“Did she say that?” Cyrus sat back in his chair, eyeing the woman he had known for so many years.
“No, but… if I were her, I’d want you to be there to bid my family farewell,” Belinda replied, lowering her gaze to the floor. “It’s the courteous thing to do, Your Grace. Although, again, I wouldn’t dare to tell you what you should and shouldn’t do.”
Setting down his quill, Cyrus turned his attention toward the window. What had been a beautiful chain of sunny, bright days that seemed like it might never end had finally surrendered to the temperamental English weather, turning rather cold and overcast, the threat of rain not far off.
I wonder if it is any reflection of my wife’s mood…
He shook off the alarmingly sentimental thought and scraped back his chair, rising to his feet. As he did, he told himself that it was not for Teresa’s sake that he was heading down to say goodbye to her loved ones, but for the sake of courtesy. He would not have anyone accusing him of not being courteous, for that was not how he had been raised.
“You’re going?” Belinda sounded astonished.
Cyrus flashed her a look. “It is my duty.” He paused at the threshold of his study, though he did not turn back. “Will she be sad?”
“Pardon?”
“My wife. Will she be sad at the departure of those women?”
Belinda coughed as if someone had startled her in the midst of eating her breakfast. “Why, yes, I imagine she will be. It’s clear as day how much they mean to her, and who knows when she’ll see them next.”
Cyrus nodded somberly. “Is there cake?”
“Excuse me, Your Grace?”
Expelling a mildly annoyed sigh, Cyrus repeated himself. “Is there cake? Ladies… like cake, do they not? I think I read somewhere that sugar is an excellent remedy for sorrowful moods, particularly for women.”
He felt foolish and loathed the sensation. It boiled in the pit of his stomach, spitting upward into his chest with all the vengeance of hot oil. What concern was it of his if his wife was briefly sad? She would overcome it with another of her transformational endeavors, would she not?
Still, he did not rescind the question, waiting for Belinda’s reply.
“I think that sounds like one of the cook’s proverbs,” the housekeeper said, and though he was not looking at her, he could almost hear her smile. “That doesn’t make it untrue, mind you. There’s very little that cake and good tea can’t solve.”
Cyrus nodded. “Then, have a tray sent to wherever she wishes to go. Tea and cake.”
“I’ll see to it right now, Your Grace,” Belinda replied.
With that, Cyrus strode onward, heading through the drafty hallways of his castle to the entrance hall.
He heard the ladies before he saw them, as he came around the last curve of the main stairwell. All the laughter and chatter of the previous few days had distilled down into tearful promises to see one another again soon, and to write more often than was humanly possible.
The ladies embraced, holding on far longer than Cyrus deemed necessary, all four of them a tangle of arms and bonnets and faces and hair, becoming an odd chimera.
To be loved like that…He observed, not oblivious to the irony of being on the outside, spectating on such an unfamiliar scene.
“There he is!” the youngest shrieked, shattering the solemn peace. “You see, I told you he would not be so rude as to remain absent for our departure, yet you all said I was wrong!Of coursemy dear brother-in-law has come to bidmefarewell.”
Cyrus rallied quickly, straightening his posture as he descended the stairs. “I apologize if I have delayed you.”
“Delayed us?” Prudence chirped, waving a dismissive hand. “Not at all. We have at least ten minutes of wailing and pulling out our hair to do before we even step outside, where another ten minutes of embracing and weeping will commence. Then, there might well be another ten minutes before wethinkabout getting into the carriages.”
He eyed the girl warily, uncertain of why she had decided to be so forthright with him. Over the past few days of their visit, she was the only one who had been almost warm toward him, and seemed to relish teasing him.
The oldest sister had not changed her opinion much, or so it appeared. And the best friend; she evidently and unashamedly despised him.
“If you could find a way to lessen that to one display of ten minutes, I would be grateful,” Cyrus said, aiming for humor.
To his secret delight, Prudence burst out laughing. “For your sake and mine, I shall do my best. But are you so eager to be rid of us?”
“You are welcome to stay as long as you please,” he replied more sincerely, lifting his gaze to where Teresa stood.
