AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Isabel chuckled. “I don’t know. Millie is a very exuberant child.”
“It works out well because so am I!” Evie said excitedly.
“Just don’t overexert yourself, please. But Millie seems quite taken with you. I have to say I am a little bit jealous,” Isabel confessed.
Evie raised a brow. “Oh?”
“Yes. She seems to have warmed up to me, but she looks at you with such awe in her eyes. And she copies everything you do and wants to be just like you. I suppose I should be glad she picked you as a role model because you’re perfect.”
Evie waved a dismissing hand, then popped another almond into her mouth. “I am a novelty for Millie. Someone who appears once in a while and dazzles her with pretty dresses and shiny red hair. At the end of the day, she will always choose you.”
“How do you know that?” Isabel bit on her lip.
Evie put the teacup down and looked Isabel squarely in the eye. “Because you might see how she looks at me, but I see the way she looks at you. You might not have given birth to her, Isabel, but youareher mother. And that’s exactly how she sees you.”
Isabel’s eyes filled with tears. “Oh, my, Evie. You know how to make a lady teary-eyed.” Both ladies laughed and dabbed at their tears with a handkerchief. “But that’s exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you.”
“It is true.” Evie grinned.
Isabel shook her head. “I never thought when I first met the wild child that I would love her this much.”
“It is rather odd how complete strangers can become the most important people in your life in a span of a few weeks, isn’t it? After all, this is how quickly I became friends with you lot!”
Isabel chuckled. That was true. Evie became close friends with Isabel’s sister Sam in a matter of days. After that, she became a part of the Lewis family.
They sipped the tea in silence for a moment before Evie spoke again. “Now that we sorted out your relationship with your child, how about you tell me about your relationship with your husband?”
Isabel’s cheeks heated, and she fought to keep her smile at bay.
“Ah! So he is no longer evading his marital duty, I assume, by the shy look on your face?”
“He is not,” Isabel said and pursed her lips again lest her smile broke out.
“And is everything—how do I say this without being crude?—ah, satisfactory on that end?”
Isabel hesitated before nodding.
It was satisfactory, wasn’t it? And either way, she didn’t feel like it was something to be discussed with third parties. Especially since she hadn’t discussed it with her husband.
“Yes, it is,” she finally said.
* * *
Isabel came to her room later that evening feeling tired. Everything seemed ready for the house party, and all she needed was to wait for the guests to arrive. Richard didn’t cause any trouble. He seemed amicable enough, although he had that look like he had something on his mind.
Isabel would ask him later. She had too many problems of her own. And perhaps that made her a selfish sister, but today, she decided to be a little selfish. It didn’t hurt to prioritize oneself once in a while, did it?
She called for Anthea before she noticed the wrapped package on her bed. The maid entered just then and started preparing Isabel’s nighttime clothes.
“Anthea, do you know who this package on my bed is from?” Isabel asked.
Anthea looked at the package and shook her head.
Isabel shrugged. She would find out soon enough. She slipped into her nightgown with the help of her maid before dismissing her. Then she sat on the bed and looked at the package and the note accompanying it.
Dear Isabel,
From our conversation today, I gathered that the marital bed is not as pleasant as it can be. I might be wrong, and if I am, please, excuse my meddling. But I know how nervous you were about this, and I only wish you the best. So, I am enclosing a deck of cards.
