Chapter Ten

When Elena awoke at the light of dawn, it took her a moment to realize that she was not in her own bed. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she became aware that she was on her side in a strange room, with her husband's arm spread across her chest.

"How do you feel?" She had not noticed David was awake as well.

She had almost just said "happy," but something within her held back, so instead, she answered, "Warm." She did not think she could put into words how something had both unlocked and started to heal inside her.

He pushed the bedclothes down to her waist.

"I can help with that."

She smiled as the cool air hit her skin and turned toward him.

"I-I enjoyed what we did last night. I should like to do it again sometime."

"Me too." He brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear.

They lay in silence for a moment, drinking that in. Then Elena remembered why this day was important and sat up suddenly, clutching the bedclothes to her chest.

"Aunt Sophie is coming today!"

She grabbed the nearest item of clothing she saw and put it on, which happened to be a sizeable blue robe that went past her feet. She heard a small puff of air behind her and then turned to see her husband watching her with a bemused expression.

"There's so much to do!" she exclaimed.

"Nothing more important than a few more hours of sleep." He grabbed her hand and playfully tugged. "Come back to bed. Aunt Sophie does not stand upon formality."

"But—" He began kissing up the inside of her arm, and Elena felt pleasure and warmth overtake her again, and she did fall back into bed for several hours in the most pleasant of distractions.

****

As David correctly predicted, Aunt Sophie never stood on formality. She arrived promptly and sat for tea, though she didn't seem too pleased with the practice.

"Tea is for aristocrats. They are the only ones with time to spare for sitting around."

"Aunt Sophie," David said, with a touch of affectionate exasperation, like they had had this conversation many times before. "With all due respect, I know many outside the aristocracy who stop for tea. It's what is done in this country."

They went on like this for a few minutes, then turned the discussion toward the business. From what Elena could gather, things ebbed and flowed with the popularity of temperance movements and the kinds of tariffs or taxes they might face. Elena understood some of this, as her own father was a textile merchant, but she had never paid much attention to how any disruption to the trade route might impact the price of things until the early days of the war.

She had not seen her husband interact much with his aunt, having gotten to know both separately. They appeared to have a deep respect and easy comradery she rarely saw between people her age and their elders back home. She always treated her grandmother or village elders with respect and reverence. Not that David was disrespectful, just more casual than she would have been. After having been to more aristocratic functions since the Season began, she was coming to realize that David's family was different from most in that they all truly cared for each other. She had rarely seen the deep love she held for her family among the ton, or at least not openly, though she supposed David's family were not quite of the ton, with their merchant background. Upon reflection, she recognized family was so important where she was from because it was how they withstood all the changes over the years. If the family stood firm in a deep bond of love, they could weather wars, hunger, and invasions. Empires could crumble, but they would remain strong together. Maybe this was why the loss of hers hung so heavily on her, why she blamed herself so severely for not realizing what they meant to her until they were gone. Why she so stubbornly refused to let anything or anyone replace them in her heart, she thought, feeling a stab of guilt. Elena inwardly recoiled at the dark direction of her thoughts and mentally shook herself to pay attention to the conversation.

She noticed that Irene was unusually quiet around Sophie, but Elena put it down to wanting to give David time to see his aunt. When Elena looked back from Irene, Sophie had turned her direct gaze toward her.

"Elena, you look well. How are you finding the Season as a foreigner?"

Elena weighed how to respond. Sophie despised the ton and valued honesty above all, but she didn't want David or Irene to think she was ungrateful.

"I know I am a bit of an oddity to them, but I am grateful to my husband and Irene for paving my way."

"Hmmmpff," replied Sophie, which seemed to be her final thought on the topic. "Now, where is this dog you wrote to me about? He sounds like a handsome fellow, and I should like to meet him."

Elena smiled, thinking of Goliath, whom she had left in the kitchen with the remains of a hambone.

"He is resting right now, but he is walking again. One of his hind legs was broken, so it will take a little while to heal, but he uses the other three legs to compensate."

"Yes, that's right, you were some sort of a nurse, weren't you? I've always been thankful David married a useful lass like you and not one of those simpering twits they put on the Marriage Mart. No offense meant, Irene."

Irene crinkled her nose affectionately. "None taken, Aunt Sophie. Though, in truth, I think you are becoming a bit of a reverse snob."

"I think there is enough snobbery on their end that I am owed some." Sophie's lips were tight, and her face suddenly looked drawn. "I'll never forgive the ton for how they treated your mother for coming from trade and daring to marry one of them."

David shook his head. "It's not like we're an ancient blue-blooded line. My father's family were also merchant stock."

"Well, we're the ones standing tall now as their ancient estates fall to ruin." Sophie went on as if she hadn't heard David. "Thank goodness I never married one of those bores."

Irene chuckled. "Aunt Sophie, I cannot see you taking orders from any man."

"Not something I plan to do anytime soon," Sophie replied dryly.

Elena remembered her conversation from the previous day with Annamaria. Annamaria deserved that same independence, to be free of fear and hunger.

"Aunt Sophie, I met a young woman at the hospital the other day. Her family is from Naples, and she seemed to have a good head on her shoulders, even though she has had many misfortunes." Elena prayed that was a polite way to summarize why Annamaria was in the hospital. "Would you consider meeting with her to see if you could take her on as a secretary?"

Sophie considered this, her sharp eyes narrowing as if she could see bills and ledgers before her the others could not. "I could use a secretary, actually. Business has been picking up, and we have added several more Italian wines. She could help with the communication and invoices… yes, I should like to see your hospital, Elena. It's good for Irene to see life outside of the aristocracy."

"Oh, it's not my hospital." Elena felt warm as she noticed everyone's gazes were on her, so she rapidly changed the subject.

"We are also going to the opera Saturday, Aunt Sophie. Would you care to join us?"

"No, my dear, that is not my crowd, as they say. I'll stay in, I should think." "Oh, but Aunt Sophie, it's not about the crowd. It's about the music," Irene interjected.

Sophie looked at Irene sadly. "For you, sweet girl, it likely is about the music. For almost everyone else there, unfortunately, it is not."

Irene sat back, clearly disappointed, but she recovered with alacrity.

"Shall I play for you, Aunt Sophie?"

Sophie gave a clipped head bob, and Irene rose to open the French doors to the adjoining music room. As she began, Elena closed her eyes to enjoy the music. When she opened them, Sophie was right beside her. The way she leaned forward made Elena envision a cat enjoying itself in the sun, happy in the moment but ready to lash out if annoyed.

"How has her Season been?" Sophie asked quietly, cocking her head toward Irene.

Elena reminded herself of Sophie's love of blunt honesty. She struggled to find the words to describe Irene these past few weeks.

"It seems as though the Season does not entirely agree with Irene."

"She lacks beaux?"

"No, she is very sought after. But she doesn't seem to be very happy." Elena hoped she wasn't being too forward in her opinion, but it was the truth as far as she could see. Sophie sat back, folding her hands together.

"I questioned whether she should have a Season at all. She doesn't need to marry some idle aristocrat at eighteen. My sister married one to raise our family status, but it didn't change much in the end. Thank goodness he was kind to her." Sophie looked wistfully at Irene, and Elena was reminded that Irene was supposed to be the very image of her mother. Sophie seemed to catch herself and turned back to Elena. "A girl with money needn't marry young. Not ever, if she doesn't want to." Elena nodded as she understood what Sophie was trying to say. Irene ought to be able to decide her future for herself. Sophie went on, "I'm going to make sure she is taken care of. Just so she knows that she has even more choices if she should want them." Sophie looked back at her. "Do you intend to stay the entire Season?"

"That depends on Irene, I suppose. David is eager to check on the estate and meet his steward." She glanced at her husband, who was engrossed in his sister's playing. Even then, with his eyes toward the piano, she felt like he had an awareness of her across the room that she could feel down to her bones. She didn't know what to make of that awareness, but it made her skin prickle and her muscles tense.

"And how is my nephew?" Elena almost smiled. Sophie acted the part of the curmudgeon, but she clearly cared deeply about her niece and nephew. They were each other's only family, after all.

"He has some trouble with crowds, but he is greatly improved. There are times he doesn't even need his cane." She thought of him carrying her to bed the previous night and felt a small shiver down her spine. She hoped Sophie didn't notice.

"You're good for him, you know. Mind you, I don't think I would have ever dreamed you up in my wildest imagination." Sophie chuckled. "But he was lost for a while after his father died. I didn't want him to go off to war, but when he sets his mind on something, it's difficult to change it. But now, he looks whole. He looks like he's found his purpose in life."

Elena had not known David before the war, so she could not see all the differences. He certainly looked much more robust than when she met him outside Balaclava. She wondered what purpose he had found in life.

"So, you will accompany us to the hospital but not the opera?"

"Yes, I think I'll prefer the company at the hospital."

"You might be a reverse snob, Aunt Sophie, but I'm not sure there is anything wrong with that." Elena almost reached out and touched Sophie's hand in affection but immediately thought better of it and kept her hands in her lap.

They ended up dining and talking so late with Sophie that Elena was exhausted by the night's end. Her husband guided her to her chambers and kissed the top of her head, promising they would talk more the next day. She was both relieved and disappointed as she fell asleep, only realizing in that second, right before sleep took over, that she hadn't mourned for her family once in the past week.