Page 28 of Mirrors of the Past

‘You like Laurie?’ Sam’s eyebrow raised.

‘I didn’t say that.’ But Viola shrank down in her seat, nevertheless, and felt her cheeks heat up. ‘I like Marigold.’

‘Sure you do.’ Sam grinned. ‘But you like Laurie too. I’d bet my bottom dollar on that one. Oh — this came for you today as well.’ He rummaged in his pocket and tossed an envelope over to her.

Viola didn’t recognise the confident, beautiful handwriting on the envelope — she looked at it, half dreading that it might be another ball invitation, yet half hoping it would be, because he might be there as well . . .

Never mind betting her brother’s bottom dollar, Viola would bet her substantial trust fund on the fact that Laurie Teague, with his dark eyes and his scowling expression, would be at the party, wherever it was.

As she opened the letter, Viola tried not to think how Laurie changed when he was in the company of his small niece, or his younger siblings, or how utterly nice and charming he could be to anyone who basically wasn’t her.

How nice he had almost been on that balcony, how he had moved her hair away, so tenderly — and how she had hoped his hand would linger on her cheek for just a moment . . .

Ugh! No!

But she wouldn’t dwell on it. No siree. The last person she wanted to be nice to her, she told herself crossly, was Laurie Teague.

Because then that would mean she would have to try to be nice to him, or she would look so, so bad . . .

And also — she would start to doubt herself and her opinions, and doubting herself was not something Viola Arthur would ever consider doing.

As she read the letter, however, she felt her lips tilt upwards into a smile.

It was an invitation to a Halloween party.

At Pencradoc.

Pearl apparently wanted to show the “little ones” in all the families what a proper ol’ festival Halloween could be and Elsie had agreed to host it.

Yes. Laurie would definitely be there, then.

And despite herself and her conflicted emotions about that man, she felt that she might, actually, allow herself to look forward to it.

So, no. She would not be going home just now. No siree.