eighteen
NEVILLE’S WORDS HAUNTED Edith the day after the ball as she volunteered at the hospital early in the morning. More than Neville’s words, his tone bothered her. He’d been completely serious when he’d talked about her overdue payment, even straight up telling he was ready to force her if he needed to.
“You seem upset,” Mrs. Richards said with hesitant words.
“Only a bit worried. Silly personal problems I won’t trouble you with.” She pulled her chair closer to Mrs. Richards’s bed and raised a hand. “Squeeze my hand.”
Edith was helping Mrs. Richards practise the same exercises Perry had done to improve mobility. As a seamstress, Mrs. Richards needed to regain the use of her hands. The woman frowned, closing her fingers around Edith’s. Her cheeks reddened, but the pressure applied by her hand was rather light. A sign she needed to exercise more.
“Well done.” Edith held the woman’s hand. “You’re making progress.”
Mrs. Richards sagged on the pillow. “I’m tired.”
“We’ll continue another day.”
She shook her head. “They asked me to leave. They need the bed.”
Edith paused while standing up. “But you haven’t recovered yet.”
She shrugged. “My husband will take me home this evening.”
Staying at home with her family had its benefits, but Mrs. Richards’s condition required care. Her husband needed to work to support his family, and Mrs. Richards wouldn’t have anyone to watch over her, help her exercise, or stimulate her speech.
Edith hugged her, careful not to hurt her. Every word of comfort coming up in her mind sounded like a lie, so she simply hugged the woman.
There had to be something she could do.
“Thank you,” Mrs. Richards said.
But Edith hadn’t done anything.
Later, after she left the hospital, she took her time to walk to Perry’s house. The day was particularly bright, and the sunlight warmed her cheeks. It was the first time she’d enjoyed the sunlight in years, as strange as it sounded. Intense nightlife and walks in the sunlight weren’t good companions.
On top of everything else, she couldn’t stop thinking about the kiss. The beautiful, sweet, wonderful kiss. It’d been a chaste kiss compared to other kisses she’d shared. She’d experienced more savage kisses that had led to messy tumbles and awkward moments, but Perry’s kiss had left a shock of sensations through her body like the aftermath of an earthquake. The ripples still tickled her.
She entered his study, inhaling the scent of freshly brewed tea and scones. “Good afternoon,” she said.
He stood up, hands clasped behind his back, handsome in a dark suit. The sunlight agreed with him. It made his inky hair glossy and his eyes a deeper blue.
“In time for tea.” A fleeting smile graced his lips—lips that she knew were soft and demanding—and was gone in a blink, which made her realise how rarely he smiled. “I trust you’re well.”
“Yes. Last night was unexpectedly pleasant, especially when I was in the conservatory.”
He gave her a mischievous grin. “I agree. The conservatory was one of the best moments of the past years. Unforgettable. I’ll always cherish it.”
She sat on the chair next to him. He sat down as well. For a few moments, neither of them spoke. They stared at each other, smiling and letting the happiness of being together speak for them.
“What are we going to do today?” she asked.
“Reading shouldn’t be a problem for me, but I need to go through these documents.” He deposited a thick folder on the desk. “We’ll share it.”
“Great.”
“But I must warn you. They’re rather uninteresting. Agricultural reports from my estates. Please take note whenever barley is mentioned.”
Uninteresting was an understatement.
After a couple of hours of reading boring reports on the fluctuation of the price of barley, potatoes, and cabbage, Edith was about to either fall asleep on the desk or scream out of boredom. Whenever she blinked, visions of vegetables floated through her mind.
