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Chapter 36
Lucy and Silas were walking in the park with Aunt Joan and two of her friends walking behind them, as their chaperones. They had begun to do this regularly. Silas claimed that he couldn’t bear to go more than a day without seeing her.
It was a sunny day, and the sky overhead was as blue as Silas’s eyes. Their breath fogged in the brisk air. Lucy held her cloak to herself tightly, to ward off the chill.
Her gloved hand rested in the crook of his elbow. She glanced over at him. He had been quiet, lost in his thoughts. Usually, he kept up a steady stream of discussion.
“You seem thoughtful,” she commented. It wasn’t often that he was silent. Silas was very talkative.
“My brother was supposed to become engaged,” he told her. “I found out that it fell through, only a short time after my father’s funeral. He didn’t tell me. Not until recently.”
“Oh! How awful.” No wonder Michael had seemed glum the past few times that she had seen him. Of the Sweet siblings, Michael was the one that she knew the least. “I thought he was angry with me, but I couldn’t figure out why.” This explained it. After his own engagement had ended, to see both of his siblings happily engaged was like having salt rubbed in a particularly brutal wound.
“No. No one could ever be angry with you,” he said with feeling.
“It’s happened before.” She recalled several times, where she had been ousted from discussions for having opinions that others did not like. It was a common happenstance, in her case.
“Hardly.” He sighed. “I want to do something for him. I want to be able to build him a house, on Thornbridge estate or nearby.”
“That would be a kind thing to do.” Lucy knew that the Sweet siblings were all very close. Having his brother start his family so near to Thornbridge would be a good solution, in her opinion.
“I want to help him,” he said. “He does so much for me.”
“Then you certainly should.” Lucy wondered why he seemed to be asking her permission to help his brother. “He’s your brother, your family. You need to do right by him.”
“You’re so wise,” he commented, smiling at her.
“The world is not a fair place,” Lucy said. This was true, in her experience. “It sounds like you’re trying your best to ensure your brother is taken care of.”
Mr Stalton was walking along the road, and Lucy’s heart began to pound. She glanced over at Silas, who looked furious. Mr Stalton smiled at them, his eyes filled with a cruel gleam. Lucy was surprised when Silas pointedly ignored him, marching past.
When they were a good distance away, she peered at him. “Why did you ignore Mr Stalton? Is he not your friend?”
“He’s no longer a friend to me,” Silas growled. “He has acted most shamefully. If I were you, I would avoid him at all costs.”
“After he cornered me in the maze at Thornbridge Manor, I was already doing so.” She shuddered to recall how he’d reached out to her.
“He mistreats women,” Silas said. “I cannot call someone like that a friend.”
Lucy could tell that something had happened between them, though Silas didn’t want to say what. So, they walked on in silence. Lucy cleared her throat.
“Well, I for one could use a cup of tea,” Lucy said, trying to bring levity to the day. She was relieved that she wouldn’t have to be polite to Mr Stalton. She wouldn’t have to see him at all, it seemed. For that, she was glad.
“Then let us return to Harley Street,” Silas said, smiling.
Lucy beamed up at Silas. Mr Stalton was merely a brief cloud, which she soon forgot about. She was brilliantly happy. Lucy was falling more and more in love with Silas every day.
With Aunt Joan’s excited talk of weddings and such, Lucy was beginning to think about that day. She wanted a spring wedding. That would give her enough time to enjoy her life with Aunt Joan for a little while longer.
She had never thought that any of this would be possible. And yet, here she was. Lucy Wilds, in love. The whole world felt a little bit brighter, and she was blissfully happy. It seemed that nothing at all could go wrong.
