Prying Joanna’s arms off her neck, Evie coughed and said, “I could ask you the same thing. Iwillask you the same thing.” Her blue eyes flicked to Kincaid, who was standing in the doorway, then narrowed on Joanna. “What areyoudoing here? Mrs. Benedict said that you’ve moved in. But that cannot be true. Even you wouldn’t do anything so reckless.” She hesitated. “Would you?”
“Come in, and I’ll explain everything.” She pushed her sister past Kincaid, then glanced back him over her shoulder. “You don’t mind if we borrow your office, do you?”
“I–”
“Splendid.” Ushering Evie inside the room (which was now, courtesy of Joanna’s organizational skills, meticulously clean), she shut the door in Kincaid’s face and leaned against it. “I’m so glad to see you. I’vemissedyou,” she said with feeling, and it was true. Despite the happiness she had found with Kincaid, she’d been unable to escape the vague notion that something was missing. And it wasn’t until the door had opened and she’d seen Evie’s face that she realized she wasn’t missing something, but rathersomeone.
“I’ve so much to tell you,” she said, clapping her hands together. “I had planned to surprise you when you returned from the house party, but this is even better. Is it done?” Her head tilted. “I could have sworn it was for the entire month.”
“It was,” Evie said shortly. “I left early. Jo…are you…and Kincaid…er…”
“Intimate?” Joanna grinned. “Yes, exceedingly so. But I already know what you’re thinking, and it’s all right.”
“How can sleeping with a man out of wedlock be all right?” Evie cried. “Never mind what it will do to your good name. When Grandmother hears of this–”
“Kincaid and I were married two days after you left for Hawkridge Manor. I should have sent word,” she said in a rush when Evie paled. “But it happened so fast, and it was a small ceremony. There were no guests. Just our two witnesses, Mrs. Benedict and James. We’d like to return to Somerville and have a reception in the summer with you, and Claire, and Grandmother. Maybe even Rosemary could attend, if she wouldn’t mind the travel.”
Evie was silent for such a long while that Joanna began to fret.
“I am sorry,” she began, raising her arms beseechingly. “Please forgive me. You should have been there. I know that. But you’d only arrived at Hawkridge Manor, and I did not want to pull you away so soon, and–”
“James is a cat,” Evie interrupted.
“What?”
“James.” Her sister’s dark brows drew together in bemusement. “You told me that James was a witness for your wedding, but he is a cat.”
“Oh. Yes, well, we couldn’t find anyone else at the last minute and the vicar’s eyesight wasn’t very good, and…” Joanna relaxed when Evie began to laugh. “You’re not angry.”
“No, I’m happy for you. I am. Of course I wish I could have been there, but I understand why I wasn’t, and you’re right, we’ll have a grand celebration this summer. I’m happy for you. So very, very h-happy.” Evie’s voice cracked and, all of a sudden, she wasn’t laughing, but crying.
Stunned, Joanna ran across the room and wrapped her arms around her sister as Evie’s entire body shook with sobs. There were only two times she recalled that Evie had ever cried. Or at least, that she’d seen her cry. The first, when Evie was of school age and a bully by the name of Violeta Arbor had mocked her dress. And the second, when she’d tried out some sort of new cream and her entire face and neck had turned as orange as a carrot.
“Evelyn, what’shappened?” Joanna said, aghast.
Lifting her tear-stained countenance from where she’d buried it the crook of her sister’s shoulder, Evie drew a deep, trembling breath. “I fell in love.”
Had her sister revealed that she’d joined a traveling circus and would be performing with elephants, Joanna might have been more prepared.
“You…you fell in love,” she repeated, slowly and carefully, to ensure that was what Evie had really meant to say.
“Is that so impossible to believe?” Evie asked, lifting her head.
“No, no,” she said hurriedly. “It’s just that…well…I was under the impression you didn’t believe in it. Love, that is.”
“I’ve always believed in it,” her sister sniffled. “I simply didn’t think it was advantageous for me, personally.”
“And now?”
“And now it turns out I was right. Love isn’t advantageous.” More tears brimmed in Evie’s eyes. “It’sawful.”
Taking Evie by the arm, Joanna gently guided her out of the office and across the hall to the parlor. Once plain, barren, and all but screaming “a bachelor lives here”, she had since turned it into a cheerful receiving room for clients, complete with serene paintings of the countryside, calming blue draperies, and a matching set of second-hand furniture upholstered in striped satin and trimmed in rosewood. Sitting her sister on a sofa, she sat directly beside her and clasped their hands together.
“Speaking from experience,” she began, “loveisawful. It was for me, at first. But love is also grand. And…and magnificent. And glowing.”
Evie wiped her damp nose with her sleeve. “Do I look like I’m glowing?” she said miserably.
“Well, no,” Joanna admitted.
