Hadn’t Aurelia given Vronsky that very advice?Now it was her turn to be silent.
“If you think he should fall in love with someone else, then write it.Don’t let something Mum probably said in passing hold you back.”
“She didn’t say it in passing, though.She really felt it.”
“But what doyoufeel?”
Aurelia paused, thinking the thoughts that had been running through her mind since her meeting with Oliver.She wanted to believe that Vronsky could fall in love again, for his sake, but she was afraid to ask him to consider it, afraid to push him down a path he didn’t want to travel.She’d been pushed and prodded for months now—taking over the shop, writing Vronsky’s sequel, going out with Oliver and now working with him.As it happened, she was happy with how things had turned out, but would Vronsky feel the same about her pushing and prodding him?
“I’m not sure,” Aurelia finally admitted.
“What does your writing group think?”
“My writing group?Um… I haven’t asked them.”
“Well, are you seeing them tonight?”
As the characters arrived that night, Aurelia made sure to stand closest to the spot where Elinor usually appeared and then, once she’d greeted everyone, Aurelia asked her if they could speak privately.Catching Vronsky’s eye—and his raised eyebrows when she didn’t meet him at her desk—Aurelia signaled that she needed a minute.
Elinor followed Aurelia to the window seat on the mezzanine and, though she couldn’t hide her look of interest, she patiently waited for Aurelia to start.
“I need some good advice tonight and I think you’re the best person for the job.”
“I shall do my best, Aurelia, though whether my advice is good may depend upon the topic.”
“You know how I’ve met with an editor, Oliver, and he’s given me notes and suggestions for Alexei’s book?”
“Yes, I recall your mention of Mr.Oliver.”
“Oh, just ‘Oliver’ is fine,” Aurelia said, trying not to laugh at the thought of calling him ‘Mr.Oliver’ the next time she saw him.“One of his suggestions is about Alexei’s… romantic prospects.Oliver thinks the story needs a romance between Alexei and another character.”
“I see,” Elinor said carefully.“You have not, I presume, raised this suggestion with Count Vronsky?”
“No, not yet.I haven’t been able to think of a way to bring it up without upsetting him.And, if I’m honest, it’s hard for me to picture him setting off into the sunset with someone other than Anna.I’ve read their book so many times… It feels wrong, like I’d be canceling out his heartbreak and forcing him to love someone else.”
“I agree the suggestion is liable to upset him.But you did begin this project with the hope that he might find happiness in being able to choose his own future.”
“We did, yes,” Aurelia groaned, catching onto Elinor’s meaning.“And here I am, selfishly trying to manipulate that future.”
“No, I do not think selfishness is at the root of your reluctance.But I believe you overstate what a new romance might mean for his love of Anna.I do not think it would cancel out his heartache, as you say.I have seen my own sister become the object of love for a man whose heart was deeply bruised.Having heard Colonel Brandon’s story, I would not have thought it possible for him to love again, yet I have witnessed the earnest love he feels for Marianne and know it to be true.I am certain you could help Count Vronsky devise a love story that would do honor to Anna without erasing her memory.”
“Then I guess it’s just a matter of finding a way to ask him.I don’t suppose you fancy doing it?”Aurelia asked.
“Oh, no.As it is your project, I think it far better coming from you,” Elinor said with a wry smile.
Aurelia laughed grimly just as Rachel and Marianne arrived to join them.
She tried to shake loose her thoughts and chat with them but eventually had to admit that she was too preoccupied to stay in the shop.She asked Elinor and the others to make her excuses to Vronsky so that she could escape to her flat for the night.What she needed was time to think on her own, a good night’s sleep, and a fresh start in the morning.
41
Whenshecamedownto the shop the next day, Aurelia realized she’d lost a night of editing the manuscript and was due to see Oliver for dinner within hours.She’d been dragging her feet about talking to Vronsky and hoped Oliver might not mention the love interest again.The shop was relatively quiet, giving her time to finish typing out the revised chapters on her laptop.Keeping busy helped to occupy her mind, but since she was writing about Vronsky she couldn’t help but think about the conversation that she knew they’d need to have, and soon.
When Oliver arrived at the restaurant, he was buoyant and full of energy, as though he were actually looking forward to seeing her, rather than facing another dreary work assignment.
His buoyancy seemed to deflate slightly when Aurelia slid the manuscript across the table.
“Is this a new draft?”he asked, pulling it toward him.
