“Who is jealous?” she said absently, scratching an itchy spot on the inside of her elbow.
“The ladies at the garden party, and the ones who went out of their way last evening to remind everyone through pointless questions that I was born and bred in America. As if we didn’t soundly trounce you in the War of Independence.” Evie hesitated, then added belatedly, “No offense, of course.”
“None taken. But no one is jealous ofme. Least of all Lady Navessa,” she muttered under her breath.
“I’ve found that spitefulness is nothing more than a symptom of jealousy. If someone wants what you possess, they try to take it from you by whatever means are at their disposal. Men fight with their fists, women with their words.” Sliding the final pin into place, Evie put her hands on her hips and stepped away to cast an admiring eye upon her handiwork before her gaze lifted to Rosemary’s in the flat, silvery glass. “If this Lady Navessa was acting unkindly towards you, then she is almost positively jealous. And why wouldn’t she be?”
Rosemary gave a startled laugh. “Whywouldshe be? Navessa is a diamond of the first water and has already received too many marriage proposals to count. Not to mention, she’s a favorite of Queen Victoria. I’m just…me.”
Selecting a small brown vial from the myriad of bottles and tins that covered her vanity, Evie used a dropper to release a thin layer of oil upon her fingertip and then, leaning in close to the mirror, dabbed it on her lips. “You’re witty and charming and unique. Animals adore you, which I’ve always found to be a good sign of someone’s character.” She smiled at her reflection and, apparently satisfied with what she saw, returned the dropper to the vial after offering some to Rosemary, who gave a hesitant shake of her head. “How is my darling Posy, by the way?”
“Growing by leaps and bounds. She’s moved out to the barn and has taken up well with a small herd of yearling ewes. I made sure they all got along before we left.”
“I did want to bring her here, but I knew she’d fare better in the countryside. Lambs don’t belong in London.” Evie gave a small sigh. “But I do hope she remembers me.”
“I’m sure she will. Animals have wonderful memories. Some even better than people.” By sheer happenstance, Rosemary glanced at a clock in the corner of the room. When she saw where the minute hand was positioned she gasped aloud and surged to her feet. “Oh, no. I’ve been here much too long. My grandmother is going to be wondering where I am.”
“I’ll walk you out. But,” Evie complained as they made their way down the stairs and into the foyer, “I don’t like how you have to sneak around. I am not some secret lover that you’re visiting. I am your relative, and soon to be the Countess of Hawkridge. What’s the point of having a fancy title if it doesn’t get me what I want? And what I want is more time with my one and only cousin.”
“I can try to come back again. At the end of next week, perhaps. My grandmother is visiting a friend out of town, and she should be gone for most of the day.”
The corners of Evie’s lips, shiny and plump from whatever she’d applied to them, jutted downwards in disapproval. “That’s far too long. I’ve ordered fabric samples that are arriving tomorrow and I am going to need to see them against your complexion. How else am I supposed to choose between pearl and alabaster? With your skin tone, I’m leaning more towards alabaster, but you never know.”
“Aren’t pearl and alabaster the same color?” Rosemary ventured.
Evie stared. “They mostcertainlyare not. Moreover, I’ve no idea how I am supposed to find a silhouette and neckline that will compliment you, and Joanna,andBrynne.” Her eyes narrowed accusingly. “It doesn’t help that you’ve all different colored hair.”
Rosemary touched a brunette curl dangling in front of her ear. “I’m…sorry?”
“Apology accepted.” Evie waved her arm in the air. “Although I suppose, strictly speaking, it’s not your fault. Besides, if anyone is up to such a gargantuan task, it’s me. You might even say I’ve been preparing myself for this since I was a little girl designing outfits for my dolls. If I have to, Imightbe able to cut a piece of your hair and choose the shade of ivory and type of fabric based on that. But I absolutelymusthave the dresses fitted in person. That is not up for negotiation.”
Rosemary’s fingers tightened protectively around her curl. “Excuse my ignorance, but…what are the dresses for?”
“For the wedding,” Evie replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “You’re going to be one of my bridesmaids, aren’t you? Which means you need a bridesmaid’s dress. Along with my sister and soon to be sister-in-law.”
She said it so matter-of-factly that it took a moment for the enormity to settle. For Rosemary to comprehend what Evie meant, and to understand what was being asked of her. Whathadbeen asked of her, without a question ever being spoken. Because it hadn’t needed to be. And that type of inclusivity, the kind that she’d never experienced before, was enough to bring a rush of unexpected tears to Rosemary’s eyes.
“What’s this?” Evie asked when Rosemary embraced her in a hug.
“To thank you,” Rosemary sniffled.
“For what?”
“For wanting me to be in your wedding.”
For just wanting me.
At this point, Rosemary was accustomed to being alone. Most times she even preferred it that way. Especially when it came between staying in the corner of the room with a book and being forced to dance in the middle of it. But choosing to be alone did not mean that she wasn’t often lonely, and she had long yearned for someone to fill that loneliness with her.
When she was young, she’d desperately wanted a sister to play with. To giggle with. To conspire with. As she’d grown older, and come to the difficult realization that she was forever destined to be an only child, she’d wished for a friend. Just one. A best friend who knew her better than she knew herself, and accepted all of the oddities and little eccentricities that set her apart from everyone else. But that friend never came either. Until all at once, and without much warning, she had two of them. Two best friends. Two sisters (who were technically second cousins, but she wasn’t exactly in a position to be picky). Two women who accepted herasshe was, forwhoshe was.
Minus a few hair and wardrobe alterations.
“I’ve never been asked to be in a wedding before,” she went on, and when a fresh torrent of tears threatened–heavens, where were they all coming from?–she drew a ragged breath and used the green lace hem of her sleeve to dry her face. “I’ll find a way to come to the dress fitting. I promise.”
“Dress fittings,” Evie corrected. “There’s also to be a formal luncheon, and a dinner party, and an engagement ball. Then the wedding itself, naturally, which is to take place at Hawkridge, with a hunting expedition the day before for the gentlemen, and an afternoon of leisurely activities for the ladies.”
“That all sounds…wonderful,” Rosemary said dazedly.
