She'd done it before. She would do it again.
Estella was halfway up the stairs when she heard a sharp knock at the front door. She froze.
The maid, Annie, scurried in from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. She opened the door, and Estella heard a voice that made her grip the banister so hard her knuckles went white.
"I need to speak with Miss Hale."
Sebastian. He was here. She looked around wildly as if something in her vicinity might give her a clue as to his intentions. All she ascertained was that it was still early—far too early for a call.
What did he want?
Annie's voice was uncertain. "I'm not sure Miss Hale is?—"
"Who’s there, Annie?" Charlotte’s sleepy voice came from the other room.
Estella closed her eyes.
"Charlotte—" Sebastian's voice wasn’t quite as gruff, though no one would go so far as to say he was polite. "I need to see your sister."
"Why?" Charlotte demanded.
"Because I need to speak with her." Sebastian’s tone made it clear his patience was running thin.
Charlotte either didn’t notice or didn’t care. "About what?"
A pause. Estella pressed her back against the wall and listened. She should go down. She should intervene before Charlotte said something mortifying. But her feet refused to move, and a small, treacherous part of her wanted to hear what he'd say.
"About something important," Sebastian said carefully.
"Is it about how you're engaged to someone else?"
The silence that followed was spectacular.
"I'm not engaged," Sebastian said.
Estella frowned. She started to step away from the wall but stopped. Sebastian was not a liar. But perhaps he meant it wasn’t official yet.
Even as she thought it, that dratted hope flickered to life inside her. She squeezed her eyes shut to ward against it.
Sebastian’s voice was rough when he finally continued. "I was never engaged. There was a misunderstanding, and I?—"
"A misunderstanding!" Charlotte's tone was so indignant, Estella clapped a hand over her mouth. "Estella cried last night. She never cries. She didn't even cry when Papa lost the harvest money, or when the roof leaked on her bed, or when?—"
"Charlotte." His voice cracked on the name. "Please. I know. I know I hurt her, and I've come to?—"
"To what? Make her cry again?"
Estella’s eyes went wide, and she pressed the hand to her mouth even tighter. She wasn’t sure if she ought to scold her sister…or laugh. But she should go down there. She absolutely should put an end to this.
And yet she didn’t move. She was far too eager to hear what he’d say next.
"No. I have no intention of making her cry?—"
"Then what do you mean to say to her?"
Estella didn't need to peek to know exactly what Charlotte looked like right now. She was all too familiar with her sister's stubborn expression.
There was a silence, finally broken by a sigh when Sebastian apparently came to the realization that he’d have to get past Charlotte if he meant to speak to Estella.
