"Well, don't take too long." Lady Charlotte patted her arm. "Now come inside before you drown. I need help with the breakfast."
BY THREE O’CLOCK, Victoria had regrouped.
The terrace was a wash, literally, but the library was perfect. Quiet, intimate, lined with books that gave it an air of gravitas. Her father spent most afternoons in the greenhouse anyway, and everyone else was occupied: Cathy napping, Archie hovering anxiously nearby with more cushions, Sophie at the stables with Fromage, Grandmother Alexandra doing whatever mysterious things she did in the afternoons that might involve gin. Even Ambrose was gone, going to pick up Lukas’s mother from the station.
Victoria had raided what remained of Lukas's flowers and arranged them in a vase on the side table. Not as impressive as the terrace display would have been, but acceptable. The ring box sat heavy in her pocket, ready.
She just needed to get Sasha here.
"Library?" Sasha said when Victoria found her in the morning room. "What's in the library?"
"A book. That I wanted to show you."
"A book."
"Yes. A very interesting book. About plants."
Sasha stood, looking amused. "Alright then. Show me this very interesting… book."
Victoria led her down the corridor, mentally rehearsing her speech. She'd practiced it a dozen times in the mirror thatmorning, edited it down to something that felt genuine rather than overly rehearsed. She knew exactly what she wanted to say.
The library was empty, afternoon light filtering through the windows, and for one perfect moment Victoria thought this might actually work.
"So," Sasha said, glancing around. "Where's this book?"
"Right. The book." Victoria took a breath. "Actually, there's no book."
"Shocking revelation."
"I wanted to talk to you. Properly. Without everyone else around."
Something shifted in Sasha's expression, her smile softening. "Okay. I'm listening."
This was it. Victoria reached for the ring box in her pocket, felt the velvet smooth under her fingers. "Sasha, I…"
The library door burst open.
"Przepraszam! Oh, tutaj jest!"
Victoria froze as a small, elderly woman bustled into the room, speaking rapid Polish and heading directly for the wingback chairs near the fireplace. She was wearing a floral housecoat and sensible shoes, and she moved with the confidence of someone who knew exactly what she was doing, even if no one else did.
"Um," Sasha said. "Is that…?"
"Lukas's mother?" Victoria said faintly. "Unless we know another Polish woman, yes."
Pani Kaminska had grabbed one of the wingback chairs and was attempting to drag it across the room, still talking cheerfully in Polish.
"Should we…?" Sasha started.
"Nie, nie, tutaj!" Pani Kaminska gestured emphatically at the other chair. "Pomóz mi!"
"I don't think she's asking us," Victoria said. "I think she's telling us."
"She seems very determined."
Pani Kaminska was indeed very determined. She was now repositioning a side table.
"Excuse me," Victoria tried. "We were actually just…"
