Hannah turned to her. “You knew about this, Natalie?” She looked wounded, and Natalie suddenly felt guilty for not telling her.
“George and I did not tell you because we did not want you to worry, Hannah.”
George cleared his throat. “Living in London is very expensive, and when Natalie and I discussed it, we thought it would be best to plan to move this winter.” Hearing that, Hannah’s frown deepened, but George was quick to continue elaborating. “We are hoping that our situation will change. I made some acquaintances that might benefit us.”
"I'm not a child, Brother. You should have told me." Hannah seemed to be more bothered about not knowing than they thought. "After all, we must do what is necessary to live well."
Natalie began to understand the reason for her displeasure. She was a clever young woman who used her wit to earn and contribute to the household expenses. It was most unfair of Natalie and George to decide without her, even though it was for her benefit. As her lips parted to speak, Hannah turned and opened the door.
“We should have told her,” George sighed, squeezing the bridge of his nose. “Why did we think that protecting her from this would be better?”
Natalie placed a comforting hand on his arm before following Hannah out. When she did not find her in any of the rooms downstairs, she checked her bedchamber. “Hannah, may I come in?” she asked after knocking.
She heard a sniffle before her cousin answered, and when she walked in, her heart fell at the sight of Hannah’s eyes brimming with tears. Natalie quickly went to her and took her hands. “We wanted you to continue your search for a husband without worry. We see our mistake now, Hannah. Forgive us.”
Her cousin wiped the lone tear that fell onto her cheek with her sleeve. “I understand, Natalie, and I appreciate your concern. If selling the house and moving will solve our problems, then I don’t see any reason why we should not.”
Hannah moved away from her and sat in a chair, blinking furiously to keep her tears from falling. Natalie thought there was another reason for her cousin’s pain, and it might have a lot to do with Viscount Wessberg. Was Hannah in love with him? If the notion of being parted from him made her cry, then she might be.
What is keeping him from proposing?
Natalie knelt in front of her and took her hands again. “Everything is going to be all right, Hannah. Fate may yet look kindly upon us with George making acquaintances that could become business associates.” Hannah nodded, but she did not look convinced, prompting Natalie to add, “We must always be bold enough to go after our hearts’ desires.”
That made Hannah sigh. “Thank you, Natalie.”
“Of course.”
Natalie left her, and on her way downstairs, she was stopped by the butler with a letter for her. “The messenger is awaiting a reply, My Lady,” he informed her.
There was no imprint on the seal, but her heart stuttered the instant she opened it and began to read.
I shall be waiting for you at eleven o’clock three nights from today to grant your wish to gamble at a gentlemen's club.
J.
She hurriedly penned a reply and handed it to the butler, and for the remainder of the day, anticipation and thoughts of Jasper distracted her.
Natalie was late for dinner, and when she went down to the drawing room, she found George waiting alone. “Where is Hannah?”
George frowned. “I suppose she is late, or she does not wish to eat with us tonight after everything.”
It was as they feared. Natalie was so excessively worried that she might skip dinner. “I will find her,” she said decidedly, exiting the room and heading up to Hannah’s bedchamber.
Her cousin was not in the bedchamber when she arrived, and Natalie was about to return to the drawing room when she looked behind her in the hallways and caught sight of her own bedchamber door open. Certain she had closed it earlier, she walked slowly toward it.
She pushed it open and walked inside. Hannah was standing near the bureau, reading what Natalie immediately recognized as the letter Jasper had sent her in the afternoon. Panic shot through her, and she dashed across the room to snatch the note from her cousin’s hand.
“I came in looking for you so we may go down to dinner together, and when I saw this, I was too curious, and I..." Hannah trailed off, and a look of guilt shadowed her face. “I am sorry. I did not mean to pry.”
Natalie watched her cousin to discern whether she knew the note was from Jasper, but nothing in her expression gave her a hint. Knowing Hannah very well, Natalie thought it would be better to tell her the truth. If she became more suspicious, she would ask more questions.
“We should go down to dinner,” Natalie said, folding the note and placing it in a small drawer at the bureau.
“Yes.” Hannah preceded her out of the room.
Dinner was quiet, but there was not as much tension as Natalie expected. In fact, Hannah’s spirits appeared to have recovered. As soon as the meal was over and George retired to his study, Natalie led her cousin back to her bed chamber.
“I am sure you are curious,” she began.
