“Georgie! I thought I would never see you again!” Emma exclaimed.
“She nearly fell out of the carriage in her haste to see you,” Lady Marjory noted as she followed them inside. Though she attempted to appear stern, she couldn’t hide the merry smile on her face. “It is lovely to see you again, Georgiana. Should I make myself scarce?”
Shaking her head, Georgiana said, “Most assuredly not! I think we owe you a giant hug. Don’t you agree, Emma?”
“Oh bother,” Marjory muttered. She hadn’t always liked physical embraces.
Except there was no escaping this one.
Emma and Georgiana giggled as they tackled their cousin in a hug once the door was closed behind them. Though she could feel eyes on them, Georgiana didn’t care.
Sighing in her ear, Marjory let out a sudden giggle. “Well, this isn’t the sandwich I expected this afternoon, but I am glad to be here nonetheless.”
The three of them parted slowly, wide grins on their faces. Georgiana could already feel her cheeks aching. But she didn’t stop. As Emma took her hand, she pulled her closer. “I have the promised sandwiches. Tea, too. Right this way, ladies.”
“Is this where you’ve been?” Emma asked, sticking close to her while looking around. “It’s very big.”
“It is, isn’t it? I like it. But it’s lonely without you,” Georgiana had to admit.
Emma turned sharply to her. “Then I shan’t ever leave!”
“Oh, I wish you could. Come on, I have some cakes you will like.” Georgiana felt a lump form in her throat at the thought of parting from her sister again. She would have to do that in an hour or so.
Glancing at Wentworth, who was lingering in the hall, she motioned for him to remove the knocker so no one would intrude on them. She wasn’t about to miss a minute with her sister.
Leading them into the recently designed parlor, she let them explore before sitting down and offering them tea.
Emma took two sips before curling up in Georgiana’s lap. While she was much too old to be doing this, Georgiana couldn’t bring herself to scold the girl. Besides, this was family time. Never before had she been kept apart from her sister for so long. They needed each other.
“I cannot begin to thank you for all that you have done, Marjory,” Georgiana began. “Father didn’t want to come? How did you do it?”
Waving a hand, Marjory paused to sip her tea again. “Don’t concern yourself. Emma’s governess needed a day off, and your father is a busy man. I don’t think he even noticed I was there, even though we spoke for a good five minutes.”
“That sounds like Father.” Georgiana hesitated, playing with one of Emma’s soft curls. “But… is he doing well? Is he healthy?”
Marjory considered this for a long moment. “As far as I can tell, yes. And I did mention you, you know. In front of Emma. I don’t think he’s been purposefully keeping the two of you apart.” The sisters looked at each other as Marjory went on. “More than anything, Uncle Ernest seems distracted. He mentioned something about some sort of tax bill being discussed in Parliament. I asked about the governess, and I believe he gave her free reign.”
“She’s a tyrant,” Emma protested.
“That’s not very kind,” Georgiana chided her gently.
“Neither is she.”
Remembering the way the woman had shepherded her sister away from her in the park, Georgiana scowled. That governess had been rude and hurtful. There was little comfort whether or not her father had forced it, since she still had been kept from seeing her sister.
The tax bill is not particularly a surprise. It’s the same one he’s been attempting to push through for the last three years. Perhaps he has finally made headway. While I would like to be happy for him, I don’t see how. His focus on that bill has distracted him from his family, and that is unacceptable.
It made her think of another man she was convinced had to be good, even though he was determined to ignore her. Shifting her gaze to the open door, Georgiana almost expected Owen to show up.
But no one was there.
Marjory suddenly suggested, “Why don’t we talk about happier things? Perhaps we can play a game. We only have a short hour together.”
The thudding of Georgiana’s heart reminded her to be present. She couldn’t let her irritation and worry win, at least not right now. All she wanted was a glorious afternoon with her sister and cousin.
“That’s it?” Emma pouted. “I don’t want to go.”
“You’re not leaving yet. That’s why we need to make every minute count.” A smile spread across Georgiana’s face. It was forced, but it would do. “I think a game of charades is a good idea. Who shall go first?”
