Chapter Five
Eve and Nia retired to the simple but tidy bedchamber they had been assigned at the inn. Having already helped each other dress for bed, they were now laying out their clothes in preparation for an early departure the next morning.
“Mrs. Seymour would certainly have a lot to say were she to realize we are acting as each other’s abigails.” Nia flashed the wide grin the O’Doyles were well-known for.
In her best imitation of an extremely sophisticated English accent, Eve said, “This is shocking! I cannot countenance making this journey with two such shocking people.”
They laughed, a sound Eve had grown up surrounded by.
Nia shook her head. “Poor Mrs. Seymour never seems anything but disgruntled with everyone and everything.”
“And poor Duke as well,” Eve added. “He is, no doubt, used to her bemoanings, but he clearly doesn’t enjoy the experience. He looked worn down after only one day of this journey.”
“Do you suppose he’ll murder her before we reach Fairfield?” Nia turned to look at Eve with theatrically wide eyes.
“No, because he specifically asked me not to do so.”
“What if he made his request only so you don’t rob him of the opportunity?”
Assuming her aristocratic English accent once again, Eve said, “Shocking!”
With everything ready for the next day, Eve crossed the cold wood floor and climbed into the very inviting bed. She scooted down under the blanket. “You will be relieved to know the linens are not overly rough.”
Nia laughed once more as she brought the candle over and set it on the bedside table, then climbed slowly and carefully under the blankets as well.
“What were you and Duke talking about?” Nia asked. “You seemed to be enjoying the topic, whatever it was.”
“I told him he would make an excellent spinster.”
“You what ?” The question emerged as a sputter.
“He is twenty-one, unattached, and hasn’t a house of his own.” Eve pulled the blanket all the way up to her neck, grateful for the warmth. “I believe that makes him a prime candidate for spinsterhood.”
“And you told him as much?”
“You know perfectly well that I have a very difficult time not saying the things that jump into my mind. It spilled out before I could stop myself.”
She could feel the bed shake a bit as Nia laughed. “And what was his response?”
“He joined in the jest. I thought, for the length of a breath, that he might even smile. Father would have been proud.”
“Since Duke almost smiled, I think we can safely say that Father would be almost proud of you.”
“I cannot leave it at that. I am determined that Father will be completely proud of me by the time we return to Tulleyloch.”
“And leave me as the daughter in whom he is disappointed?” Nia scoffed. “I shall simply have to make Duke smile as well.”
“Do,” Eve said. “With his grandmother being so vexing, I suspect he will appreciate having a reason to smile, even if he doesn’t allow himself to actually do it.”
“You think he chooses not to smile?” Nia asked.
“I’m not certain. But I don’t think he’s actually an unhappy person, and he does have a sense of humor. There must be some reason why he doesn’t smile.” It broke her heart a little to think of the possible reasons why: past sorrows, grief, overwhelming worries.
“When we get to Fairfield,” Nia said, “we should corner Charlie and torment him until he tells us.”
“I doubt Artemis will allow us to torment Charlie.”
“Artemis torments him all the time,” Nia insisted.
Eve grinned. “Yes, but he enjoys it when she does it.”
Nia blew out the candle. The bed moved a little as she settled in.
“I still can hardly believe all the Huntresses and the Pack will be together again,” Eve said. “It is a dream come true.”
“And I think everyone will be in London at some point during the Season,” Nia said. “What larks we will all have together.”
“Sounds perfect.” It would be utterly brilliant. And she wouldn’t be there for any of it.
As she lay in bed, warm and comfortable, her mind was not entirely tranquil. There were so many things she would miss, so many people and connections and experiences she would eventually have to grieve. But so long as the changed future she now faced was required to be kept secret, she had to pretend as if everything were as it had once been.