Emily nodded sagely. “Edward can be quite stubborn when he sets his mind to something. But he usually comes around, given time.”
Catherine managed a weak smile. “I hope you are right, Emily.”
They sat in companionable silence for a moment before Emily spoke again. “Miss Winslow? May I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
Emily hesitated, then plunged ahead. “Do you... care for my brother? As more than just his employee, I mean.”
Catherine felt her face flush and she shook her head quickly. “I... that is not…”
Emily opened her mouth to speak further, but a commotion from downstairs interrupted her. Catherine rose to her feet, grateful for the distraction.
“I should go see what that's about,” she said quickly. “Why don’t you return to your room and work on your French exercises? I will check on you later.”
Emily nodded reluctantly and left the room. Catherine took a deep breath, steeling herself before heading downstairs.
She found Mr. Harper in the entrance hall, surrounded by packages—though there was a stark white envelope in his hands.
“Where is his lordship?” Mr. Harper asked angrily, and Catherine hesitated.
“I am not certain,” she said hesitantly. “What is that?”
“An invitation,” Samuel Harper said shortly. “From Lady Isabella.”
Catherine’s heart sank to the pit of her stomach. Of course.
“How kind of her,” she managed to say. “I am sure Lord Wessex will be pleased.”
Mr. Harper's lip curled in a sneer. “Of course he will be. Lady Isabella has always known how to... please his lordship.”
The implication in his tone made Catherine's cheeks burn. Before she could formulate a response, Mr. Harper turned away, making his way to the kitchen.
Catherine stood rooted to the spot, her mind whirling. The letter felt like it was burning a hole in her pocket. She was more convinced than ever that something sinister was afoot, but what could she do? Edward wouldn't listen to her, and she had no one else to turn to.
As she stood there, grappling with her dilemma, the front door opened. Edward strode in, his hair windswept from his walk in the woods. His eyes met Catherine's, and for a moment, the air between them crackled with tension.
Then his gaze hardened, and he brushed past her without a word.
Catherine watched him go, her heart heavy. She had never felt more alone or more out of place than she did in that moment. Still, as she listened to Edward’s fading footsteps, she knew… she might be alone, but she would not give up. Somehow, she would get to the bottom of this mystery and protect the people she had come to care for so deeply. Even if it meant risking everything she had worked for.
Chapter 18
Edward awkwardly adjusted his cravat as he waited for Emily at the foot of the staircase. His mind drifted to Catherine, as it so often did these days.
Her eyes, her mouth… the way she looked so beautifully at peace when she slept and the way her eyes blazed when she was angry. He shook his head, trying to banish thoughts of her. Tonight was about reconnecting with Isabella, about showing Emily a bit more of society. Catherine had no place in his musings.
And yet...
“Edward! How do I look?” He looked up at the sound of Emily’s excited voice and a smile appeared when he saw his sister descending the stairs, a vision in pale green silk.
“You look beautiful, Em,” he said warmly, offering her his arm. “Lady Isabella will not believe that it is you—you look like a real lady.”
Emily grinned, her eyes sparkling. “Do you really think so? Oh, I am so excited, Edward. I cannot believe we are going out for a second time!”
Edward felt a pang of guilt at her words. Had he truly kept her so isolated? “Well then,” he said, forcing a smile, “we should not keep our hostess waiting.”
The carriage ride to Isabella's estate was filled with Emily's excited chatter. Edward found himself responding with nods and noncommittal hums, his mind elsewhere. He could not help but think of Catherine, left behind at Wessex Manor. What was she doing now? Was she thinking of him?
