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Stepping out onto the lawn, Michael waited for Lydia to come back down from her room, as she had gone to change. He felt anxious after reading her face at breakfast. It was as though something had changed in her. He wondered if she was feeling guilty or ashamed of what they had done together, or even if she no longer wanted to perpetuate their fake engagement.
When she finally came out of the back doors of the manor, dressed in a pale pink dress, Michael swore that she looked angelic, a picture of innocence. Her face lit up when she saw him, quickly erasing the doubtful thoughts he was having. He held out his hand to her as she approached him, and she placed her dainty fingers in his palm. Taking that same hand, he wrapped her hand around his forearm.
“Shall we wait for your uncle before we promenade?”
“I think that would be best,” she answered, stepping closer to him. “Though, it is nice to have a moment alone with you, without everyone else for a moment.”
“Are you enjoying your time here?” he asked. “You’ve been a bit distant the past two days.”
“I have been a bit on edge,” she admitted, looking down. “I received a note, threatening to expose my scandalous behavior. Your aunt and Miss Benrow are both setting me on my defense.”
“I know Kitty can be a bit self-absorbed, but has my aunt been impolite?”
“She has been a bit … snobbish, for a lack of a better word,” Lydia said softly. “I do not wish to speak ill of her, but she has been a bit harsh.”
“That is unfortunate,” he replied. “Do you wish me to speak to her?”
“No!” she cried. “No, please do not. I think that may make it worse. She would know that I was affected and spoke to you about it, which would only make her like me even less.”
“If that is what you wish.”
“I do not understand why she dislikes me,” she went on. “I have done everything possible to be friendly and polite.”
“I cannot fathom it,” Michael agreed. “She has always been strict with me, but not hateful.”
“Does she know our engagement is a lie?”
She looked up at him with wide eyes, vulnerable. He sighed deeply, disheartened to tell her the truth. “Yes, she knows. I suppose Joseph told her, though I’m not sure when.”
“So Joseph, Kitty, and your aunt all know. It’s only our uncles who are in the dark. It makes me wonder of the whole purpose of my visit. Was it worth it, for me to spend these two weeks here in Marigold?”
His heart turned in his chest. Logically, he had asked her to visit to help solidify their fake engagement. He had hardly admitted to himself, let alone to her, that he had mostly wanted to spend more time with her. He thought that she must know that fact, yet if he had not confessed to her, then how could she know?
“I do think it shall be worth it,” he told her, laying his hand over hers on his arm. “You and I have become friends throughout your visit and shall continue to grow in our friendship.”
She was about to protest when she spotted her uncle walking towards them.
“Uncle,” she greeted when he drew close.
His expression was drawn. “Lydia, I imagine I’ll take my book to the lake for the time being.”
Taken aback by his curtness, Michael nodded quickly. Francis did not need to explain his motive: that he would sit, watch, and keep an eye on the two of them while they walked through the garden. Francis nodded curtly again and stepped toward the lake. Once he was out of earshot again, Michael turned back to Lydia.
“Shall we take a turn through the gardens?” he asked.
She nodded, falling into step beside him, meandering slowly down the paths.
“What would you like to discuss?” he said, after they had been quiet for some time.
She thought for a second, tilting her head. “Tell me about your parents.”
“My parents?” he asked, surprised.
“Yes, you know quite a bit about my family,” she reasoned. “And of course, I know your aunt and uncle, and your cousin. But you have not spoken much of your parents.”
“Well, they have both been gone for some years,” he explained. “My mother died while I was still young, and my father passed some years ago.”
“Were they ill?” she asked. “Or were their deaths quite sudden?”
