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Percy seemed to understand; he didn’t press her further. She breathed a sigh of relief and decided a change of subject was in order. The air around them was much too heavy. Fanny preferred things to remain light. “Shall we have the cook prepare a midday meal? It is nearly one o’clock.”
He nodded in brief reply, seemingly deep in thought once again.
“Very well.” Fanny stood and brushed her hands over her skirts, huffing a breath. “I will return shortly.”
Hurrying from the room, Fanny tried to calm her racing mind and pounding heart. Why was she feeling this way? She hadn’t intended to come to care for Percy, not like this. She thought of his smile, the way they had spoken without argument and with ease, the hours that had passed without notice. She had adored every moment. Despite everything—despite every reason not to—she feared the worst.
She feared she was falling in love with her husband.
And he had seemed to enjoy her company. He hadn’t pushed her away. But if he knew what she looked like—what she really looked like—how could he love her in return? She hadn’t allowed herself to hope for love in this marriage for a reason. Love had wounded her once before, and she couldn’t allow that to happen again.
CHAPTER9
Aletter came from Harry three days later, and Percy tried to call Fanny in to read it to him, but he didn’t know where she had gone. He moved to the bell pull instead, waiting for Diane or Jane to arrive. Surprisingly, Percy was eager to learn of his cousin’s location and well-being. He would never have admitted it to Harry, but he was a dear friend to Percy. Perhaps Percy was just realizing that now that he was gone. Harry had treated him with a great deal of kindness, and Percy had always been aloof and rude. It amazed him that Harry would even write him a letter at all.
Diane arrived several minutes later, and after Percy made his request, she took the letter from his hand and read in her raspy voice:
Dear Percy,
As you read this, you may imagine me traversing the waves aboard the Royal Albert. But please do not think of me often. I trust your attention has been captured by your wife. I hope you are treating her well. Have you fallen madly in love with her yet? I can vividly imagine you cringing at that question. My time away from you will be long and dutiful, but I trust you will not miss me in the slightest. You never were the sort to be sentimental. Onward and forward, cousin!
Harry
Percy dismissed Diane with a quick thank you. He thought about the words Harry had written.Have you fallen madly in love with her yet?He quickly shut out his heart before he heard the answer. It had been three days since their last lengthy interaction, and Percy feared Fanny had been avoiding him. She had stopped by the library briefly for meals, and had delivered Harry’s letter the night before. But she hadn’t even tried to drag him to the dining room or out to the gardens. What had he done wrong?
Percy had, at first, been determined to remain aloof toward Fanny, but that was becoming increasingly difficult. He was drawn to her. She made him smile. He even smiled just at the thought.
He didn’t know what had gotten into him in that little room three days before, but during those hours, something had changed deep in his heart. He missed her. He thought of her laugh and sweet lilac smell when she wasn’t near him. The sound of her skirts brushing the floor, the sound of her endless humming while she walked the halls, the sound of her voice as she read books beside him lingered in his mind. But something had distanced her from him the last three days, and Percy needed to know what it was. He clenched his jaw and leaned forward in frustration.
After several minutes of thinking, Percy stood from his bed and decided to go to the room where they had found the harp. The music always served to clear his mind. With quick steps, he found the room, counting the doors he passed with his hand. This room was the fifth door on the right side of the hall, a straight path to the back entrance to the house. His brow furrowed as he recalled the strange mystery of how the harp had ended up there in that room. He didn’t remember requesting that it be moved for him, but he could have been remembering the original location incorrectly.
Walking inside the small sitting room, he moved with his arms outstretched, but found nothing. He circled the room again, pacing in all directions, but never came across the harp. He stopped, turning in a circle. Had he chosen the wrong room? He rubbed his jaw and tried to think back on the steps he had taken, the directions he had turned. The silence in the room weighed tons, and he tried to focus his mind on his whereabouts. Panic filled him. Grasping at conclusions was like grasping at smoke in the air.
Mind muddled with confusion, Percy decided to go back to the library. It was the place he did the most thinking, and he trusted he could puzzle out what was happening once he was sitting in his chair by the window. Once he arrived, he found that his mind was clear. Reaching forward, he pushed the window open so he could hear the sounds and smell the scents of morning. Surely that would help.
A muffled voice reached his ears from outside. He strained to listen.
“But how shall we do it?” It was Fanny’s voice.
A deeper, masculine voice made Percy listen harder. It was Mr. Gregory.
“I suppose we should make it discreet. We don’t want to leave the slightest trace. It will be difficult, but it can certainly be done.”
“I don’t wish to ruin what we’ve worked so very hard for.” Fanny sounded nervous.
“Not to worry. Will you miss it? I think you will be much happier with the new arrangement.”
Fanny laughed. “Yes, I believe I will.”
“Then it shall be done.”
Percy’s eyes narrowed. What were Fanny and Mr. Gregory speaking of? His heart pounded with dread, a sudden worry arising in his mind. Was Fanny planning to run off with his groundskeeper?We don’t want to leave the slightest trace.Percy’s face flamed with anger, boiling in his veins and clouding everything with heat. But then he thought of Mr. Gregory’s words:I think you will be much happier with the new arrangement.Was Fanny still unhappy here?
Percy thought things had changed—he thought they had come to care for one another. It was like a set of cold fingers were curling around his heart. Perhaps his feelings were only one-sided. Of course. How could Fanny love him? He couldn’t even see her. He was practically helpless. How had he allowed himself to think—to hope—otherwise?
As he strained his ears to hear more sounds from below his window, another thought awakened chills on his spine. Had Fanny been responsible for the disappearing harp? Had she and Mr. Gregory been plotting something? Surely if they planned to leave together they would need money. That harp was worth a substantial sum of money. With it, they would be set up for years. How had the thought not occurred to him before?
Everything Fanny had repaired within Percy had begun to crack in that moment, and he didn’t try to fix it. Not now. His heart ached with the possibility of betrayal. He was leaning closer to the window, but realized that the conversation had halted.
