He nodded toward Edmund, who was reading silently at the other end of the table. Edmund looked up at their mention of his newspaper and obligingly pulled out the page of interest for Jane. He mostly read the racing section, anyway.
It was a large story, a full quarter of a page.
BACK FROM THE DEAD!
On Sunday last, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Williams of Egg Buckland parish, Devon, received a frightful shock to find their departed son returned to them! The young Lt. Eleazar Williams having been lost at sea without a trace in the service of Her Majesty’s Royal Navy two years prior, and being presumed dead by all, has provoked considerable interest by his return. Lt. Williams was seen last night in attendance at the home of Sir and Lady Thomas Kerr, of Berkeley Square, in the company of some two hundred guests of the most distinguished society, to whom he recounted the tale of his miraculous survival. A confidential source tells us the gentleman was held hostage by pirates until he could make his escape from this harrowing ordeal. The story does not end happily, however, for upon his return to native soil, the brave Lt. was heartbroken to discover that his once-intended bride had married another, and is now the Lady Kerr.
Jane’s eyes lingered over the description of Eli’s “harrowing ordeal.”
“Doesn’t it seem odd that the article devotes so much attention to Cecily?”
There could be little doubt who the confidential source was.
“Hmm?” Uncle Bertie said absently. “Oh, I don’t think so. It’s the tragic part of the story, isn’t it? Love lost, and all that.”
Never mind. There was no point in trying to illuminate Cecily’s faults. Perhaps an appeal to caution would serve her better.
“I think we might consider letting our connection to Lieutenant Williams lapse, Uncle,” she counseled. “Cecily is married to another man. It might give people the wrong impression if her former fiancé is seen lingering over our family.”
“Oh nonsense. No one will think anything amiss. Cecily adoresSir Thomas, and she doesn’t even live here anymore. What gossip could it possibly cause if Lieutenant Williams calls uponus?”
Jane bit her lip. She was still trying to think of a counterargument when her uncle continued, “Besides, weren’t you two rather intimate friends at one time? I thought that was how he met Cecily in the first place. I should think you’d be happy to see him again, alive and well.”
Jane winced.
It wasn’t that she enjoyed keeping things from her uncle. In fact, she confided in him quite often about other subjects. But not this.
He had a blind spot where his daughter was concerned. If she tried to explain her feelings for Eli, Bertie was sure to say something that would only make her feel worse, in spite of his best intentions.
“I suppose we saw one another fairly often that time Edmund and I stayed at Ashlow Park while you and Cecily went to Bath with the Lindens. But that was ages ago. I hardly remember it now.”
Edmund studied her from across the top of his paper. He was in a position to betray her, if he wished, for he’d seen exactly how much time she’d spent walking with Eli that summer. But he returned to his reading.
Perhaps it was a show of loyalty, or perhaps he simply didn’t care enough about the subject to be lured out of silence. Either way, Jane made a mental note to be kind to him.
After breakfast, Jane did as she’d been bid and had her maid curl up her hair, though it was probably for nothing. She would’ve rather spent the morning with Della than wait around in the hopes of a caller. She was dying to tell her how close she’d come to snaring Lady Eleanor, and they still needed to plan another meeting with Miss Chatterjee to put her skills as a dealer to the test. If she proved up to the challenge, Jane wanted her leading a third table by Monday. It felt urgent, all of a sudden. She needed to prove to herself they were serious, that all those memories were behind her andthiswas her future.
But at quarter past eleven, the much-anticipated knock sounded at the door and the butler showed Eli into their drawing room, where the family greeted him with refreshments.
It felt like the floor lurched out from beneath her feet when Jane saw him. Every time, the shock of his presence hit her afresh, and she had to look twice to check if he was truly there. When would she get used to having him back?
Her eyes were drawn to the hundred little details she hadn’t seen in years. The way his cropped hair was mostly straight but formed stray curls at the base of his neck. The way his warm brown eyes lit up with his smile as he greeted them, though their spark was subdued this morning.
He must have realized that only Uncle Bertie wanted him here. She’d made that clear enough last night.
Still, they traveled in the same circles and seemed doomed to see one another again. She would have to learn how to control these feelings. It had been so long, they should have died out by now, like any other passing fancy.
“The weather is very fair this morning,” Jane began, once everyone was seated and had received their tea.
“Yes,” he agreed stiffly. He studied her, no doubt searching for a safe topic.
Jane had brought her work out for the call, and she dropped her gaze pointedly to it now, ignoring how her hands trembled. She hated petit point. She had, in fact, been embroidering the same handkerchief for years, for she only touched it when she needed an excuse to ignore a visitor while appearing genteel. But those neglected little lilacs on the edges of her linen were a great help in keeping her eyes off Eli.
Bertie was immune to any awkwardness in the room. “Have you seen the papers, Lieutenant? There’s a quarter page on your return!”
“Ah.” Eli’s smile was strained about the edges. “Yes, I saw. I wish they hadn’t printed that.”
“Why on earth not?”
