on
me.
”
She was right. I felt the sting to my pride, a shame that made me look down into my dish, stirring little violets intowhirlpools of melting ice cream, my appetite completely gone.
Rose said, “Must we argue? Come now, both of you. It’s been a perfectly lovely day. Let’s not spoil it.”
“Of course,” Lucy said. “I’m sorry, Grace. I shouldn’t have said those things. We’re to be sisters, after all.”
“I’m sorry as well,” I said sincerely.
“There,” Rose declared. “Isn’t that better?”
Lucy stood. “Let’s go back to the house. It’s hot and I’m tired.”
And no doubt she wanted to run off to visit her stableboy. But I didn’t say that. We said little on the way to the Devlin house.
In the too-warm parlor, Mrs. Devlin looked up with a smile. “Did you choose a gown? Is it lovely?”
“It is,” Lucy said curtly. “Pink.”
“I believe that’s Patrick’s favorite color,” Mrs. Devlin said.
“Really? I would have said he preferred green.” Lucy threw me a smug look.
Her mother said, “I thought he would have returned by now. I do know he would want to see you, Grace.”
“You’ll excuse me if I retire?” Lucy asked. “I’m afraid I’m quite exhausted.”
Rose and I both murmured good-byes. When Lucy flounced from the room, I turned to Mrs. Devlin. “Ma’am, I think I dropped a book earlier. Outside, while I was waiting for the carriage. Did anyone retrieve it?”
“No, I don’t think so.” She bustled into the hallway, calling for the butler. But he hadn’t seen it either.
“Perhaps it’s still outside,” I said. “Rose and I will look for it as we leave.”
“I’ll be sure to tell Patrick you were here. And to give him your regards,” Mrs. Devlin said.
Outside, Rose asked, “Did you really drop a book, or was it just an excuse to leave?”
“I really dropped it. And it’s Patrick’s, too, so I must find it.” I bent to look beneath the bench.
“It’s Patrick’s?”
“A book of Irish poems.” I hurried down the stoop, searching at the foot of the railing. Nothing.
“And you just dropped it?”
We were at the end of the walk. Where I’d first seen the glow and had the headache. “Yes. I was reading it and then the carriage came up and my head . . . it was the worst headache I’ve ever had.”
“Not just hunger then?” Rose asked.
“I don’t know. Perhaps. But I’ve never felt like that.”
“You don’t want to get between Lucy and this boy, Grace. Not if you want Patrick.”
My stomach tightened. “Who says I’m going to get between them?”
“The way he was looking at you . . .”
“He’s a flirt, as I said,” I told her impatiently. “And an irritating one too. He’s just perfect for Lucy. Together they can pretend they’re king and queen and rule the world.”
Rose laughed. “However are you going to hold your tongue when you’re Lucy’s sister-in-law?”
I sighed. “I don’t know that I will be, Rose. Perhaps Patrick won’t propose.”
“Oh, I think he will. But not if you keep picking at Lucy. She has his ear, you know.”
“I’ll try to be good.” I let the yew branches fall back into place. “It’s not here. What am I going to do?”
“Tell Patrick you lost it.”
“I can’t! It means so much to him. How am I to tell him that I was so careless I just dropped it in the street?”
“Well, perhaps it will turn up.”
I followed her back to her house. The book hadn’t been kicked aside. It hadn’t fallen into the bushes. Which meant it would’ve been lying here on the walk, obvious to anyone. Obvious to the stableboy who’d been standing right there. He must have it. And he had to know who it belonged to. But he hadn’t turned it in to the house. Why not?
Unfortunately, the only way to find out was to ask him.
When we came to Rose’s door and she asked me to come in for some lemonade, I told her I had to check on my mother. But instead of going home, I doubled
me.
”
She was right. I felt the sting to my pride, a shame that made me look down into my dish, stirring little violets intowhirlpools of melting ice cream, my appetite completely gone.
Rose said, “Must we argue? Come now, both of you. It’s been a perfectly lovely day. Let’s not spoil it.”
“Of course,” Lucy said. “I’m sorry, Grace. I shouldn’t have said those things. We’re to be sisters, after all.”
“I’m sorry as well,” I said sincerely.
“There,” Rose declared. “Isn’t that better?”
Lucy stood. “Let’s go back to the house. It’s hot and I’m tired.”
And no doubt she wanted to run off to visit her stableboy. But I didn’t say that. We said little on the way to the Devlin house.
In the too-warm parlor, Mrs. Devlin looked up with a smile. “Did you choose a gown? Is it lovely?”
“It is,” Lucy said curtly. “Pink.”
“I believe that’s Patrick’s favorite color,” Mrs. Devlin said.
“Really? I would have said he preferred green.” Lucy threw me a smug look.
Her mother said, “I thought he would have returned by now. I do know he would want to see you, Grace.”
“You’ll excuse me if I retire?” Lucy asked. “I’m afraid I’m quite exhausted.”
Rose and I both murmured good-byes. When Lucy flounced from the room, I turned to Mrs. Devlin. “Ma’am, I think I dropped a book earlier. Outside, while I was waiting for the carriage. Did anyone retrieve it?”
“No, I don’t think so.” She bustled into the hallway, calling for the butler. But he hadn’t seen it either.
“Perhaps it’s still outside,” I said. “Rose and I will look for it as we leave.”
“I’ll be sure to tell Patrick you were here. And to give him your regards,” Mrs. Devlin said.
Outside, Rose asked, “Did you really drop a book, or was it just an excuse to leave?”
“I really dropped it. And it’s Patrick’s, too, so I must find it.” I bent to look beneath the bench.
“It’s Patrick’s?”
“A book of Irish poems.” I hurried down the stoop, searching at the foot of the railing. Nothing.
“And you just dropped it?”
We were at the end of the walk. Where I’d first seen the glow and had the headache. “Yes. I was reading it and then the carriage came up and my head . . . it was the worst headache I’ve ever had.”
“Not just hunger then?” Rose asked.
“I don’t know. Perhaps. But I’ve never felt like that.”
“You don’t want to get between Lucy and this boy, Grace. Not if you want Patrick.”
My stomach tightened. “Who says I’m going to get between them?”
“The way he was looking at you . . .”
“He’s a flirt, as I said,” I told her impatiently. “And an irritating one too. He’s just perfect for Lucy. Together they can pretend they’re king and queen and rule the world.”
Rose laughed. “However are you going to hold your tongue when you’re Lucy’s sister-in-law?”
I sighed. “I don’t know that I will be, Rose. Perhaps Patrick won’t propose.”
“Oh, I think he will. But not if you keep picking at Lucy. She has his ear, you know.”
“I’ll try to be good.” I let the yew branches fall back into place. “It’s not here. What am I going to do?”
“Tell Patrick you lost it.”
“I can’t! It means so much to him. How am I to tell him that I was so careless I just dropped it in the street?”
“Well, perhaps it will turn up.”
I followed her back to her house. The book hadn’t been kicked aside. It hadn’t fallen into the bushes. Which meant it would’ve been lying here on the walk, obvious to anyone. Obvious to the stableboy who’d been standing right there. He must have it. And he had to know who it belonged to. But he hadn’t turned it in to the house. Why not?
Unfortunately, the only way to find out was to ask him.
When we came to Rose’s door and she asked me to come in for some lemonade, I told her I had to check on my mother. But instead of going home, I doubled
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