“I am sure she would,” Theodore agreed, but he could not quite meet Phoebe’s smile with his own.
The thought of Harriet sent an emptiness through him that he could not dismiss. He could imagine Harriet and Rose, see them talking to one another and being the closest of friends.
“She would like how smiley she makes you. Mama always worried you were too serious.” Phoebe gave him a somber look.
“I do not know how to be anything else.” Theodore shrugged. “Rose always followed her heart, she spoke her mind. She was brave and daring. She was so full of life and always ready for adventure and then… Sometimes it feels wrong that she is dead and I am not.”
Phoebe squeezed her hand around Theodore’s finger and shook her head. “No. Mama loved you.”
“I wish I had told her more,” Theodore whispered. “That we had more time together.”
“Some time is better than no time,” Phoebe replied and shrugged. “Even if it hurts. Mama always said that.”
“But it is hard to lose people.” Theodore felt his chest ache.And I am not strong enough to stand it. Not again.
“But you cannot lose them if they are in your heart silly,” Phoebe pointed out. “And Auntie is not lost, she just isn’t here.”
Theodore’s mouth went dry, the tightness around his chest returning with triple the force. Something must have shown on his face, because Phoebe stopped laughing, her expression serious once more.
Theodore shifted, careful not to accidentally topple Phoebe. “I do not know when your aunt will return. And when she does… Things might be different.”
Phoebe’s mouth pursed, and she surveyed his face seriously. A faint crease appeared between her brow, and Theodore had the sensation of being a bug beneath a magnifying glass.
After a long time, Phoebe moved, perching on the arm of the chair so that her eyes were level with Theodore’s. “Do you love her?”
Her eyes bored into him with an intensity far beyond her years.
He could not lie to her. “I do.”
Phoebe nodded solemnly. “Do you want her to come back?”
“Yes.”More than anything.Before he could open his mouth to tell Phoebe that things were complicated, she had slipped from his lap and moved to a small bag she had tucked behind a table.
“Good.” Phoebe splayed her drawing things across the coffee table. “Then I know just what to do.”
Unable to help himself, Theodore smiled as he listened to his niece outline her plan. Perhaps it was not too late.
CHAPTER 27
“Did you hear a word I just said?” Fiona waved a hand in front of Harriet’s face.
Harriet started and turned back around to face her friend. They were standing near the top of a hill on Catherine’s estate. It had been over a week since Harriet had left Irondale, and the ache in her chest seemed to grow heavier by the day.
Fiona, Louisa, and Catherine were gathered around her, their faces windswept and their hair messed. Catherine rested her hands on her very large belly, and Harriet felt a stab of guilt.
It had been Catherine’s suggestion to go for a walk, but Harriet suspected that it was harder on her friend than she was letting on. She had been itching to get out in the fresh air, but forced herself to walk at Catherine’s pace, even though her legs seemed desperate to run.
“I… No… I was distracted.” Harriet gave Fiona a sheepish look. “What were you saying?”
“I was asking you to slow down, Hettie. You are acting like you are on a sort of military march rather than a stroll in the countryside with your friends.” Fiona’s voice was a mix of reproach and teasing.
“I… Sorry.” Harriet forced herself to slow down, realizing that she had managed to move quite far ahead of her friends. “Restless legs, I suppose.”
“Clearly.” Louisa shook her head. “But if it is all the same to you, I would prefer a stroll, not a run. It is far too hot for anything more.”
“Of course. I… sorry.” Harriet fell into step beside her friends, feeling her skin bristle and itch as she gazed to the top of the hill.
“You do not need to keep apologizing, Hettie.” Catherine gave her a smile. “I could tell you needed to get out, it is why I suggested the walk in the first place.”
