Valeria stepped out of the carriage and looked up at Earlington Manor. It was larger than she remembered, and she couldn’t help feeling that there was something forbidding about it. It would be difficult to heat such a large Manor. She felt suddenly sure that it would be cold inside.
She shivered at the thought.
Her Aunt Alberta was standing on the steps, but she descended slowly now toward Valeria. For a moment, Valeria wondered whether her aunt was about to embrace her. It would be nice, she thought. She would accept an embrace if one was offered.
But Aunt Alberta merely took Valeria’s hand between both of her own. “Valeria, darling,” she said. “Welcome to Earlington. Was your journey all right?”
“It was fine,” Valeria said quietly. “Thank you, Aunt Alberta.”
Aunt Alberta turned to the footmen. “My butler will show you to the bedchamber that is to be Lady Valeria’s. Please see that her things are taken up for her.”
The footmen nodded.
Charlotte had disembarked from the carriage as well. Valeria took her arm and pulled her nearer. “Aunt Alberta, this is my friend and lady’s maid, Charlotte.”
“Ah,” Aunt Alberta said. “Yes, we did agree that you would keep your own lady’s maid. I had forgotten.”
Valeria’s stomach clenched. “It’s still all right, isn’t it?” she asked quickly.
“Oh, yes, of course it is,” Aunt Alberta said. “If you have someone who suits you, I have no desire to go out of my way to find someone new. Why don’t you go with the footmen?” she said to Charlotte.
Valeria would have liked to keep Charlotte by her side, but she didn’t feel as though she could argue with her aunt. She released her friend. Charlotte curtsied and followed the footmen away as they carried Valeria’s trunk inside.
“Perhaps I ought to go with them as well,” Valeria said, trying her best to keep from sounding too hopeful. She knew she would have a much easier time relaxing if she was allowed to be on her own and become acclimated to her new surroundings.
But Aunt Alberta shook her head. “No, dear, that won’t do at all,” she said. “You’ve had a long journey, and we have dinner ready for you before bed. Besides, Duncan is here, and I know he’ll be disappointed if he doesn’t have a chance to see you tonight. He came home early especially for this, you know.”
“Did he?” Valeria felt her spirits lift at that. Seeing her cousin was the one thing in all of this that she had felt truly excited about. She and Duncan had always been close. When they were children, he had usually chosen to spend time with her rather than Richard, even though she had been a girl, and much younger. While Richard had liked to run wild and misbehave, Duncan had played chess with Valeria or taken her on walks down to the creek behind Earlington Manor to visit the bullfrogs.
Sure enough, Duncan now came striding out of the Manor. “Valeria!” he exclaimed. Crossing the ground to her side, he swept her up in an embrace, which she returned enthusiastically. Then he held her out at arm’s length.
“It’ssogood to see you,” he said happily. “I only wish it were under better circumstances. But I’m delighted that you’re going to be living here with us now. It will finally give you and I the opportunity to spend more time together.”
“I look forward to that,” Valeria said sincerely. “It’s been too long, Duncan.”
“Well, let’s not stand out here in the dark, for heaven’s sake,” Aunt Alberta said. “Come inside, both of you, and we’ll have our dinner.”
She turned and led the way into Earlington Manor. Duncan offered Valeria his arm, and she took it and allowed him to escort her up the steps and through the door.
Once inside the foyer, she took in the high ceiling and marble columns. Earlington Manor wasn’t just larger than the home she had left behind—it was fancier as well. She remembered, suddenly, the look that had so often come over her brother’s face when they had stood here.
He was jealous, she realized. It was a connection she had never made before.He was upset that our own home wasn’t as nice as this one. It made him feel bad about himself.
And every time they had returned home from Earlington and walked back into Midford Manor, Richard had been so angry—
A door seemed to slam down in her mind. She didn’t want to think about those times. She didn’t want to remember her brother’s anger, and the things it had caused him to do and say.
She didn’t want to think about Richard at all.
Instead, she allowed herself to be led to the table. She sat down, and a dish of veal and potatoes was placed in front of her. Duncan sat opposite her, to the right of his mother, who was at the head.
“This looks wonderful,” Aunt Alberta said. “Doesn’t this look wonderful, Duncan?”
“Lovely,” Duncan said briskly. “But I would have thought you would save the veal for the dinner party, Mother.”
“Nonsense. We’ll be having pheasant at the party. I’ve already told you.”
“Dinner party?” Valeria asked.
