“It was the best I could come up with on short notice.” Her eyes flashed. “He’s absolutelydesperate, you know, watching all Uncle Snodbody’s millions slip through his fingers!” For a moment, she looked downright gleeful.
Luna’s brow puckered. “But you will bemarried,Miss Lambert. Isn’t that rather a permanent sort of situation in which to find yourself?”
“Yes, well, that idea occurred to me rather suddenly when they started playing the processional.” Eugenia gestured with one gloved hand around at the broom closet. “Which is why you find me here, Miss Witch.”
“But you know you can’t stay here forever.”
In lieu of an answer, Eugenia merely wiggled her posterior a little more firmly into the cloudlike poof around her, a silent declaration of intent to sprout roots.
Luna chewed the inside of her cheek, considering. Then: “Do you remember when last we spoke, Miss Lambert? When we talked about waiting?”
“Oh, I justknewyou were going to bring that up!” Eugenia growled and took another gulp of tepid tea. “Here’s the thing: waiting is theworst.I want my life tohappen.I don’t want to stand by and watch other people’s lives forever!”
“I can understand that,” Luna answered meekly. “But doeslifenecessarily have to equalmarriage?”
“What else is there?” Eugenia huffed. “I’m not one of those clever or talented women, who can go devoting themselves to some art or cause. It would be nice if I were, but I’m not.”
“Whatdoyou like, Miss Lambert?”
“Well, I quite liked having two beaus fighting over me. That is, until . . .”
“Until you didn’t anymore.”
Another sniff. Followed by another teardrop into the teacup.
“Perhaps,” Luna said, taking care to be cautious here, as she could sense she was on brittle ground, “you simply haven’t found your calling yet, Miss Lambert. That doesn’t mean you don’t have one.”
“Well, it’s a bit late now, isn’t it?” Eugenia sighed and rolled her eyes, looking very like her father in that moment. “Bertrum—the duke, you know—wants babies before the year’s out.”
“Babiesplural?”
“Twins run in his family.”
“Green Mother save us!”
Eugenia grimaced. “I know, right?”
“I mean . . .” Luna blinked, frowning slightly. “That would be lovely, if . . . ifyouwant them. Do you?”
“I don’t much care for babies.”
“Perhaps you’d like your own better than others?”
“That’s always the hope, isn’t it?” Eugenia swirled the dregs in her cup. “Didn’t work out so well for Mother. She never did like me.”
The simplicity of that painful statement was enough to bring tears to Luna’s eyes. Her heart ached at the aura of quiet desperation emanating from this poor, young, foolish child. She knew she didn’t have any gifts or magic powerful enough to change Eugenia’s fate, but surely she could offer something.
“Miss Lambert, will you let me read your tea leaves?”
Eugenia glanced up at her suspiciously. “Why?”
Luna bit her lip. The last time she’d read for this young woman, the Double Jeopardy image generated to her Sight had made it nearly impossible to determine what advice to give. But things were different now. Surely one future must dominate over the other. “I might be able to help you make your decision.”
“What decision?”
“About whether or not you’re ever going to leave this broom closet for one thing.”
“I don’t think I am. I’m happy here.”
