“But surely it is only a matter of time,” Amelia said. “Your life is an example of the life I wish to have, and it is inspirational to see it taking shape before me. It gives me a better sense of what is possible, and I do hope to emulate you soon,” Amelia said, before she was called away by Beatrice. “I hope to speak with you again soon,” she added before she departed, seeming to glide rather than walk.
“She seems… nice,” Rose said.
“She seems perfect,” Lydia replied, her tone becoming harsher than normal.
“Is that a hint of envy I detect, Lydia?”
“Of course not,” Lydia wore a look of indignation. “But she has been called the diamond of the Season, and anyone like that is more competition for me.”
“I am sure it will not be long until you find someone, Lydia. I just hope that you are not allowing your ambitions to color reality.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, and please take this in the spirit in which it is given, as a friend. I just worry that you have thought about romance so much that nothing can live up to your high expectations. Our lives are not stories, of course, and the romances we read about are fantasies. It will be hard for any man to live up to the examples that exist on the page.”
“I am not a fool. I know how to separate reality from fiction,” Lydia said, narrowing her eyes.
“I did not mean to imply anything otherwise. I apologize if I caused offense.”
“There is nothing wrong with hoping for the best. And these stories do happen in real life. It happened to my parents, it happened to Charlotte, and it may well be happening to you. Why should it not happen for me as well?”
Rose believed she would not be able to get her point across properly.
“You are right, Lydia, of course it should. I was only expressing my concern because, like you, I wish to protect the people I care about, and I trust that we can have an open and frank relationship where we hold each other to account.”
Before Lydia could reply, Rose felt someone tugging at her dress. She looked down to see a girl with an impudent look on her face staring up at her.
“Are you going to marry Edmund?” she asked. Rose did not expect such a blunt question from one so young, and for a moment she was stunned.
Chapter Nineteen
“She does look stunning, Edmund,” Mary said.
“Yes, she does,” Edmund agreed, almost without realizing it. His gaze drifted back to where Rose was speaking with Lydia. She wore a lavender gown cut low at the neck, offering a glimpse of the hollow of her throat. Long gloves reached her elbows, and a band of skin was left visible on her upper arms.
Her hair swept about her face, tamed but wild at the same time. Her shoes added to her height. She wore a sparkling brooch near her heart. It really was difficult to take his eyes off her, no matter how hard he tried.
“I must admit that I didn’t expect you to follow through with this auction. Perhaps one promenade, but four? You are a changed man,” Alfred said, chuckling. Clara was standing patiently between her parents, staring at Edmund.
“I am a man of my word, and when I make an arrangement, I stick to it.”
“Are you perhaps allowing yourself to change your mind about certain things?” Mary inquired with a playful look in her eyes.
“I know to what you are referring, cousin, and all I can say is that a gentleman does not tell.”
“What are you talking about?” Clara asked.
Mary chuckled. “Marriage, dear. We might well have another wedding to attend, and I am sure cousin Edmund will allow you to be a flower girl.”
“Oh,” Clara said, her face deepening with thought. It only took a few moments before she whisked herself away, walking with purpose.
“Did I do something to offend her?” Edmund said, and they all chuckled.
“No, she has been getting more like this recently. She follows her own instincts, and we are lucky if she deigns to reveal them to us,” Mary said with good humor.
“Well, while it has been nice speaking with you, I was hoping to steal your husband away for a moment to speak about business,” Edmund said.
“I thought you never mixed business with pleasure. Are you just breaking all the rules, Edmund?”
