The fortuneteller waved them over to a smaller tent. It had a banner with the words ‘Madame Zeta’ hung across the opening. As they followed her, the scent of burning incense met his nostrils and his eyes required adjusting to the dim light inside.
He ought not to have given into Eloise.
Again.
“Sit right here.” She pointed out a chair for him and another for the girls to share. Both of his daughters appeared quite fascinated by the woman, with all her rings, and earbobs and necklaces. Her eyes, a greyish blue color, contrasted vividly with the woman’s dark skin and black hair peeking out from beneath her scarves. Candlelight flickered eerily, creating long shadows on the tent walls as a gust of wind shook the transient structure.
“What is your necklace?” Eloise pointed toward a charm hanging on the longest chain around Madame Zeta’s neck.
More nonsense.
The woman smiled at his daughter, however, and held the charm out to Eloise and Althea for closer inspection. “It was given to me by my Mama, when I was your very same age.” And then she pointed out the circling lines and swirls. “It is the path of life and it is a secret charm for ladies.”
When she spoke the words, she stared across the room at him. “Fate reveals choices to all of us. Our fortune awaits us in the path we take.” Her voice lowered, with a hint of some accent he didn’t recognize.
“It’s pretty.” Eloise spoke the words in awe. Althea watched the woman with wide eyes. Likely now, the fortune teller would offer to sell it to him. She probably had dozens of others hidden away.
Enough was enough. He began to rise.
“You, sir.” She paused for dramatic affect. “Give. Hand. Now.”
Shaken by her bold declaration, he nonetheless held out his hand for her to take. She trailed her gnarled finger along his palm and then closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.
“The secret to finding your future lies in the fortune you lost in your past.”
She dropped his hand as though it had suddenly turned to fire.
He’d managed to do nothing but amass tremendous wealth over the entire course of his life. Unwilling to waste any more time, he stood and reached into his pocket to withdrew a few coins. “We thank you for your time, Madame Zeta.”
And for once, the girls did not resist him as they exited back into the sunlight and walked the distance to the travelling carriage awaiting them.
“What’s fate, Papa?” And, “Did you really lose something in your past?”
“Fate is for people who fail to order their own lives to their betterment.” He answered Eloise’s question. “And no, I’ve not misplaced a fortune. Unless you count my daughters, who are forever getting themselves lost by running off without permission.”
He lifted her into the carriage and turned back toward his other daughter.
“Papa, when can we get a dog?” Eloise seemed to have forgotten that he’d already given her an answer. She’d become quite good at that, forgetting his answer when it wasn’t the one she wanted to hear.
“Let’s get you a governess, first, shall we?”
Tilde stared out the carriage window at the passing scenery.
She had nearly said something––in that last moment––to remind him. He’d obviously not recognized her. But for all of thirty seconds, she’d wondered if there had been some truth in the fortuneteller’s words.
But of course, there had not been. He was obviously married.
And it would have been embarrassing if he had failed to remember her, even after prompting. Possibly, there would have been even more embarrassment if he did remember.
A wheel hit a rut and she clutched the leather strap on the wall more tightly. Her former employer had been quite kind in providing transportation so that she hadn’t been obliged to take the mail coach.
She’d always wondered how Jasper turned out, whether or not he’d found happiness.
Whether or not he was even alive.
She chuckled to herself. He was most definitely alive. And more handsome now than before. The line of his jaw had grown firmer. And his arrogance had matured.
She released a melancholy sigh.
