“He is perfectly well,” he said at once.
Valerie lingered slightly behind them at first, yet as the morning continued, even she began to relax, asking questions about the stalls and occasionally speaking to shopkeepers without hesitation about lace and ribbons.
David, to Amelia’s quiet satisfaction, behaved almost impeccably, only once attempting to climb onto a barrel before being gently redirected.
Amelia found herself laughing more than she expected, her earlier tension slowly dissolving in the rhythm of the village.
“You are enjoying yourself,” Valerie observed at one point, almost suspiciously, as if this were a flaw in Amelia’s character.
Amelia smiled without thinking and replied, “I suppose I am. This is a delightful village.” Her response seemed to surprise even herself.
By midday, the children had acquired far too many small purchases, most of which David declared essential and none of which Valerie admitted to liking aloud, though she clearly did.
Amelia carried a small parcel herself, insisting she could manage it despite protests from a passing servant. At one point, a woman even thanked her for calming David from being overexcited in the shop, and Amelia felt an unfamiliar warmth at the recognition.
She glanced down at David and thought absently that she had never felt so needed in her life.
It is as if I have a purpose now.
The thought startled her enough that she quickly pushed it aside.
When the time came to return to the carriage, the sun had shifted lower, and the village had grown quieter, as though it too was tiring. Amelia stepped ahead of the children, intending to climb in first and make sure everything was arranged properly.
The moment her foot crossed the threshold, there was a sharp crack beneath her, and the entire structure lurched with violent suddenness. Before she could even cry out, the door swung shut and something jammed from the outside, leaving her trapped in the carriage.
“Amelia!” David’s voice broke into panic outside, followed by loud sobbing as he shouted that she had disappeared.
Valerie’s voice cut through more sharply, trying to command order, but there was clear alarm beneath it. “It’s all right. It is only a stuck door.”
Amelia pressed her hands against the carriage door, calling out quickly, “David, I am here; I am fine; do not cry,” though her voice was slightly strained.
Amelia took a steady breath and tried to assess the situation, but the confined space made everything feel closer, louder, more urgent than it should have been.
Then the sound of heavy footsteps approached at speed, followed by a sharp command that silenced everything at once. “Get back.”
The carriage door was wrenched open with enough force to make her move back instinctively, and Gabriel stood there, breathless and sharply focused.
For a moment, no one spoke at all. Amelia found herself staring at him, still half-pressed against the carriage wall, aware suddenly of how close he was in the small space. His gaze moved over her quickly, assessing, before settling on her face as though confirming she was real and unharmed.
“You are not injured,” he said flatly, though the tightness in his jaw betrayed something closer to relief than he would admit.
“No,” Amelia replied softly, feeling absurdly conscious of how near they were and how the air seemed to hold its breath with them. The silence stretched just long enough to feel dangerous before it was shattered by David launching himself forward.
The boy burst past Gabriel without hesitation and threw himself into Amelia’s arms with a relieved sob, clinging to her as though she might vanish again if he let go.
“I thought you were hurt,” he cried, his words muffled against her dress, and Amelia wrapped her arms around him without hesitation.
“I am not hurt. See, I am right here,” she murmured, smoothing his hair while trying to ignore the fact that Gabriel was still standing so close.
Valerie appeared behind him, visibly shaken but trying to regain composure, though her eyes flicked between Amelia and her uncle with lingering concern.
Gabriel, however, did not move away at once, his gaze still fixed on Amelia with an expression she could not quite read, as if something had shifted and neither of them knew what to do with it.
What is the meaning of that look in those grey eyes?
Chapter Eighteen
“This is ridiculous,” she muttered aloud.
