Isaac dropped his hand to his side and took a step back. “I will leave you to it, then. Whatever it was that you were doing,” he said before he started down the path.
Winston kept his eyes on Isaac’s retreating figure until he was out of view. He turned back around to Mattie. “I am sorry about Isaac.”
“You have no reason to apologize.”
“But I do,” Winston said. “He is here because of my family.”
Mattie’s eyes flickered towards the trees where Grady wasstanding. “I am sure the man you assigned to watch over us will keep us safe.”
“It is the least that I can do,” Winston replied, a note of frustration in his voice. “Isaac is making a nuisance of himself.”
Mattie placed a reassuring hand on his arm. “It is all right,” she said. “Now that we know about Isaac’s true intentions, we will be better prepared to deal with him.”
“I just wish I could do more,” Winston sighed, feeling discouraged. “I don’t want anything to happen to you or your family because of Isaac.”
She offered him a reassuring smile. “You are doing more than enough. We will be careful, and we can handle whatever comes our way together.”
Together.
Had she truly meant that or was it just a slip of the tongue?
Mattie withdrew her hand. “I should go.”
“Would you care for me to escort you home?” he asked, not wanting the time with Mattie to come to an end.
She smiled. “No, because then I would have to explain where our paths met, and I do not wish to share that.”
“Point taken.” Winston turned his attention towards Grady. “Keep Miss Bawden safe,” he ordered.
Grady stepped out from amongst the trees and nodded. “Yes, my lord.”
Winston watched as Mattie walked down the path that would lead her home, and he found himself wondering how different their lives would have been if she had responded to his letter. The one he wrote after their kiss.
As Mattie walked towards her cottage, she noticed Emmawas sitting under the covered porch. “What now?” she muttered under her breath.
Emma’s face lit up when she saw her. “Mattie, you are home,” she exclaimed. “I was thinking about something.”
Mattie closed her eyes, a sense of dread washing over her. No good ever came from her sister when she was “thinking.”
Jumping up from her seat, Emma continued, oblivious to Mattie’s apprehension. “Father told me that he doesn’t want you to have a Season this year because we are in mourning,” she said. “But that poses a problem for me.”
“It does?” she asked, wondering where this was going.
“Yes, as you know, I am almost seven and ten years old, and I was hoping to debut next Season,” Emma said. “But Father won’t let me debut with you. He says that wouldn’t be fair of me to do so.”
Mattie stepped into the cottage, with Emma following closely behind. “I fail to see what the issue is.”
“Surely you must see the problem for me,” Emma remarked. “I was hoping you would forgo your debut since you will be two and twenty years old. That way I can be presented in Court.”
Spinning around, Mattie said, “But if I did such a thing, I would be considered a spinster amongst high Society.”
Emma nodded. “Well, you will be two and twenty years old. What kind of match do you truly expect anyways?”
Mattie stared at her sister, a feeling of disbelief washing over her. Her sister wanted her to throw away her future for the sake of hers. “No,” she said firmly. “I am sorry you won’t be able to debut next year but I have earned the right to do so.”
Her sister’s face fell. “Why are you being so unreasonable about this?” she asked. “With your red hair, you hardly can expect a good match.”
“What is wrong with my red hair?” Mattie asked.
