Helena’s eyes held compassion. “You did nothing wrong,” she said. “Until Father realizes his own misery, he won’t ever change.”
“I am not sure if he is capable of change,” Greydon admitted.
“Perhaps not, but that doesn’t mean we stop trying to help him.”
Greydon returned to his seat and reached for his spoon. “We may as well enjoy the dinner our cook prepared.”
“That sounds lovely,” Helena said. “For the record, this is precisely how I thought dinner would go.” Her words held amusement.
With the bright, afternoon sun cascading through the windows, Enid sat in the drawing room as she worked on a cap for her daughter. She was embroidering flowers onto the white cap but she was moving at a slow pace. Her mind kept turning to Lady Eugenie and her impossible situation. No doubt, she was trying to protect her sister and she respected that choice. But her heart ached for her friend.
Rosamond’s voice came from next to her. “That is lovely,” she said, pointing at the cap.
“Thank you,” Enid responded. “It is turning out much better than I expected.”
Her sister-in-law held up a handkerchief with her husband’s initials on it. “I do think Malcolm will be pleased with his new handkerchief.”
As Enid admired the needlework on the handkerchief, she remarked, “You are very talented at needlework.”
“I had to be,” Rosamond said, lowering the handkerchief. “I wasn’t raised in a grand house where servants tended to my every whim. My mother taught me how to mend my own clothes from a young age.”
“Where were you raised, exactly?” Enid asked.
“In the countryside,” Rosamond responded vaguely.
Enid decided to let the matter drop, but she found she was curious about Rosamond’s past, which was something she rarely spoke about. She knew there was more to her sister-in-law than what she was letting on, but it wasn’t her place to pry. She had secrets, too.
Osborne stepped into the room and announced, “Lord Rushcliffe has come to call. Are you accepting callers this afternoon?”
Enid hesitated as she tried to keep the excitement out of her voice. It would do no good if she acted like an overeager, love-craved debutante. “I am. Will you please send him in?” she asked.
Osborne tipped his head in acknowledgement. “Yes, my lady.”
Enid leaned forward and placed the cap onto the table before she rose to greet Greydon. She took a moment to smooth down her pale-yellow gown. She really did need to get a more refined wardrobe, but she had yet to make the time.
Greydon stepped into the room and he smiled at her. That’s it. All he did was smile, and in that moment, if it were possible, it reminded her that she loved him. And she always would. But love was not enough to risk everything. She had made that mistake before.
She dropped into a curtsy as she attempted to calm her racing heart. “My lord,” she greeted politely.
He bowed. “My lady,” he said with mirth in his eyes.
They stared at one another for a moment, both daring the other person to look away. Her mind whirled with things that she wanted to say but she couldn’t seem to formulate the words. Not when he was looking at her like that.
Rosamond spoke up. “Would you care to join us for a cup of tea?” she asked, addressing Greydon.
Enid blinked and she was embarrassed by the fact that she had forgotten Rosamond was in the room. She had been so distracted by Greydon. How was that possible?
Greydon shook his head. “Thank you kindly, but I was hoping to invite Lady Enid on a carriage ride.”
She knew that Greydon was not one to parade himself around Hyde Park during the fashionable hour so there must be more to this carriage ride than he was letting on. “I would enjoy that.”
Greydon’s eyes strayed towards the cap on the table. “Are you making a cap for yourself?”
“No, it is for my daughter,” she rushed, reaching for it. “It is much too small for my head.”
He smiled again. It was that same smile that she knew would be engraved on her heart from this day forward. “I was just teasing you.”
“Oh, I should have known,” Enid said. And she should have. It was obvious that the cap was for a small child so why had she not seen through his attempt at humor? She knew why. Greydon affected her in a way that no one had ever before.
