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As Edward seated himself, Ermengarde approached and handed Laura a bottle of white wine wrapped in a white cloth. With her eyes, Ermengarde gave Laura the signal to serve the master his wine. Was everyone conspiring against her? First, Graham insisted that she serve tea, and now Ermengarde insisted that she serve Edward wine. Could everyone see the situation more clearly than Laura herself?
Trying to keep her legs steady while she walked to the table, Laura approached Edward and said. “Wine, Your Grace?”
Edward did not look up. If Laura’s instincts were correct, he was just as bashful at that moment as she was. “Thank you, Laura.”
As Laura poured, she could feel her hand shaking. That hunger and longing from earlier had returned ten-fold, and all while she was being viewed by the other servants. The feeling was disconcerting, to say the least. Just then, Edward brought his hand up and placed it on her wrist. Laura’s skin burned from his touch. “That’s enough.” Edward gazed directly into her eyes. Was everyone else seeing this? A tremendous flush came to her cheek.
“Very well.” Laura curtsied and quickly walked away.
Just as she exited the dining hall, Diana passed, entering with the tureen of stew. “Are you all right?” she asked, no doubt seeing that Laura was mildly distressed.
“Yes.”
It was a partial truth. What Laura was feeling, although mortifying, was pleasant at the same time. Never had she felt that way about a man before. Laura resigned herself to no longer enter the dining hall that night. All she would think of was how Edward’s hand felt on her wrist, and she’d crave him touching her again. She spent the rest of the dinner service in the kitchen, helping Richard clean.
Once Edward had dined and absconded to his study, Laura took the opportunity to go to her room in haste and push her nose into a book, where she hoped to escape her thoughts. It was a story that Laura had read before. A woman was arranged to marry a man that she had never met.
She was shipped across the sea to a foreign country, and on the banks of the shore, she beheld her new husband for the first time. When she locked eyes with him, the woman realized that she was impossibly in love. But she quickly discovered that the man she was to marry was rather cold and distant.
Laura began reading at the point where the wife came to confront her husband. She wanted to ask why he’s so distant and if there was something she was doing wrong. The husband gave no answer, but instead, gave the wife a passionate kiss.
As Laura read the story, hoping to take her mind off of things, all that she could think of was Edward. She imagined that she was the wife, and Edward was the cold husband, though he was in no way cold. Edward would be the one that was bringing his lips to hers and kissing her passionately.
Laura slammed the book shut in frustration and threw it across the room. No, romance novels were not going to help her current predicament. She thought again of Edward’s hand on her wrist, and she smiled. Laura brought a hand up to her throat, caressing her skin, wondering what it would feel like to have Edward’s hand there. Just then, Diana entered the room, and Laura quickly removed her hand from herself.
“Should I be concerned?”
“No, no.” Laura sat up straight. “It’s been a rather long day. I’m tired.”
“There was much that happened today, wasn’t there?” Diana walked over and seated herself beside Laura. The girls were familiar enough at that point for Diana to do so.
“The tea was very lavish. I got to nibble on one of the sandwiches.”
Diana narrowed her gaze. “But you didn’t eat supper.”
“I didn’t?”
“No, silly. Richard made enough stew for all of us. I noticed that you weren’t dining.”
Laura was in shock. Where had the time gone? She recalled coming up to her room and reading her book, but she didn’t think about supper for one moment. Perhaps there was something amiss. Laura’s dreamy mind had taken over her senses.
“If you can believe it, I entirely forgot to eat.”
“I think I understand.”
“What?”
“Laura, it’s quite obvious.”
Laura’s eyes widened. “What is quite obvious?”
“You’re in love.”
“Oh, Diana!” Hearing her friend say it was overwhelming. Everyone really must be seeing right through her.
“I know all the signs. Who’s the lucky fellow?”
Diana swallowed down hard. Could she admit to Diana the truth? Diana would probably laugh at her. No, Laura would protect her sentiments. “It’s … Frederick.”
