With morning light still yet to break the horizon, and a swaying carriage, we each took turns dozing for the first hour before stopping to rest our horses. By then, the sun had risen, and the air seemed clearer the closer we got to the sea.
Outside my window, tall grass swayed in distant fields against an endless blue sky. Green mixed with yellow met blue speckled with white. My fingers itched for my brush. I could feel the air changing. It made my heart pound faster, and a giddy excitement created knots in my stomach.
Charlie read his paper, distracted occasionally by my bouncing knees, and Liza worked on embroidering a red rose on a pillowcase she’d brought along. Halfway through the drive, we stopped again to switch horses, and Charlie took a short walk in the woods to stretch his legs. When he came back, he had six daisies for each of us.
“Save them for Grandmama,” Liza had said. “She is the one you need to impress.”
And so, when we finally arrived at Teague House, a square brick house with three rows of windows lining the front and four columns at its entrance, the hour was half past ten.
Charlie glanced out the window at the perfectly pruned, round green bushes that lined the drive. He gathered his flowers, and I gave him a ribbon from my satchel to tie them with.
“You look nervous,” I said when Charlie stepped out and offered me his hand.
“He is shaking,” Liza added, though she seemed to take pleasure in the idea.
Charlie rolled his shoulders. “I am not.”
“What, do you think she will rap you with her cane?” Liza’s lips quirked up. “Or pluck your tongue out?”
I tried not to laugh, but the horror on Charlie’s face was far too rich.
“Rosalind?” He held his hand up higher, clearly wishing for me to descend so he would not have to face his grandparents alone.
“It is about time!” A shrill, old voice called from ahead.
I glanced up to find Mrs. Harrelson waiting at the door. She was as finely dressed and with as much exuberance as one could have at her age. “Your letter arrived an hour ago, and the whole house has been in shambles preparing. It is not good form to give such little notice, Eliza.”
“Forgive us, Grandmama,” Liza called, skipping ahead to greet her. “We wanted to escape Ivy Manor and could think of no better place to visit.”
I looked over my shoulder to where Charlie walked a few paces behind. His hands were behind his back, and his face had turned serious and brooding.
Liza embraced her grandmama, and I slowed to walk beside Charlie. He looked like he was trudging up to the gallows.
“Chin up, friend,” I said. “Go and embrace your grandmama.”
He gave me a sideways glance, hesitant but hopeful.
“And who have you brought?” Mrs. Harrelson asked Liza, though she kept her eyes on Charlie.
He drew in a long breath, then took off his topper. “Grandmother. I have missed you.”
“Charles?” Her eyes widened, and Liza stepped back to make room on the square veranda. He climbed the few stairs and hesitated as he approached her. Our collective breath seemed to stall, and I prayed with every fiber in my being for her to receive him kindly.
“You are alive,” she said, though it sounded more like a question. “And you look well.”
“Thank you, Grandmother,” Charlie replied. “As do you.”
She stared at him for a moment, and I swallowed. Surely she would invite him in? I moved beside Liza, who wrapped her hand around my arm. We waited and watched with bated breath.
“Well, then,” his grandmother said, raising her chin. “I do not see what all the fuss back home is about.”
Charlie swallowed. “I have made some poor choices, Grandmother.”
A touch of grace lifted her lips. “You have indeed.”
“And I am sorry for the pain and disappointment I have caused you and Grandfather.”
“Very good.” She held out her arms and drew him near, until she embraced him fully. “Let us not waste any more time discussing the matter, then.”
