Helena felt anxiety building inside of her.
What if I have put Charlie in danger?
“There is no way they would have known it was her,” Amelia chimed in seeing Helena’s anxiety. “We were very careful.”
Her reassuring words seemed to be more for Helena rather than Silas.
“You are lucky that my men are posted everywhere and would have warned me if there was somebody watching us,” Silas said, his voice still tinged with tension. “But you didn’t know that. Next time you feel the need to follow my sister into one of her schemes, have the courtesy to consult me first.”
“I only wanted to help—” Amelia whispered, but the words caught in her throat as she made a pained sound.
Then, she got to her feet and darted out of the dining hall.
Helena half-rose to follow her.
“Let her go,” Silas said, his tone softer, but still firm. “She’s frustrated, and frankly, so am I.”
Helena glared at him. “She’s a young lady who simply wanted to distract me from worry. There was no need to be so harsh.”
Silas let out a heavy sigh. “I’m not angry at her. I’m angry at myself for not keeping better control of the situation. But if you’re going to defend her every time she acts recklessly, how can I trust that you’ll listen when it’s really important?”
Helena’s brow furrowed. “You think you’re the only one entitled to act, to protect. I’m not some helpless girl for you to control.”
His expression softened slightly, but the frustration in his eyes remained. “That is not what I am trying to do. I don’t want to control you. But you, both of you, need to understand the stakes. You can’t just run off, not knowing what’s at risk.”
Helena’s voice shook with anger and frustration. “That’s because you keep everything to yourself. You think you can handle it all, but you don’t realize how lonely it is when you’re kept in the dark. You don’t let anyone help you. You don’t even let anyone in.” She shot to her feet, her fists clenched at her sides. “And you could try to be kinder to Amelia. She wants to be close to you, but you push her away at every turn.”
Silas gave her a puzzled look. “I do not?—”
“Perhaps you should ask her before making assumptions.”
Feeling completely fed up with him, she marched off, fuming as she climbed the stairs in search of Amelia.
She found the girl in her chambers, crying softly into her pillow.
“Now, now, darling, we cannot have that,” Helena said as she sat on the edge of Amelia’s bed and rubbed her back. “Your brother may be stubborn, but I know he didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”
Amelia sat up and buried her head in Helena’s chest, still weeping. “I’m sorry for putting you in danger. I did not mean to. Can you forgive me?”
Helena embraced her. “Hush now. You did not put me in danger. That was a very kind thought. I do not want you to let your brother’s words spoil it. We had a lovely time today, did we not?”
Amelia hiccupped, sniffed and nodded, her head still buried in Helena’s bosom.
“Well then? Why all these tears?”
Finally, Amelia lifted her head, staring at Helena with dewy eyes. “I’m so glad you came here. I don’t know what I shall do when you leave.”
Helena frowned and felt as though she could hear her heart actually crack. “Even if I leave, that doesn’t mean we will not seeeach other again,” she spoke gently, “You have my word that I will make sure we do.”
Amelia buried her head back in Helena’s chest, bursting into more tears.
“You know what I think?” Helena said.
Amelia shook her head.
“I think that you’re hungry. Shall we ring the bell and have someone bring us something to eat up here?”
Amelia chuckled wetly. Sitting up and wiping her eyes, she nodded.
