She carefully tucked the handkerchief into the cushion crevice of the chaise longue where she could easily retrieve it. She focused on the vase of flowers, a simple bit of uncomplicated beauty. Flowers must be important to the Jonquils. Vases of fresh blooms were found throughout Brier Hill, and they had adorned this room since that evening when she’d returned to dress for the night’s meal.
She took several deep breaths, reclaiming her calm demeanor. Rose arrived. She wore the look she so often did, the one that said she saw far more than she was letting on.
“Please don’t ask questions,” Artemis quietly requested. “I just want to lie down and be left alone.”
Loyal and good friend that she was, Rose didn’t press for answers as she helped Artemis change into her night clothes. She even took up a discussion on a safe and unemotional topic.
“I believe there is room enough in here for a bit of sewing and sketching. I brought supplies for both.”
“I would like that,” Artemis said, breathing through the lingering pain in her heart.
“I would very much like to design a gown for the barrister’s wife,” Rose said. “She has so unique a quality about her: diminutive in size yet grand in temperament. I suspect she would not be overwhelmed by bold colors.”
Artemis nodded. She’d had much the same thought. “And Lady Lampton, I understand, wears a somewhat cumbersome contraption about her middle to add stability to her hips, thus the overly large dresses she wears. I think we could design something that would accommodate her bracing while still flattering her figure. Perhaps she would welcome the idea.”
“It could not hurt to create a sketch,” Rose said. “Even if nothing comes of it, we would enjoy the challenge.”
The challengeandthe escape.She could lose herself in their efforts and, for a time, forget how painful the world was quickly becoming once more.
Artemis took up the blanket Charlie had been using and spread it over her lap as she sat on the chaise longue.
Rose blew out the candle, blessedly silent on the topic of Artemis’s choice of sleeping location. Rose stepped from the room, leaving Artemis in darkness. She didn’t lie down. Not yet. She held Papa’s handkerchief in her hand, hoping she could keep back her tears but nearly certain she’d not manage it.
Not a chance of it.Charlie’s voice echoed in her thoughts.I’ll not be swayed.
“I’ve tried so hard, Papa.” Her whisper broke in the blackness. “I need you here. I need you to tell me you love me. I need you to hold me again. Without you, I am so alone. Without you, no one wants me.”
Chapter Eighteen
Artemis had abandoned the game.Charlie wasn’t certain why. She’d seemed to be enjoying it, though she’d fumbled a bit for a question to ask him. In the end, the one she’d chosen had been rather perfect. It told his family they knew each other’s interests and pursuits, which they certainly would if their ill-fated marriage was the growing success they were trying to pretend it was. His siblings had asked dozens of questions about his lecture opportunity, and in the midst of it all, she’d disappeared.
She’d placed such importance earlier that evening on getting on with his family that simply walking away made no sense. Nothing about any of this made any logical sense.
He sat amongst the others as the game of questions and commands continued with its usual hilarity. But he couldn’t enjoy it. He and Artemis had kept their interactions cordial. She’d used her signature dramatics to add his family’s amusement to the equation. He’d multiplied that with a bit of his own antics during their round of questions and comments. It ought to have resulted in an improvement of the situation. Yet there he was, alone and confused.
Corbin’s wife, Clara, came and sat next to him, something that didn’t happen overly often. She was as quiet as her husband, though not unfriendly. “I am certain you have and will receive ample unwanted advice from your brothers, but will you accept an observation from a sister-in-law who loves you?”
“Of course.”
Clara held his gaze. “You embarrassed her.”
“Embarrassed her?”
“Artemis.” Clara emphasized the explanation with a nod. “Her husband publicly declared he could not under any circumstances be convinced to kiss her.”
He had panicked a little when his name had been drawn in conjunction with hers. But he thought he’d played it off well. “She knew I was teasing. She does it all the time.”
“You were not looking at her,” Clara said, “but I was.”
“She wasn’t... laughing along?”
“I am honestly a bit surprised she wasn’t actually crying.”
His heart dropped. Surely Clara was overstating the severity of Artemis’s reaction. “She doesn’t cry.” But he knew that wasn’t entirely true.
“You made it clear to everyone in the room how low your opinion of her is, Charlie. That would make even the most stalwart heart falter, especially when she is already feeling alone and afraid.”
He shook his head. “She’s Artemis Lancaster. She’s never afraid.”
