Laudanum.
Footsteps made him jerk upright, and he turned to see Livy dashing into the room.
“I couldn’t wait…” Her gaze fell on Longmere. “Zounds.Is he…?”
“Dead,” Ben said grimly. “Of a laudanum overdose, it appears.”
21
1845, Fall
Livy is 16; Ben is 28
Dear Hadleigh,
It has been three months since I saw you last, and I hope you have been getting my letters. The ones I have been sending you twice a month. Mama says—and Papa agrees—that I must not pester you while you are in mourning, but I hope you find my correspondence a comfort and not a bother.
I wish I had more entertaining tales with which to regale you but, alas, you must content yourself with my schoolmiss adventures. Things have improved considerably at Mrs. Southbridge’s Finishing School now that Glory and Fiona are here with me. Sally Sackville is still up to her tricks—next time I will tell you what she did to poor Miss Tomlinson, a new pupil—and she even tried to give me, Fi, and Glory a mean-spirited moniker: the Willflowers.
Unfortunately for Sally, my friends and I like the name and have decided to keep it.
I hope you are sleeping and eating better and that the country air is improving your constitution. If you wish to reply, I will be at our London address until October. After that, we will return to Scotland. We will be hosting our usual Christmas and Hogmanay celebrations at Strathmore Castle, and you are invited, of course, but by no means obligated to attend (although I do hope you will).
Your ever faithful,
Livy
1846 Early Spring
Dear Hadleigh,
We missed you at Hogmanay, and I hope the Yuletide season brought you some cheer. Wherever you were, I hope you were not alone. I still have not received a reply from you, but I did see Aunt Beatrice, who said she paid you a brief visit. She seemed concerned about you, as any sister rightly should be. Yet when I suggested that I might visit you, she said something about leading a horse to water. In her example, I believe you are the horse, and I am not to try to force you to do anything.
Thus, I shall continue to wait for your return. Patience, as you know, is not one of my virtues, but for your sake I will strive for self-improvement. Mama read the last sentence over my shoulder and started laughing… I do not see what she finds so amusing.
Your ever faithful,
Livy
1846, Summer
Dear Hadleigh,
Thank you ever so much for the lovely birthday gift!
Even before I read the accompanying note, I knew it was from you. Who else would understand my fascination with spiders and send me such a marvelous book on the subject? The engravings are wonderful and delightfully lifelike. I could not resist showing it off to my friends at school. Of course, Sally Sackville had to butt in to comment on my “peculiar interests”…so I showed her the drawing of the Theraposa blondi (the Goliath bird-eating tarantula).
Her resulting case of the vapors made your present worth its weight in gold.
Now that I am seventeen, preparations are underway for my debut. Soon I will be presented at Court, and I have been practicing my curtsy for the Queen. Suitors have also begun to call, which is more a testament to Papa’s title and my dowry than any personal attractions I can lay claim to.
In this regard, I am sad to report that I haven’t changed much since you saw me last. Mama says I am a late bloomer, but I fear I might not bloom at all. I take comfort in knowing that, while I might not be the prettiest blossom, I am at least a hardy Willflower.
Your ever faithful,
Livy
P.S. My family and I visited Aunt Bea’s country estate last month, and I took my brothers swimming in the pond. Remember the swimming lesson you gave me there? As a tribute to your teachings, I dunked Chris and Will quite thoroughly. You would have been proud.
