“Lucy!” Amelia stood the second when Lucy entered the morning room. Her eyes were wide, her movements rushed, and anyone with two eyes could see how nervous she was. “Oh! I mean, Your Grace. I am sorry, I should have –”
“Not at all…” Lucy hovered by the doorway, unsure what to make of the way her sister was behaving.And that she called me Your Grace…“We are sisters, Amelia. Such silly expectations are beneath us, no?”
Amelia looked relieved. “I am so glad to hear you say that.”
Coming to a decision, Lucy crossed the room where she took her sister’s hands in greeting. She was sure to wear a warm smile, wanting to appear happy and pleased for this random visit.
What had happened just the other day was unfortunate, but if they could put it behind them, all the better. Plus, if there was a chance that Lucy might change Amelia’s mind concerning her future husband, that would be a victory worth fighting for.
“I must admit, I was surprised to hear you had come to see me,” Lucy said once she released Amelia’s hands. “And without your mother…” A raised eyebrow.
Amelia grimaced and looked down as she took her seat. “She does not know that I am here.”
“Oh?”
“Nor would she be happy to learn of it,” Amelia added with just the hint of a smile, as if she was pleased by this notion. “She has not been very happy with anything, of late.”
“You don’t say…”
Amelia looked different, somehow. It had been just three days since they last spoke, but she appeared more confident and sure of herself. She sat taller. Her cheeks glowed. She looked more like a woman, to Lucy’s eyes, one finally out of her mother’s shadow.
Is she finally freeing herself from her mother’s indomitable control? Is she finally seeing the light, as I have wished that she would for so many years?
“Tea?” Amelia offered suddenly.
Beside where Amelia sat was a saucer of tea, likely offered to her when she was brought into the room to wait. Without waiting for Lucy to say yes, Amelia picked up the saucer and hurriedly poured a cup for Lucy, her hand trembling the entire time.
Lucy did not want tea, truth be told, but she saw this simple gesture for what it was. It was a peace offering, an attempt by Amelia to show that she was here in good faith.
“I would love some tea,” Lucy said with a warm smile as she took the cup. “Thank you.”
“It is good,” Amelia said, eyeing the cup. “Try it.”
Lucy chuckled, finding the whole thing rather adorable. Rarely did the two sisters spend any time alone together, and so awkward was Amelia that she was behaving strangely. Again, all done with an eye toward forgiveness… or so Lucy needed to believe.
She had a sip of tea. “You are right.” She then had another and placed the cup down. “Thank you.”
Amelia looked visibly relaxed, those two sips seeming to confirm that Lucy was willing to listen to whatever it was she had to say. Which, Lucy was, so very much.
“So,” Lucy began. “You are here alone…”
“Right.” Amelia gave her head a quick shake and sat up straight. Her hands were folded on her lap, but she continued to fidget. “My mother cannot know I am here, and if she ever found out…”
“I won’t be telling her, if that is what you are worried about.”
Amelia laughed awkwardly. “Of course you will not, and I was not accusing you – I am sorry,” she grimaced. “I am just so nervous.”
“You have no reason to be, Amelia. Why don’t you start by telling me why you are here.”
“I have been doing much thinking these last two days… about when Mother and I were here, and how I spoke to you. Truthfully, I have been thinking about how I have always treated you…” She bowed her head with shame. “You and I, we should be so much closer than we are. And try as I might, I cannot think why we are not.”
Lucy resisted the urge to point out the obvious reason. “There is no reason we still cannot be.”
“Truly?”
“I have always wanted to be close with you, Amelia. That you are here now, it means the world.”
“Thank you,” Amelia said with a grateful smile. “I know you have never meant me harm, Lucy. Deep down, I have always known that. So, when I thought about what you said, concerning Lord Wembley, I wondered if maybe you were speaking more of the truth than I was willing to believe.”
