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Chapter 24
At that very moment, Lucy was on her way to Susan Hamm’s house, which was located only a few blocks away from Harley Street. She was dressed in the same blue and cream striped muslin that she had worn at Thornbridge Manor—the very one that Silas was thinking of, though she didn’t know it.
It was her finest frock. She had painstakingly done her hair in a bun, using the curling iron to make ringlet curls to frame her cheeks. She was nervous—what if Susan didn’t want to see her, after her frosty reception the other day?
Lucy had been thinking a great deal about her conversation with Aunt Joan about relationships and regrets. She wanted to do something immediately, because she knew that if she didn’t start to change things, then she would end up very much alone and with regrets of her own.
Even Aunt Joan had friends that she visited with several times a week. Susan had been Lucy’s dearest friend, at one point. So, Lucy was on her way to call on Susan. She wanted to clear the air, after Susan’s disastrous visit. She owed it to Susan to at least part ways on good terms, if not renew their friendship.
She knocked on the sleek, cherry-red door. Mrs Vane, the Hamms’ housekeeper, answered, recognizing her. She was an older woman with silver hair, and she smiled at Lucy kindly.
“Miss Wilds! It’s been quite some time,” she said. “Miss Susan is in the parlour. Come inside! She’ll be pleased to see you.”
“Thank you.” Lucy followed Mrs Vane up to the parlour. She was surprised that she wasn’t made to wait. After all, Susan would not be able to pretend that she wasn’t at home. This forced Susan to see her, a fact which set Lucy’s heart pounding nervously in her chest.
“Miss Wilds to see you, Miss Susan,” Mrs Vane announced. Lucy’s heart thudded even harder.
“Send her in,” Susan said from inside of the room. To Lucy’s surprise, her tone sounded happy, pleased. As Lucy entered, Susan stood up. She was smiling curiously. “Lucy,” she said warmly. “You are most welcome.”
“I thought that I would return your favour,” Lucy said. Despite Susan’s kind reception, her heart was still beating nervously, and she had a kaleidoscope of butterflies in her stomach.
Susan looked at Mrs Vane. “Would you bring us some tea, and some of the nut cakes that you made?”
“I’d be happy to, Miss Susan.” Mrs Vane disappeared into the hallway, her footsteps vanishing. Susan gestured towards the chair across from her own seat.
“Please, sit down. I must say, I’m surprised to see you.” She settled herself on the settee, arranging her skirts around her neatly.
“I imagine so,” Lucy agreed, sitting down in an armchair across from her. “I had thought that you were only being polite when I ran into you in the shop. I was really surprised that you came to visit.”
Susan smiled. “No, I really do miss you.”
“I was caught off-guard when you visited,” Lucy went on. “I apologize for my awkwardness. I don’t often see anyone these days. I’m almost like a hermit.
“I have to admit, I missed you, as well,” she said. “I don’t know what happened, to end our friendship. But I do freely admit that whatever it was, I am truly sorry for it.”
Susan nodded, looking down at her hands, which were folded in her lap as she gathered her thoughts. “I was enamoured with Edward Russ,” she admitted. “When I saw him with you, out in the public park, I saw how clearly the two of you were in love. I didn’t want to ruin your happiness, so I chose to back off.” She cleared her throat but kept her eyes on Lucy, speaking to her directly, with feeling. “I found it hard to be around you, when you so clearly had the heart of the man I wanted. It seemed best to put space between us.
“I naturally assumed that you two would become engaged. I was happy for you. I believed you deserved to be happy, after you’d lost both of your parents. I knew that, someday, I would meet someone else.
Susan looked up. “And I have. He’s wonderful, but as the months passed, I wanted nothing more than to rekindle our friendship. I worried that too much time had passed.”
“There was a secret engagement, but it never turned into anything more, as I presume you heard,” Lucy explained, even though she didn’t want to discuss it. Edward’s betrayal still hurt.
“Yes,” Susan agreed. “Now I know that Mr. Russ is a horrible man. He used you most horribly and shamefully.”
“I want to apologize for not staying in touch,” Lucy said. “It’s as much my fault, as well. I hope that we can begin anew.”
Susan smiled. “That would be nice. I’m very glad that you came today.”
“Me, too,” Lucy agreed. This meeting had already gone better than she had expected. Not only did Susan agree, it seemed that all had been forgiven. The butterflies in Lucy’s stomach vanished.
Mrs Vane brought in a tray laden with tea and cakes. The two friends settled in to catch up.
“So, tell me—who is he?” Lucy asked, relaxing.
Susan beamed, seeming to blossom. “He’s the son of a merchant,” she said. “Just like my father.”
