ahead.
A moment later, they were seated with a tray piled high with petit fours and sandwiches, a strong cup of tea clasped in their hands. “I’m happy without him,” Lily said, but the furrow between her brow had deepened. “I don’t want to depend on anyone.”
