“What, Helena? What’s wrong?” Amelia reached out, touching Helena’s shoulder tentatively as if afraid to hurt her.
“Nothing’s wrong. I’m…” She huffed. “It’s nothing.” She dropped her hands, and gave Amelia a sheepish smile.
Amelia frowned. “It didn’t look like nothing.”
“Well…sometimes, I can work myself up over nothing. It’s silly.”
Amelia’s frown deepened. “Is it Silas? Did he do something?”
She shook her head slowly. “No. He’s been… he’s been a perfect gentleman.”
“Is it… me?” Amelia said in a small voice.
“God, no.” She reached for the younger girl, pulling her close and embracing her. “You have been nothing but wonderful. This is nobody’s fault but my own. But I’m better now. Thank you for pulling me out of that downward spiral.”
Amelia closed her hands around Helena, hugging her tightly. “You’re welcome.”
They stayed there, swaying slightly, just holding onto each other.
“Did I say how glad I am that you’re my sister now?” Amelia said eventually.
Helena laughed softly. “Yes, several times. But I enjoy hearing it anyway.”
Dinner with Helena and Amelia was particularly loud and boisterous. The women both seemed to be rather excited.
Silas wasn’t complaining. He could not remember a happier dinner being had at this table since the death of their parents.
Amelia was animated, regaling Helena with stories about her childhood.
“This one time, I decided to run away because Silas wouldn’t let me go to the fair.”
“I was trying to protect you. Fairs are full of vagabonds.”
Amelia waved off his interruption. “I completely lost my temper with him, so I went downstairs, packed up some biscuits in a kerchief and took off on foot for the village. I had decided I would run away to the circus.”
Helena giggled nervously, staring at her with wide eyes before she gave Silas a disbelieving look as if to confirm the story. He gave her a half shrug and she gasped, turning back to Amelia.
“How old were you?”
“I was about ten, I think. In any case, I was trudging along and it began to rain. I was getting very tired because I was not used to walking and I was beginning to regret not taking a horse.”
Silas held his chest in horror. “God forbid. You were not tall enough to ride. You could have broken your neck.”
He turned to Helena. “I found her curled up on the side of the road, fast asleep, as the sun was setting. We had looked for her everywhere.”
“That must have been quite harrowing for you.”
Silas nodded, opening his mouth to agree but Amelia interrupted that with a scoff. “Harrowing? What of me? Soaked through from the rain, bone-tired and hungry and hauled back home like a recalcitrant child.”
“You were a recalcitrant child,” Silas retorted. “Still are,” he continued in a lower tone.
“I was upset,” she hissed in annoyance.
“All right,” Helena said. “Enough of that. Did you ever get to go to the fair?”
Amelia shook her head sadly. “No, they never returned.”
“Oh, well… now that I’m here, I’d be glad to take you, should they return.” Helena reached out and grabbed Amelia’s arm consolingly.
