Melody looked unsure. “Are you sure that is a good idea?”
Elodie shrugged. “If Lady Dunrobin wishes to dine with us, then she will need to walk to the dining room this evening on the main floor. That is much further than the window in her bedchamber.”
Delphine had to admit that Elodie did have a point. “You are right,” she said as she moved to sit on the edge of the bed. She put her feet onto the ground and stood. At first, shewobbled on them as she tried to gain her footing, taking a long moment before she stood upright.
She took a deep breath before she slowly began to walk towards the window with Elodie remaining close by her side.
Once she arrived, she placed her hand on the windowsill and smiled triumphantly. “I did it,” she said in between breaths. It had been harder than she had anticipated but the most important thing was that she had accomplished what she had set out to do.
Elodie gestured towards the bed and encouraged, “Do you want to walk back?”
With a glance at the settee, she replied, “I think I would rather sit for a moment before returning to the bed.”
“Very well,” Elodie acknowledged.
Delphine moved towards the settee and sat down, feeling her heart race in her chest. Why did the simplest movements cause her such trouble?
Elodie came to sit down next to her. “You did well,” she praised.
“You are much too kind. I just walked to the window and back and now I am out of breath,” Delphine said, feeling slightly discouraged. If she could hardly walk to the window, how was she going to make her way to the dining room?
“The only thing that matters is that you took the first step,” Elodie declared.
Turning her attention towards Melody, Delphine asked, “Is your sister always so optimistic?”
Melody gave her an amused look. “This is out of character for her. Normally, she is quite the naysayer.”
“There is no shame in speaking one’s mind,” Elodie defended. “If you two aren’t nice, I will start speaking in Russian.”
“You speak Russian?” Delphine asked incredulously.
“? ??????? ?????? ??-??????,” Elodie responded.
Delphine lifted her brow. “What did you just say?”
“I merely said that I speak a little Russian,” Elodie shared. “One of the maids at our boarding school was born in Russia and she helped me learn some of the words. I even acquired a few books for her and she would read them to me.”
Delphine sat back in the settee as she started to feel much better. “I speak French, Italian and Latin, but I never learned Russian.”
“Most genteel women don’t, but I dabbled in learning Russian as well. It is the most fascinating language,” Melody said, coming closer to the settee.
“You both speak Russian?” Delphine asked. For some reason, that seemed rather extraordinary to her.
Elodie bobbed her head in agreement. “I simply adore Russian literature. I especially enjoyedNal and Damayantiby Gavriil Derzhavin. It has such lyrical beauty and emotional depth.” She offered a sheepish smile. “At least the parts I understood, which was very little.”
“You better not let Father hear you say that. He is insistent that we always behave like proper ladies,” Melody remarked. “He would not be impressed that we learned some Russian.”
With a sigh, Elodie said, “Do not remind me. Ever since Father inherited his title, he has become a stickler for propriety.”
“He just wants what is best for us,” Melody stated.
“Or what is best for him,” Elodie muttered. “I just miss when Father was quick to smile and not quick to criticize.”
Melody shifted her gaze to Delphine to explain. “My father became the Marquess of Dallington a little over four months ago when my uncle passed away. He is still adjusting to the pressures that are associated with his title.”
“I understand,” Delphine said. “I inherited my title when I was four and ten years old, forcing me to grow up faster than I would have liked.”
Elodie reached for a pillow and placed it behindDelphine’s back. “What is it like being a countess in your own right?”
