Always (16 page)

As soon as he was gone, emptiness crept in to take his place. Without allowing it to get too far into my skin, I jumped out of the bed and went directly to my trunk. There was no bureau here, but I didn’t mind.

I shook the pale blue material to full length and pulled it over my head. I made sure to leave the hook done up so I wouldn’t have to leave it undone. I stood in front of the tiny wall mirror and pulled my hair up into an untidy mess at the top of my head.

I grinned stupidly at my reflection and rushed out of the room to find Marcus. I found him easily enough in the small kitchen, but the look on his face made my steps falter. He looked like he was in severe pain.

“
Marcus?” I spoke softly.

As soon as he saw me there, his expression cleared immediately. “Hey,” he smiled. “You look gorgeous.”

I blushed deeply at his compliment. “What’s wrong?”

“
Nothing,” he said too quickly. “Why would anything be wrong?” He pulled me by my waist until I was close to his chest. “I have a beautiful new bride, a tiny wooden cottage, and no servants.” His eyebrows shot up on his forehead. “What more could I possibly ask for?”

I pressed my hand against his chest so I could feel the beats of his heart. “I suppose when you put it like that,” I shrugged.

“
Go eat,” he pushed me gently toward the table where a plate of food was already waiting for me.

“
What about you? Aren’t you eating?”

“
Not just yet.” His tongue darted out to trace his bottom lip. “I need to go…collect a few eggs.” At my look, he added; “You’ve eaten all the ones we had.”

My nose wrinkled on a small giggle. “Oh, fine,” I waved my hand dramatically, “go if you must.”

He kissed my forehead once before disappearing through the front door. I couldn’t possibly wipe the smile off my face.

It was hard to believe that just four days ago, the two of us had gotten married. It seemed now as if we had been together all our lives. I couldn’t understand how I had gotten so lucky.

Aunt Dora had taken the news of our engagement in stride. She didn’t seem surprised by it at all. It was as if she had already known that I would choose Marcus.

I had been nervous when I arrived back home with the task of having to tell Aunt Dora that instead of a wedding to Edmund, I was marrying Marcus. He had offered to accompany me, but I had refused. I needed to tell her on my own.

“
Aunt Dora?” I found her in the parlor where I had left her.

“
Oh, you’re back,” she smiled and put her needlepoint aside to turn toward me.

“
Hello, Aunt Dora,” I kneeled on the floor in front of her, my eyes shining with love and excitement.

“
Claudia?” she sat up straighter in her seat.

“
I have the most wonderful news, Aunt Dora,” I exclaimed.

Her eyebrows knitted close together. “What is it, dear?” I saw the heavy rise and fall of her chest.

“
I’ve become engaged!” I nearly squealed in my excitement.

She tilted her head comically. “I know that, Claudia. You’ll be married this afternoon.”

My face fell then. How could I have forgotten about Edmund? “I don’t mean…” I shook my head from side to side, “I don’t mean to Edmund.”

“
Not to Edmund? Whatever do you mean, child? Has he changed his mind again?” She put one hand on my shoulder to give me comfort.

“
No, you don’t understand.” She sat silent, waiting for me to explain myself.

“
I’m going to be married to Marcus Letrell.” My voice rose with my excitement.

She flinched back slightly. “Marcus Letrell?” Her smile began to grow wide.

My heart beat wildly as I sat there watching for her reaction. “Well?” I raised my shoulders helplessly.

“
Well, I think he’s a wonderful choice for a husband.” She clapped her hands together as if she were a little girl again. “Such a handsome thing!”

My tears started flowing then. We hadn’t asked for Uncle Philip’s permission before we were engaged, but I knew that once we had Aunt Dora’s approval, Uncle Philip would be happy with our decision.

“
You know,” her face suddenly darkened drastically and she grasped my hand, “you’ll have to tell Edmund.”

I grimaced again as I sat at the table waiting for Marcus to return with his collected eggs. Telling Edmund had not been a pleasant experience.

Before Marcus had returned, a soft knock sounded on the door. I perked up instantly. There was no one else it could be but Sylvia. No one else had ever been to our home.

I bounced up from the table happily and dashed to open the door. As expected, beautiful Sylvia Conner stood on the other side. “Good morning, Claudia,” she sang.

“
Sylvia!” I flung my arms around her slender shoulders. “I thought you were coming over yesterday,” I pouted.

She tsked as she swept past me. “I was giving you two some space.”

I blushed and looked down at my feet. “I’m happy that you came today.”

I followed her in to sit at the table. I eagerly pulled out two mismatched teacups and filled them with hot water. “Nice,” she winked as she traced the delicate pink petals on her own cup.

“
Do you take sugar?” I asked, unfazed by her criticism.

“
Nope.” She cradled her hands around her cup. “Where is Marcus?”

“
He went out to get eggs,” I jerked my thumb towards the door that Marcus had disappeared through a while ago.

“
Eggs?” She laughed as if the idea of eggs amused her.

“
We ran out,” I defended him.

I pulled two teabags from the drawer and placed one in each of our cups. “How are you, Claudia?” she asked sweetly.

“
I am a happy bride.” I slid into the seat across from her with a happy grin plastered on my face.

“
With a missing groom.”

I almost stuck my tongue out at her, but in the final moment, I remembered my manners and folded my hands on the table. “He’ll be back,” I promised.

“
You know what I was thinking about today?”

I took a sip of my tea and shook my head. The tea didn’t taste as nice as it did at Aunt Dora’s, but it was okay. “What were you thinking?”

“
About London.”

“
What about it?”

“
I miss London. We haven’t been there in a while.”

“
You’ve only been in Hamel a few weeks.” I blanched at the reality of the words.

Only a few weeks and yet Marcus and I were married and living in our own home.

“
We left London long before we found Hamel.”

“
Why did you ever leave?”

“
We…um,” she sighed softly, “for a change of scenery.”

“
And now you want to return?” My heart sank at the thought. Sylvia and I had become such good friends. How awful it would be if she and David were to leave us.

“
We could go together.”

“
What?”

“
I am sure Marcus would not be so against the idea of returning to London for a time.”

“
I don’t know what Marcus…”

“
What about me?” The front door opened suddenly and Marcus came in–without any eggs.

“
Where have you been?”

“
Out in the barn.”

We didn’t have a barn, but I didn’t say that out loud. I chewed on the inside of my lip. “No eggs?”

“
What?” He held open his hands. “Hey,” he quickly crossed the room, “I need to leave for a little bit.”

“
Wh…”

“
I need to see David. Will you be alright here?” He glanced to Sylvia, who nodded.

“
I was going to see Aunt Dora today,” I reminded him.

“
Right,” he nodded distractedly. “That will be fine.” Without another word, he turned on his heel and left again.

Chapter
Eighteen

“
Well,” I turned back to Sylvia with a nervous chuckle, “I wonder where he has gone off to.”

“
He said he was going to see David.”

“
David.” My lips tightened slightly. I didn’t know Marcus’s cousin David very well. He was a quiet man who rarely spoke to me. He always seemed to me that he had a secret that he couldn’t tell me.

“
The two are very close, you know,” she sipped daintily at her tea, “at least they used to be.”

“
How long have the three of you lived together?”

“
I can’t even remember now, it all seems so long ago.”

“
Have you met any of Marcus’s brothers?”

“
Oh, yes,” she smiled wide.

“
What are they like?”

“
Most of them are very agreeable.”

“
Most?”

“
He has a brother called Dominick,” she shuddered over the name, “an awful creature. I hope you never run into him.”

“
He has a twin brother as well, right?”

“
Paris,” her smile lit up. “He is extremely… entertaining.”

“
I hope I meet them all.” I set my cup down heavily on the table. “Will they be in London?”

“
Oh, no, they live at Blakesly House. I’m not sure where they are now, though.”

“
So, maybe?”

“
Maybe,” she conceded with a nod. “Anyways, I thought you didn’t want to go to London.”

“
I do, it’s just,” I played self-consciously with the handle of my cup. “I like it here. It’s cozy.”

“
You’ll love London.” She reached across the table and covered my hand with hers.

I smiled and bit my lip.

“
So I propose,” Sylvia leaned in towards me as if to tell me a great secret, “that we go to London and spend a few months there.”

A few months in London? I could finally see a real live show. And I was sure that Marcus would let me purchase a new gown. Maybe Sylvia would take me to one of the shops that Savannah Borman had written to me about.

“
Have you ever been to a show, Sylvia?”

“
I love to see them!” she exclaimed happily.

“
Can we go?”

“
Absolutely.” Her blue eyes twinkled happily. “And I’ll take you to the most wonderful little shop.”

“
To buy a new dress?”

“
Yep.”

“
Can it be a blue dress?”

“
Claudia, you already have blue dresses–two of them.”

“
I like the color blue,” I giggled.

“
How about a red dress?” She wiggled her eyebrows dangerously, “A low cut one with plenty of ruffles and material down the front.”

“
No,” I held my hand up to stop her flow of embarrassing words.

“
Oh, yes,” she came around the table to wrap her arms around my shoulders. “Cut down to here, huh?” She traced her finger along my chest.

“
Stop that,” I swatted her hand away from me.

She kissed my cheek and stood up straight. “It is going to be so much fun having you around. I’ve been the only female for far too long.”

“
I’m glad to be amusing for you.” I was still laughing when she returned to her seat. “Do you want some more tea?” I asked when I noticed her empty cup.

“
Nope,” she covered the cup. “I have to go soon.”

“
Alright,” I mumbled sadly.

She pinched my chin affectionately. “We’ll be in London soon, then you’ll get so tired of seeing me, you’ll beg Marcus to make me leave.”

“
I will not,” I laughed.

She kissed my cheek as she was wrapping her shoulders with a shawl. “Do you need dropped off at your aunt’s?”

“
No, I’ll manage.” I waved her off at the door, watching until her small carriage disappeared from view.