Simone gave her a weak smile. “It is all I know now,” she expressed. “I do what is expected of me, and my father doesn’t pay me much heed.”
Lady Roswell’s eyes held pity. “My parents were too attentive of me,” she said lightly.
“That is far better than being overlooked,” Simone responded.
A silence fell over them and Simone retreated to her own thoughts. How she missed her mother. She had always felt loved, and more importantly, understood. But now she was a mere afterthought for her father. She didn’t feel loved, or valued. She almost felt like a burden at times.
Lady Roswell’s voice pierced through her thoughts. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I should never have pressed you.”
“You did nothing wrong. I just miss my mother,” Simone admitted.
“Of course you do, Child,” Lady Oxley asserted. “She was a good woman, and an even better mother. On the few occasions I visited with her, her eyes would always light upwhen she spoke of you. It was evident that she was very proud of the woman you were becoming.”
Simone felt the sting of tears at the backs of her eyes. “I just wish I had the opportunity to say goodbye. Her death was so sudden, so unexpected.”
Lady Oxley leaned forward, extending a comforting hand towards Simone. “Your mother was much too young to have been taken from us.”
“She said that she would never leave me,” Simone said, her voice hitching on her words. “She promised.”
“It wasn’t her choice. You must know that,” Lady Oxley stated.
Simone blinked back the tears, feeling a twinge of embarrassment at her display of emotions. “Forgive me, I don’t usually cry when I speak of my mother.”
Lady Roswell offered her a warm smile. “Mothers hold a special place in our hearts.”
“That they do,” Simone agreed.
As she released Simone’s hand, Lady Oxley said, “But enough of this conversation. It has grown far too serious for my liking.”
Lady Roswell reached for a plate on the tray and extended it towards Simone. “Biscuit?” she asked. “I have learned that biscuits make every situation better.”
Simone expressed her gratitude with a thankful smile, then reached for a biscuit. She took a bite as she tried hard to quell her emotions. She wasn’t one to be so emotional, but she felt safe around Lady Oxley and Lady Roswell.
Caleb’s voice came from the doorway. “Dare I hope that you missed me?”
“Oh, were you gone?” Lady Roswell joked, turning towards her brother. “I hardly noticed your absence.”
He chuckled. “I love you, too, Sister.”
Lady Roswell held up the plate to Caleb. “Biscuit?” she asked.
“Didn’t you just have dessert?” he questioned.
“Yes, but there is always room for biscuits,” Lady Roswell remarked.
Simone was pleased when Caleb came to sit down on the settee next to her. She enjoyed his nearness since it gave her a sense of comfort.
Caleb turned to face her, concern etched on his features. “What has upset you?”
“Nothing,” she lied. “Why do you ask?”
“You have been crying,” he remarked.
She forced a smile to her lips, hoping to distract him. “We were just discussing my mother and my emotions got the best of me. But I am well now.”
His eyes searched hers. “Are you?” She could hear the compassion in his voice, and it touched her. Greatly.
“I am,” she replied.
