“Imayhave indulged a little,” Prudence admitted, a mischievous glint in her eye.
Before Teresa could scold her, the rest of the party hurried across the gravel to greet her, Isolde nudging the youngest out of the way so she could wrap Teresa up in the tightest of hugs.
“I have thought of nothing but you since you left,” Isolde gushed, squeezing Teresa to the point of almost cracking a rib. “Rather, I have worried about nothing but you since you left. I have not slept properly, I have barely eaten, I have positivelyerodedpart of the floor in my bedchamber, and I am certain my dear family think I have gone mad.”
Teresa could not help but laugh. “What of my darling nephew? He must be feeling terribly neglected with all that pacing.”
“Joseph asks for you constantly,” Isolde replied, her eyes shining with adoration for her son. “He wanted to come with me, but… considering the nature of your husband, I thought it wise to leave him at Davenport with Edmund. Now that I am here, however—goodness, he would haveadoredit. It is every boy’s dream to visit a castle, pretending to be a knight.”
“Next time, perhaps,” Teresa said, forcing a smile.
Isolde’s brow furrowed, and she stepped back to take a good look at her sister. “Are you well? You look pale. A little thin.” She lowered her voice. “Has he hurt you? Are you… safe?”
“He has not hurt me,” Teresa lied, certain that her sister was talking of physical injury, not emotional. “I am as you see me. Perfectly fine.”
“What is that I smell on the air?” a different voice interjected, Beatrice bumping Isolde aside with her hip so she could have her moment with her friend. “Why, I do believe it is barefaced fibs that I smell. Might you know something about that? Have you a batch of them boiling in the kitchens?”
Teresa shrieked as she threw her arms around her dearest companion, the two of them jumping around in circles as they held one another. It had felt like a lifetime since she had seen her sisters, but it had felt like an eternity since she had seen Beatrice.
“How are you really?” Beatrice demanded to know after the excitement had faded, pulling back to scrutinize her friend with keen eyes. “Your sister is right, you do have a complexioncomparable to milk, and you are definitely thinner than you were. We must feed you up like a goose while we are here; I shall take no argument.”
Teresa mustered a smile. “I am… perfectly fine, just as I said. I have not the faintest notion of how to be a capable duchess, but I am otherwise… fine.”
“I do not profess to know anything about being a duchess either,” Beatrice said, grinning, “but I think you are supposed to offer your weary guests an abundance of tea, cake, and gossip. We want to know everything, and we shall want to investigate so we can be certain of your being ‘perfectly fine.’”
Isolde smiled. “Teawouldbe rather lovely, and we have a lot of questions.”
“But we shall not ask them all at once,” Prudence cut in. “We shall ask them sparingly, between remarks about the weather and the exorbitant cost of ribbons and bonnets.”
Despite the circumstances, and the argument that still simmered in Teresa’s head, she felt the smallest rush of serenity as she looked around at the three women she adored most in the world. She had not known if they would be able to come and visit her so soon, pouring a great deal of hope and prayer into her invitations to them, but they had not let her down. They were here, precisely when she needed them the most.
“You see, I am already learning,” she said lightly, her heart filling up with happiness. “Let us have tea and cake and…do be gentle with the questions.”
Linking arms with Beatrice and Prudence, while Isolde held onto Prudence’s other arm, Teresa guided everyone into the castle that was now, for better or worse, her home.
“I swear it to you, I can count on one hand the number of times I have seen him since we arrived after the wedding,” Teresa insisted, laughing. Although, if she were not with her friend and sisters, it would not have seemed so very amusing at all.
They sat together in what Belinda had referred to as the ‘Tea House,’ which turned out to be an exquisite glass structure to the side of the gardens that Teresa had mistaken for another greenhouse. It was warm and comfortable and had the most beautiful view out onto the rose gardens, with a soothing fountain inside that trickled quietly, conjuring daydreams of being beside a summer stream.
Isolde seemed dumbfounded by Teresa’s admission. “Is there something the matter with him?”
“Well, that is whatIshould like to know,” Teresa replied, keeping his secrets to herself. “Goodness, I know I had a reputation for being dull, but I did not think my husband would find me so tiresome, so quickly.”
“No! Enough of that!” Beatrice scolded, waving half a strawberry tart at Teresa. “I will not have you speak that way about yourself, ever. You haveneverbeen dull. If anything, the way you ended up married is proof of that.”
Prudence smirked over the top of her teacup. “Mama holds you responsible, Beatrice. She thinks you are a terrible influence who led her sensible middle daughter into disrepute.” Her eyes twinkled with irreverence. “Now, if she had paused to read butoneof Tessie’s beloved novels, she would realize who is truly responsible.”
“Prudence!” Teresa chided through her laughter. “Youmustcease your teasing. If you do not, I shall never tell you what happens to the Captain and Miss Savage.”
“No, you would not be so cruel,” Prudence protested, giggling.
It was heartening to hear at least one place in the castle and grounds brimming with good humor and lively voices, and even if it meant enduring jests at her expense, Teresa would accept every bit of teasing to keep that cheer going. Indeed, it was like a different residence altogether, as if they were back at Grayling House or Davenport Towers, spending a merry afternoon together.
“And who are the Captain and Miss Savage?” a deep, startling voice asked, bringing the laughter to an immediate, jarring halt.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Cyrus bore the stares, letting the women look, schooling his expression into one of perfect calm. He had not paid attention to the sisters’ reactions at the wedding, being too focused on his bride. And the other woman; she had not been there at all. But he gave them their moment to observe the monster now, getting it out of the way.
