Chapter 17

Georgiana bent down to pick up the napkin. By the time she straightened, still sitting in her chair, the Duke had vanished.

Her gaze flitted from the footman slowly closing the door, so she was in the room alone, to the napkin. It was pristine white with a lace hem. She ran her thumb over the lace while she searched for answers she already sensed she was not going to find.

"What on earth just happened?"

As expected, there was no reply. Georgiana gently folded the napkin while replaying the conversation that had ended abruptly. Her heart was still pounding in her chest. What could have been an innocent supper between husband and wife had turned into something she didn't quite understand.

Arguments were not new to her. Nor was misunderstanding her husband. But she found herself perplexed by his mood and especially the way he had stared at her with that haunted expression before leaving.

Fleeing is more like it. Like I had done something to him. Can he not manage a single argument with me any longer? Is that why he left?

"Your Grace?"

She looked up to see Mrs. Helen standing with the cook in the entryway. They furrowed their brows as they glanced at the empty seat beside her.

"I… I must apologize." Georgiana managed a tight smile. "I believe we've lost our appetites. Please return the food to the kitchens. The servants can eat what we didn't. I'll just take tea in the library, and then you can retire early for the evening."

Although Mrs. Helen followed her down the hall with that worried look, Georgiana didn't have anything else to say. She didn't have answers for either of them. Though tempted as she was to chase after her husband and make him explain himself, she decided against it.

Instead, she drank her favorite jasmine tea in the library, with a few candles set beside her. She attempted reading for a while before losing interest. She decidedly wrote a letter and then blew out the candles on her way to her bedchamber.

Georgiana had the letter sent the following morning. To her delight, she had a response before noon. It gave her two hours to ready the parlor.

And then a knock sounded at the door.

"I'll get it!" she squealed, hurrying past Wentworth to the front entrance.

The door wasn't even opened the entire way when Emma flew into her arms with a shout. Georgiana laughed, feeling the tears stinging the corners of her eyes as she pulled her sister close. The tightness that had been growing in her chest eased now.

"Georgie! I thought I would never see you again!" Emma exclaimed.

"She nearly fell out of the carriage in her haste to see you," Lady Marjory noted as she followed them inside. Though she attempted to appear stern, she couldn't hide the merry smile on her face. "It is lovely to see you again, Georgiana. Should I make myself scarce?"

Shaking her head, Georgiana said, "Most assuredly not! I think we owe you a giant hug. Don't you agree, Emma?"

"Oh bother," Marjory muttered. She hadn't always liked physical embraces.

Except there was no escaping this one.

Emma and Georgiana giggled as they tackled their cousin in a hug once the door was closed behind them. Though she could feel eyes on them, Georgiana didn't care.

Sighing in her ear, Marjory let out a sudden giggle. "Well, this isn't the sandwich I expected this afternoon, but I am glad to be here nonetheless."

The three of them parted slowly, wide grins on their faces. Georgiana could already feel her cheeks aching. But she didn't stop. As Emma took her hand, she pulled her closer. "I have the promised sandwiches. Tea, too. Right this way, ladies."

"Is this where you've been?" Emma asked, sticking close to her while looking around. "It's very big."

"It is, isn't it? I like it. But it's lonely without you," Georgiana had to admit.

Emma turned sharply to her. "Then I shan't ever leave!"

"Oh, I wish you could. Come on, I have some cakes you will like." Georgiana felt a lump form in her throat at the thought of parting from her sister again. She would have to do that in an hour or so.

Glancing at Wentworth, who was lingering in the hall, she motioned for him to remove the knocker so no one would intrude on them. She wasn't about to miss a minute with her sister.

Leading them into the recently designed parlor, she let them explore before sitting down and offering them tea.

Emma took two sips before curling up in Georgiana's lap. While she was much too old to be doing this, Georgiana couldn't bring herself to scold the girl. Besides, this was family time. Never before had she been kept apart from her sister for so long. They needed each other.

"I cannot begin to thank you for all that you have done, Marjory," Georgiana began. "Father didn't want to come? How did you do it?"

Waving a hand, Marjory paused to sip her tea again. "Don't concern yourself. Emma's governess needed a day off, and your father is a busy man. I don't think he even noticed I was there, even though we spoke for a good five minutes."

"That sounds like Father." Georgiana hesitated, playing with one of Emma's soft curls. "But… is he doing well? Is he healthy?"

Marjory considered this for a long moment. "As far as I can tell, yes. And I did mention you, you know. In front of Emma. I don't think he's been purposefully keeping the two of you apart." The sisters looked at each other as Marjory went on. "More than anything, Uncle Ernest seems distracted. He mentioned something about some sort of tax bill being discussed in Parliament. I asked about the governess, and I believe he gave her free reign."

"She's a tyrant," Emma protested.

"That's not very kind," Georgiana chided her gently.

"Neither is she."

Remembering the way the woman had shepherded her sister away from her in the park, Georgiana scowled. That governess had been rude and hurtful. There was little comfort whether or not her father had forced it, since she still had been kept from seeing her sister.

The tax bill is not particularly a surprise. It's the same one he's been attempting to push through for the last three years. Perhaps he has finally made headway. While I would like to be happy for him, I don't see how. His focus on that bill has distracted him from his family, and that is unacceptable.

It made her think of another man she was convinced had to be good, even though he was determined to ignore her. Shifting her gaze to the open door, Georgiana almost expected Owen to show up.

But no one was there.

Marjory suddenly suggested, "Why don't we talk about happier things? Perhaps we can play a game. We only have a short hour together."

The thudding of Georgiana's heart reminded her to be present. She couldn't let her irritation and worry win, at least not right now. All she wanted was a glorious afternoon with her sister and cousin.

"That's it?" Emma pouted. "I don't want to go."

"You're not leaving yet. That's why we need to make every minute count." A smile spread across Georgiana's face. It was forced, but it would do. "I think a game of charades is a good idea. Who shall go first?"

Her sister scrambled out of her lap. "I can! I want to go first!"

During the following hour, Georgiana did her best to keep hers and her sister's focus on games and delicious food. It was better than thinking about when her guests would need to leave. Yet, all three of them knew the clock would keep ticking. Eventually, the hour ended.

"Can't I please stay? Just a little longer?" Emma begged on the front steps of the house.

Watching the carriage roll closer, Georgiana felt that lump in her throat form again. Her heart thudded. She gripped her sister's hand tightly, not ready to let her go.

She considered it for a minute. Emma could stay here, hidden away in the house. She had enough money to keep her clothed. If Georgiana had to, she could very well trim her own gowns to fit her sister. Besides, there was a fair chance her father wouldn't even notice the young girl was gone for at least a week––perhaps even a month.

"Please?" Emma whined.

Sighing, Georgiana shook her head. "I wish I could keep you here, Emma. I want that more than anything."

"Then don't make me go."

"I… I must. Father would miss you. The household would miss you."

Her sister shook her head. "But I miss you. No one tells me stories like you do."

"Then I shall write you stories and send them," Georgiana promised. "And you'll visit me again, so I can tell you more. This farewell is not forever, Emma. It's only temporary."

"Do you promise?"

"I promise."

Promises were not enough, however, for Georgiana to find comfort in watching Emma leave. The reunion had been sweet and tender. All that desperation she had felt clawing its way out of her throat had finally ebbed away. But as the carriage left and she dropped her hand to her side, she felt restless and frustrated.

I feel so ridiculous. I thought everything would feel right after seeing Emma. But it wasn't enough. There's just been so much change that I hardly know what to do with myself. And there's no one to talk to, not really. There was only so much I could say and do with Marjory and Emma. Here, it's different.

Maybe talking wouldn't be enough. Pacing in the hall after Wentworth closed the door, Georgiana tried to gather her thoughts. But the feelings kept rising. They threatened to choke her, forcing her to find something else she could do with her energy.

"Mrs. Helen?" Georgiana slightly hiked up her skirts on her way down the hall. The housekeeper was talking to a footman, both of them holding bundled cloth in their arms. "I'm going to start redecorating the library."

"Very well, Your Grace." Then the woman stiffened. "The library! We were going to save that for next Season. It's a large room with more books than we can count."

Georgiana waved a hand. "I'll start sorting them out, and I'm sure we'll have it finished before summer."

"But summer is only two months away! Are you certain, Your Grace?"

"Quite so, thank you!" she called over her shoulder before moving down the next hall.

Two more turns later, she opened the door to the magnificent library.

It really is magnificent in here. Only cluttered and musty. I'm worried half of these books might be ruined with time or worms or dirt. Such beautiful bindings… Well, perhaps it's best if I survey what we have here a little closer.

Usually, she liked to hide in the nook beside the window, where there were two tables next to a cushioned chair. It was comfortable with good lighting and easy access to everything she needed. But now she moved to the right instead. She drew the curtains and moved to the ladder.

"I do love a good book," Georgiana muttered to herself. "But really, can anyone read all of these books?"

Her determination won over any good sense. The books were stacked nearly all the way to the large ceiling. Something told her that the tops of the shelves would be the dirtiest. They'd have to work from the top to get to the bottom.

Georgiana began plotting her plan of attack for the room. All this work would most assuredly help her forget her worries about her marriage and being away from her sister. She didn't want to think about that now, not when there was so much out of her control.

It was better to be here, where she could manage everything just the way she liked it. Even now, Georgiana could manage climbing up the ladder by herself. She gripped it tightly and climbed each rung carefully. Near the top, she looked up and studied the bindings. Two books were out of place.

"What are you two doing there? Silly books." She frowned and shifted to the side, struck by the need to fix them. Every challenge had to start somewhere. Georgiana reached out, only to slip on the thin rungs.

Her grasp was tight but not enough, and she felt the world slip out from under her.