“Though as you have told me, it was not always your doing.”
“No, it was not,” Emma agreed, her smile a little sad. “Not that it makes any particular difference now.”
“I too wish it were different,” Miss Simmons agreed, quietly, her eyes and her voice holding the same longing as was in Emma’s heart. “But what can be done? At least, for the moment, we have each other.”
“Though Miss Bosworth does not seem to be the least bit pleased at having to join us,” Emma replied, her gaze snagging on the newest wallflower who had her arms folded and her brows furrowed, standing only a short distance away from both herself and Miss Simmons. “It will take time, I suppose, but she will settle into the way of things soon.”
“Mayhap.” Miss Simmons tilted her head. “I find Miss Bosworth to have a very strong resolve. I do not know what it is that she intends, but she certainly has no thought of remaining a wallflower!”
Emma’s lips curved.
“I do not know what she thinks can be done about it,” she replied, softly. “Once you are a wallflower, thetonsees you as nothing other than that, regardless of what you might hope.”
“That is very true, sadly,” Miss Simmons sighed, leaning back against the wall beside Emma and looking out at the crowd who, Emma presumed, were all enjoying the ball while they were not. “It also pains me that my family are so willing to push me back. That is one of my greatest sufferings.”
“As it is mine.” Emma glanced at her friend, aware of the ache in her heart, and understanding that Miss Simmons shared it. “Though there is one positive outcome from all of this, I must confess.”
“Oh?” Miss Simmons’ eyebrows lifted. “Might you tell me?”
Emma found herself laughing, making Miss Simmons’ confusion grow.
“The only good thing I can see from all of this is that I have not managed to stumble into anyone, I have not knocked a glass of wine across anyone, I have not bumped into someone, I have not embarrassed myself by my ineptness and I have not brought any sort of shame to my family.Thatmust be a good thing.”
Miss Simmons did not laugh. She did not even smile. Instead, she turned to face Emma a little more and tilted her head just a little.
“Though that is interesting, is it not?” she said slowly, as Emma frowned, not understanding what it was that her friend meant. “It is interesting that you have not had any difficulties in that regard since you have become a wallflower.”
Emma wrinkled her nose.
“There is no real surprise there,” she stated. “I have not had the opportunity to do any such thing, have I? I am not dancing, I am not conversing with people, I am not–”
“All the same, would you not expect that ineptness, as you call it, to have followed you even into this situation?” Miss Simmons pulled her lips to one side for a few moments, her eyes still fixed on Emma’s. “I would have thought that, given what you have described, I would haveseenyou stumble or trip or do something that would be in line with what you have told me.”
Considering this, Emma let herself frown, finally understanding what Miss Simmons meant.
“I have always said that not all that happened was my doing.”
“What if none of it was your doing?”
Emma opened her mouth to respond, only for a sudden exclamation to catch her attention. She and Miss Simmons turned to see none other than Miss Bosworth coming towards them, a determined glint in her eyes.
“Miss Bosworth” she asked, as Lady Alice and Lady Frederica came to join them, gathering the full group together. “Is there something the matter?”
Miss Bosworth nodded.
“Yes. Something is wrong.”
Emma blinked, glancing at Miss Simmons, but her friend was looking at Miss Bosworth.
“Might I ask what it is?”
Miss Bosworth lifted her chin.
“I am tired of being a wallflower.”
Giving a small smile to Lady Alice, Emma put out her hands.
“I believe that we all are.”
