She walked away with her back very straight and her chin very high and three books under her arm.
Valeria watched her go, then looked at the sky for a moment until the tightness in her throat eased.
Edward stood beside her at the gate. He did not speak. He did not need to. She felt his presence the way she felt the warmth of the sun, constant and close.
“Thank you,” she rasped.
“For what?”
“For playing. For coming down from the terrace. For letting William win, holding down the branch for Ruth, and letting Thomas tackle you. For being a person instead of a reputation.”
He was quiet for a moment. Then: “It was not difficult. They made it easy.”
“Children always do.”
They stood at the gate until the children were out of sight. Then Valeria turned and walked back to the house.
Edward walked beside her, two feet apart, and it was the most peaceful silence she had experienced since the gazebo.
She did not reach for his hand. She wanted to, but she did not. She walked close enough that their sleeves brushed with every other step, and neither of them moved away.
CHAPTER 14
Mary helped Valeria take a bath.
She heated the water the way Valeria liked it, added lavender oil, and laid out clean towels on the chair by the fire.
The room was warm and steamy, and for twenty minutes, Valeria lay in the tub and stared up at the ceiling, not thinking about anything. She was very good at not thinking about things. She had practiced extensively.
Mary did not rush her; she merely tidied the room. She had been doing this for three years. She knew when Valeria needed silence and when she needed conversation, and she always seemed to know the exact moment one turned into the other.
“The blue dress suited you today,” Mary said eventually. “You should wear color more often.”
“I intend to.”
Valeria sank lower in the water. The warmth wrapped around her shoulders. She thought of Edward’s hands, the patience of them, the way they stopped the instant she pushed him back.
She sat up so abruptly that water sloshed over the rim.
“Your Grace?” Mary looked at her.
“It’s nothing. The water is hot.”
“It is the temperature you requested.”
“Yes, well, it feels hotter than usual.”
Mary said nothing. She only straightened the bottles on the washstand with the precision of a woman who had opinions about why the water felt hotter than usual and was choosing, for the sake of propriety and her security, not to voice them.
“The children were lovely. Thomas asked Mrs. Grady if he could live in the kitchens.”
“What did Mrs. Grady say?”
“She said no. Then she packed him a basket of food that would feed a family of six. I believe she also included a handkerchief with her initials on it.” Mary paused. “She is going to deny this if asked.”
Valeria almost smiled. “Ruth borrowed three books from the library.”
“I know. She asked me if she was permitted. I showed her the shelves, and she selected them with the focus of a general choosing weapons.” Mary adjusted another bottle. “She reminds me of a certain someone.”
