It was a person.
And she was walking beside him now.
Chapter Forty-Three
The sun slanted through the tall windows of Aberon House, filling the parlor with golden light. A pot of steaming tea sat between a pyramid of cakes and a plate of delicate sandwiches, though hardly anyone was eating. At least, not while Lady Matilda Sterlington was recounting her story.
Hazel, Cordelia, and Evelyn sat arrayed before her like a rapt audience, each with a different expression: Hazel’s serene composure barely concealing her disbelief, Cordelia’s eyes wide as saucers, and Evelyn’s hand pressed to her lips to stifle either laughter or shock. It was difficult to tell which.
“And then,” Matilda said, trying for dignity but failing to suppress a smile, “he burst through the doors of the chapel as though he were leading a cavalry charge.”
Cordelia gasped, nearly spilling her tea. “Hewhat?”
Matilda laughed softly, a touch of color rising in her cheeks. “He burst through the doors.”
Hazel blinked slowly. “Into the chapel.”
“Yes.”
“During communion,” Evelyn added.
“Yes,” Matilda admitted. “Though I do believe he thought I was taking my vows already. Hence the drama.”
Cordelia set down her teacup with a dramatic clatter. “Good heavens, Matilda! How veryromantic!”
“Romantic?” Hazel echoed dryly. “It sounds like the sort of behavior that would have the bishop writing letters of protest.”
“Oh, don’t be so sensible, Hazel,” Cordelia cried. “Imagine it! A duke, storming into a convent for the woman he loves! It’s utterly divine.”
“Utterly scandalous,” Hazel corrected, though the corner of her mouth twitched.
Matilda shook her head, smiling despite herself. “I wasfurious,you know. I thought he had truly lost his mind. He shouted my name so loudly the poor sisters nearly fainted.”
“Oh, do it again,” Cordelia begged, leaning forward eagerly. “Say it as he did!”
“Cordelia!” Evelyn exclaimed, laughing. “She will not!”
But Matilda’s eyes danced with mischief. She straightened her back, lowered her voice, and with an air of solemn drama declared: “Matilda! Don’t do this, it’s a mistake!”
The three women dissolved into laughter.
Evelyn clutched her handkerchief, shaking her head. “Oh, Matilda… I wish I had seen it. The poor abbess must have been beside herself!”
“She was remarkably composed, all things considered,” Matilda said, remembering the kindly woman’s calm eyes. “Though I do believe several of the younger sisters thought the world was ending.”
“Or beginning,” Cordelia said dreamily. “Depending on how one looks at it.”
Hazel raised a brow. “And what happened then? After you finished scandalizing the entire abbey?”
Matilda hesitated, a small smile softening her features. “He told me everything. About his father, his vow, his fears… everything he had never spoken of to anyone. And then he… well, he proposed.”
Three voices erupted at once.
“He proposed there?”
“In the abbey courtyard?”
“Before nuns?”
