Unfortunately, her peace lasted only until she heard a burst of laughter drifting from somewhere ahead.
Curious, she followed the sound around a hedge and discovered Valerie seated on a stone bench beside Trixie.
The two girls immediately looked up as Amelia approached. Valerie had a rare smile on her face while Trixie appeared to be in the middle of sharing some particularly entertaining story.
“Join us,” Valerie urged, gesturing for Amelia to sit with them.
Amelia settled onto the bench beside them. For several moments, they chatted comfortably about nothing important at all. Amelia found herself increasingly grateful that Valerie no longer regarded her as an enemy. The young lady still possessed enough stubbornness to challenge a regiment of soldiers, butbeneath it, Amelia had discovered kindness, intelligence, and surprising vulnerability.
Valerie tucked a loose curl behind her ear before suddenly fixing Amelia with a curious look. “May I ask you something?” she said.
Amelia immediately became suspicious. “That depends entirely upon the question.”
Valerie’s smile widened slightly. “Why are you truly not married yet?”
Amelia groaned. Trixie burst into laughter at that response.
“Straight to the execution,” Amelia said, placing a hand dramatically over her heart. “Not even a warning first?”
Valerie looked entirely unapologetic. “You have been engaged approximately a hundred times.”
“Three,” Amelia corrected. “That is not nearly enough to qualify as approximately a hundred.”
Valerie waved a dismissive hand. “It feels like a hundred.”
Trixie clasped her hands together dreamily. “I cannot wait to be married,” she declared with complete sincerity.
Amelia and Valerie exchanged amused looks.
“I want love,” Trixie continued. “A good husband. A cottage. A garden. Perhaps six children.”
“Six?” Amelia repeated.
Trixie nodded enthusiastically. Valerie looked horrified.
“That sounds exhausting,” Valerie said.
Trixie laughed. “It sounds wonderful.”
Amelia smiled despite herself. There was something refreshing about Trixie’s certainty. The maid spoke about marriage as though it were a grand adventure rather than a complicated negotiation between families and fortunes. For a moment, Amelia envied that innocence. She had once imagined something similar for herself before reality had intervened. Unfortunately, reality had been exceptionally persistent.
“That is exactly what I wanted,” Amelia admitted quietly.
Both girls looked at her.
“Love?” Valerie asked.
Amelia nodded. “Love and a husband of my own choosing.”
She folded her hands together in her lap and stared towards the roses. “Instead, every decision seemed to belong to someoneelse. Every conversation became another arrangement. Another plan. Another gentleman selected because he suited my family rather than myself.”
Trixie’s expression softened. Valerie remained silent, listening carefully. Amelia found herself speaking more honestly than she intended—perhaps because neither girl seemed interested in judging her.
“I have never been in love,” Amelia confessed.
Trixie sighed dramatically, pressing a hand to her chest as though she had just heard the saddest tale imaginable.
“That is tragic,” she declared.
