out on the floor a few
times, yet he had not come over to say ‘hello.’
“Why won’t he at least acknowledge us?” Charlotte
whispered in her mother’s ear when they had a moment to themselves.
“Who in the world are you referring to?” Adelaide asked
with some displeasure as she sipped her champagne.
“Doctor Thomas, of course. He has danced with every pretty
lady within ten paces of his person since the moment he arrived.”
“You sound jealous,” Adelaide said with a laugh. Then she
leaned very close to Charlotte. “Darling, you must forget about this and not
imagine that we will ever go back to what we once were. How many times must I
say it? We are friends now, and that is all we will ever be.”
Charlotte suddenly felt very foolish with her lofty dreams
of romantic destiny and clever matchmaking. But how could she simply let it go?
She knew everything about their broken hearts all those years ago. They were
like Romeo and Juliet. For once, Charlotte wanted that story to have a happy
ending. She wanted to fix the past. To rewrite it, if she could.
Just then, someone spoke her name. “Lady Charlotte, I
wonder if you would do me the honor of joining me for the next set?”
Managing a courteous smile, she set down her glass and
laid her gloved hand upon the gentleman’s arm. “How kind of you to ask, Mr.
Tremont. I would be delighted.”
She followed him onto the floor.
As Charlotte began the first steps of another quadrille,
Adelaide set down her glass and turned toward the large bank of French doors at
the rear of the ballroom, for they opened onto a wide flagstone balcony lit by
torches at each corner. There were few people outside, for a fine mist hung in
the air. It was the sort of weather that could cause a lady’s hair to frizz
instantly and give her a chill. Adelaide could not care less about her hair,
and she was so angry, a good shiver in the cold might serve her well.
She was angry with Charlotte for pushing her toward
William—as if she were some young debutante experiencing her first London
Season, and was on the hunt for a handsome gentleman with whom to begin a
thrilling courtship.
Adelaide was hardly a young girl, and she’d had enough
life experience to understand her own heart and manage her life. She had been
married for over forty years and had given birth to five children. She had
survived that tumultuous marriage, and somehow, in the end, had made a success
of it. Then she had nursed her husband through a long and devastating illness
in the final decade of his life. She had stood by him faithfully and devotedly.
She had suffered a great deal of heartache and tragedy in
her younger years, yet she felt blessed with what she had achieved, for she had
five wonderful children and a house full of grandchildren. If given the choice,
she would not change a thing about the past, for it would alter the present,
and she firmly believed she had lived the life she was meant to live.
“Adelaide...?”
She was standing at the cement balustrade looking up at
the dark, cloudy night sky, when the sound of her name, spoken so familiarly,
caused her to jump. She turned around to see William standing in the doorway,
looking as handsome as he had over forty years ago, when he had come home from
Italy to try and convince her not to go through with her wedding.
“You must be freezing out here,” he said, removing his
jacket and approaching her with it. He draped it over her shoulders. It was
still warm with the heat and musk from his body, and it felt... heavenly.
“Thank you,” she said, hugging it about her. “I was just
beginning to shiver.”
“What are you doing out here?” he asked. “I was frustrated
just now, for I wanted to dance with you. Unless your card is full? Am I too
late?”
She looked up at him in the flickering torchlight. He was
not wearing his spectacles this evening and looked not a day older than... Oh,
what did it matter? He would always be the
times, yet he had not come over to say ‘hello.’
“Why won’t he at least acknowledge us?” Charlotte
whispered in her mother’s ear when they had a moment to themselves.
“Who in the world are you referring to?” Adelaide asked
with some displeasure as she sipped her champagne.
“Doctor Thomas, of course. He has danced with every pretty
lady within ten paces of his person since the moment he arrived.”
“You sound jealous,” Adelaide said with a laugh. Then she
leaned very close to Charlotte. “Darling, you must forget about this and not
imagine that we will ever go back to what we once were. How many times must I
say it? We are friends now, and that is all we will ever be.”
Charlotte suddenly felt very foolish with her lofty dreams
of romantic destiny and clever matchmaking. But how could she simply let it go?
She knew everything about their broken hearts all those years ago. They were
like Romeo and Juliet. For once, Charlotte wanted that story to have a happy
ending. She wanted to fix the past. To rewrite it, if she could.
Just then, someone spoke her name. “Lady Charlotte, I
wonder if you would do me the honor of joining me for the next set?”
Managing a courteous smile, she set down her glass and
laid her gloved hand upon the gentleman’s arm. “How kind of you to ask, Mr.
Tremont. I would be delighted.”
She followed him onto the floor.
As Charlotte began the first steps of another quadrille,
Adelaide set down her glass and turned toward the large bank of French doors at
the rear of the ballroom, for they opened onto a wide flagstone balcony lit by
torches at each corner. There were few people outside, for a fine mist hung in
the air. It was the sort of weather that could cause a lady’s hair to frizz
instantly and give her a chill. Adelaide could not care less about her hair,
and she was so angry, a good shiver in the cold might serve her well.
She was angry with Charlotte for pushing her toward
William—as if she were some young debutante experiencing her first London
Season, and was on the hunt for a handsome gentleman with whom to begin a
thrilling courtship.
Adelaide was hardly a young girl, and she’d had enough
life experience to understand her own heart and manage her life. She had been
married for over forty years and had given birth to five children. She had
survived that tumultuous marriage, and somehow, in the end, had made a success
of it. Then she had nursed her husband through a long and devastating illness
in the final decade of his life. She had stood by him faithfully and devotedly.
She had suffered a great deal of heartache and tragedy in
her younger years, yet she felt blessed with what she had achieved, for she had
five wonderful children and a house full of grandchildren. If given the choice,
she would not change a thing about the past, for it would alter the present,
and she firmly believed she had lived the life she was meant to live.
“Adelaide...?”
She was standing at the cement balustrade looking up at
the dark, cloudy night sky, when the sound of her name, spoken so familiarly,
caused her to jump. She turned around to see William standing in the doorway,
looking as handsome as he had over forty years ago, when he had come home from
Italy to try and convince her not to go through with her wedding.
“You must be freezing out here,” he said, removing his
jacket and approaching her with it. He draped it over her shoulders. It was
still warm with the heat and musk from his body, and it felt... heavenly.
“Thank you,” she said, hugging it about her. “I was just
beginning to shiver.”
“What are you doing out here?” he asked. “I was frustrated
just now, for I wanted to dance with you. Unless your card is full? Am I too
late?”
She looked up at him in the flickering torchlight. He was
not wearing his spectacles this evening and looked not a day older than... Oh,
what did it matter? He would always be the
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