“What are your plans for the day?” he asked Stewart, hoping a change of subject would ease the burden of his relentless thoughts.
“I need to pop into town to run some errands,” Stewart replied.
Alexander sat back in his chair and considered his friend. “I don’t suppose you’d like a little company, would you?”
Stewart chuckled. “You’re not scared of my cousin, are you? She won’t bite—she already has someone to sink her teeth into.”
“Of course not,” Alexander protested. “Though I would far rather you be with them when we meet properly. I am a guest in their home, after all.”
“Join me, then,” Stewart said. “Though I warn you, we won’t be back until dinner.”
“All the better for me,” Alexander muttered. “I’ll see you at the coach in fifteen minutes.”
***
It was almost midday by the time Charlotte found her way back to the house. She skipped in happily, her mood returning to the positive one she had when she woke. She had thought of little else but the stranger at the lake, but it was a dream, a safe imagining of a man she would never meet again. And that made her smile.
As does the feel of his arms around my waist, pulling me in. As does the warmth of his lips as he showers me with kisses.
The sun was high in the bright blue sky, barely-there wisps of clouds floating by. The grass seemed greener, the peonies pinker and the hollyhocks brighter. It was a strange sensation, but Charlotte felt aware of everything, from every slight movement in her body to the way the birds dipped and swam in the distance.
“Have you been swimmingallmorning?” Chelsea asked.
Charlotte jumped at the sound of her voice. She had assumed she was quite alone in the garden, but now she saw Chelsea peering at her from over the rose bush.
“What are you doing hiding there?”
“I’m not hiding,” Chelsea said, stepping out onto the path. “I was examining.”
Charlotte raised an eyebrow. “Examining… roses?”
Chelsea rolled her eyes. “ I received a letter from Mother this morning, suggesting I come out to decide which flowers we’d like for the wedding.”
“And you’re looking at roses?” Charlotte wrinkled her nose. There was nothing more cliched in her mind than roses.
Chelsea shrugged. “I don’t know. All flowers are pretty, aren’t they? I don’t see why it matters as long as I’m marrying the man I love.”
“But you can have both,” Charlotte said with a laugh. “You can marry Lord Lemingandhave a pretty bouquet. How about sweet peas?”
The grin on Chelsea’s face told Charlotte that she approved of the idea. “You always think of the best things.”
“I just don’t like the same things as everyone else.”
“And that is endlessly refreshing.”
Chelsea approached her and slipped her arm inside Charlotte’s. The two young ladies began to stroll along the path, admiring the garden.
“Do you think there will be enough sweet peas in the garden to fillallthe vases though?”
“Well, you don’t need the same flowers in every single one of them though, do you? You could mix and match.”
Chelsea gasped. “Mix and match?” She hesitated, thinking through the idea, and then she grinned. “Good Lord, Charlotte. You’ve hit on it again. Let’s go peaches and pinks, a variety of flowers.”
“Wonderful idea.”
Charlotte hugged her friend’s arm closer to her, grateful to have her. They had been friends for so long that to Charlotte, Chelsea felt like the sister she had never had.
“There is so much to organize,” Chelsea said as they wandered over the paths, pointing out different flowers in her chosen colors. “I am glad I shall only have to do this once.”
