Madame reached for the muslin and laid it alongside the other selections. “Certainly. A modest gown with clean lines and a gathered bodice would suit her beautifully.”
Freddy cast me a wary glance.
“Fredericka,” I said gently, stepping closer. “Do you have a preference? This is for you, after all.” If my friend had encouraged me to speak up to Grandfather, then I would not let her voice go unnoticed in this moment.
Her eyes widened, and for a moment, she looked ready to argue. Then, with a faint shake of her head, she grinned as if reading my mind. “I do so like blue.”
Edward, leaning against a column with a disinterested air, suddenly straightened. “Might I suggest something as well?” he said, catching Madame’s attention. He motioned to a delicate green silk that caught the light. “No more faded colors for either of the ladies.”
I sighed with relief to have his support. “I wholeheartedly concur. I can’t stand any more frothy pink or white.”
“But as a young lady of good standing,” Aunt sputtered, shifting in her chair to examine the brighter hue, “paler shades are customary. Green might seem ... bold.”
“Boldness becomes her,” Edward replied with a shrug, his tone light but his gaze steady. “Don’t you agree, Madame?”
But to whichherdid Edward refer? Not me. He seemed utterly captivated with my friend. I hid a grin.
“Indeed,” Madame said, her eyes glinting with approval as she examined the fabric. “The green would suit the young lady’s complexion beautifully. A gown in this shade could be quite striking, particularly for evening wear.”
Before I could reply, Madame handed the bolt of cloth to an assistant, who set it neatly aside for consideration. I turned back to Edward and found him still watching Freddy with an expression far warmer than I could recall seeing in some time. For once, the ever-present darkness in his eyes seemed to lift, even if just for a moment.
I let them go ahead, claiming interest in another fabric I had no intention of choosing.
Instead my mind wandered. I’d tried again that morning to access Grandfather’s office—locked, as always. No fresh word from India. No further clues. I was chasing a ghost while the rest of the world—Freddy, Edward, even Sebastian—seemed to be moving forward.
Fredericka tilted her head, laughing softly at something Edward whispered. Her fingers brushed his as he handed her a scarf. For a moment, I forgot my mission entirely. I was watching a beginning.
Despite my letters to Hyderabad, despite the distance between my brother and me, perhaps the answer to Edward’s grimness was closer than I realized. Perhaps it lay not in the distant reaches of India, but here,among the threads of family and friendship. Perhaps it lay with Freddy, with me, with the bonds we had yet to strengthen.
Casting Edward a glance beneath her lashes, Freddy held up the rose scarf in front of the mirror, a small smile forming as she observed her reflection. The vibrancy suited her; she almost looked like a different woman.
“I believe you will stun everyone at Lord Chudley’s garden party,” I told her.
She laughed nervously. “A garden party. I shall look forward to it.” But then she placed the scarf back onto the counter. “But, Kitty, your aunt told me he danced twice with you at the recent ball. Is this news true?”
Inwardly, I suppressed a groan, hoping she saw nothing of the dreadful caricature of us dancing together. “I’m afraid so.”
She glanced sideways at me. “I wonder what Mr. Sinclair must think of it.”
I froze at her comment—innocent or not. He had not said a word to me about the event, but he had joined our party in visiting the Herschel home later that week. My actions certainly had not frightened Sebastian away.
He was determined to woo me to secure his inheritance. I was equally determined to resist him.
Caught up in my musings, I didn’t notice Edward had slipped away. But moments later, he returned, carrying something behind his back, his face impassive.
Aunt’s lips pursed when she spotted him. “You’ve gone and found something frivolous, I suppose.”
Ignoring her, Edward stepped forward and presented a hat—a frothy blue concoction with a velvet ribbon and flowers woven into the brim.
“Fredericka,” he said, his voice gentler than I’d heard it all morning, “I thought this would suit you.”
Freddy gasped, her eyes darting from Edward to the hat. “Edward, I couldn’t ... Aunt would never...”
Aunt made a small sound of disapproval, but Edward’s steady gaze on Freddy quelled her protest.
“Nonsense,” he said, pressing it into her hands. “Consider it a gift from an old friend.”
Freddy’s cheeks flushed as she accepted the hat, her fingers brushing Edward’s. She seemed almost at a loss for words, a rare moment where her usual composure melted.
