Elaine’s eyes widened at that. “What is going on? Are you in some kind of danger?”
Miranda tossed aside her bonnet and her reticule, and as she was taking off her pelisse she said, “You can thank Mr. Gravehill for my current demeanor.”
Elaine frowned as she slowly sat down. “What has he done?”
“First, he takes me out on a boat ride on the lake this morning. We were having a perfectly lovely time. I was painting and he was reading, and then suddenly, he tells me how sorry he was for not returning my letters.” She threw her hands up into the air.
Her sister must not have understood, because she said slowly, “And that is bad because…?”
“That part was fine. I accepted his apology, and actually felt bad for him.” She expelled a heavy breath as she started to pace the room. “What I got angry about was the fact he told me he lives not far from here and he’s been doing so for the past several years!”
She paused and set her hands on her hips, but Elaine still didn’t seem to comprehend what she was saying. Her confused expression said what words did not.
“All this time I was afraid that he’d died, or something equally appalling, but instead, he’s been herefishing! Can you imagine? He’s been on holiday while Jacob and I have been concerned over his welfare.” She shook her head. “I consider it the worst sort of betrayal. I daresay if I never see him again it will be too soon.”
A knock at the door intruded on her tirade. Elaine made to move, but Miranda put a finger to her lips and waved her back down. As suspected, she heard Anthony’s deep voice coming from the other side of the wooden barrier. “Miranda?” He paused. “Miranda, open the door. I know you’re in there.” Another pause. “Elaine? Perhaps you might be more reasonable and hear me out.”
Elaine turned to her with a beseeching expression, but Miranda was having none of it. “Don’t you dare!” she whispered hotly.
Her sister reluctantly obeyed. “I don’t think now is a good time, Mr. Gravehill. Perhaps we might discuss this over dinner this evening?”
There was a slight hesitation, and then, “Very well.”
Miranda waited until she could hear his footsteps walking back down the hall, and then she turned on her sister. “What on earth possessed you to say that?”
“What do you mean?” Elaine snapped in return. “He is Jacob’s friend and has been invited to spend the holiday with us, the same as you.”
“But I’m family,” she retorted. “While Anthony isn’t.”
“It never bothered you before.” Elaine stood, apparently to confront her on a more direct level. “In fact, there was a time when you prayed that he would become part of it.”
Miranda set her hands on her hips. “I can’t believe that you’re taking his side!”
“I’m not taking anyone’sside,” Elaine returned firmly. “I’m only suggesting that it would be best to talk out this little disagreement, rather than act like an ostrich with its head in the sand, unwilling to face its problems.”
Miranda’s mouth fell agape. “Out of all the people I thought might understand how much I’m aggrieved right now, I thought it would be you. Nevertheless, forgive me if I don’t come down to dinner this evening.” She crossed her arms.
Elaine shook her head. “I can’t believe you’re going to be this petty. It’s not as if you aren’t going to have your family around you for support.”
“Like you’re showing now?” Miranda put her hands to her temples. “I’m starting to get a headache. Please, just go.”
Elaine softened slightly as she walked over to her. She put a hand on her shoulder. “I knew this wasn’t going to be easy for you, but I didn’t imagine it would be so impossible.”
With a sigh, some of Miranda’s frustration ebbed. “It’s Anthony. The one true love of my life. Of course it’s impossible.”
Chapter 6
Climbing the side of a hotel in the dark with only one good eye was not an easy feat to accomplish, but somehow, Anthony found himself at Miranda’s terrace that night. He had hoped to find an audience with her after dinner, but he’d been told she wasn’t coming. That had been disheartening, to say the least, and even more so when he’d gone to her room later and found that she still wasn’t talking to him.
Thus, he’d had to resort to drastic measures to get past her stubborn nature. He had caught a glimpse of it when she was a child, but it knew no bounds as an adult.
Something told him that although it was nearly one in the morning, she would be awake. The landscape she’d been working on near the window in her room was a clear indication that she wasn’t through seeking inspiration from the night sky.
That was proved moments later when he walked to the open doors and she glanced up and saw him, giving a brief shout of alarm, until he walked into the light and she instantly settled.
But that didn’t stop her from putting a hand over her heart and setting down her paintbrush. “Are you trying to give me an apoplexy?” she demanded.
“If that’s what it takes to gain an audience with you,” he murmured as he stepped past the open drapes and walked into her room. He tried not to notice that she was attired in nothing but her nightdress.
