Honor and Desire (Gold Sky #3) - Rebel Carter Page 0,46
I’m quite tired of this puzzle.”
“A puzzle? Just a moment!” Del’s shout came with Florence’s excited: “I cannot wait, I was positively dying of boredom!”
“Oh god,” Seylah moaned, ready to bolt from the room before her sisters could appear, but unfortunately when the Wickes-Barnes women were motivated, they were quicker than the wind, and the pair of women appeared in the doorway before Seylah could so much as slid an inch on her seat.
“Hand over that puzzle,” Flo demanded extending a hand.
“It’s not a puzzle.”
“Fine, is it a riddle?” Del asked, walking into the room and claiming the seat next to Seylah. “I’m an absolute wonder with them. Let me take a look at it.” She held out her hand in a mirror gesture of her sister, and Seylah shrank back into her chair.
“It’s not a riddle,” she said, for what felt like the umpteenth time, and made to slide out of her chair. “I quite think I’m due for a nap as well, so I’ll just be going…”
“Freeze!” Rose yelled, startling Seylah so abruptly that the sheet of paper she’d been clutching slipped from her hand and fluttered onto the floor in front of her sisters. Florence bent and snatched up the paper before Seylah could stop her, but it didn’t stop her from rushing forward and making a wild grab at it nonetheless.
“Give it here!” Seylah demanded, swiping for the sheet of paper, but Florence danced away with it raised in triumph.
“Not before we get a good look at what you’re trying to conceal.”
“It’s just a riddle, nothing special,” Seylah insisted, but Delilah snorted, a hand on her hip.
“You’ve made it abundantly clear that it is indeed not a riddle, so now we know there’s more to it.”
“I told you that how many times and now you believe me?” Seylah asked, throwing her hands up.
“Oh, get the sour look off your face and explain this list to me,” Florence said waving the paper. “No more fighting? Three outings a week?” She raised an eyebrow and looked at Seylah with a smirk. “Is this what I think it is?”
“That depends on what you think it is, and the answer is most assuredly no,” Seylah replied, lunging for the paper with a growl escaping her as Florence danced out of reach once more. Florence twirled and gave the paper to Rose who had joined the fray.
“Rose, I am not inclined to see this continue. Give me that paper,” Seylah grit out, but Rose was too busy reading to pay her sister much mind.
“This is a list of curious demands, sweet sister.” Rose raised her eyes to her and pointed an accusing finger at Seylah, “This is a list for a suitor!”
“No, it is not, it’s a-a puzzle?”
“A suitor?” Delilah asked, giving Seylah a smirk. “I think we all know that means August.”
“How do we all know that?” Seylah demanded. “I was out at a picnic with another man. A new man, freshly arrived to town. Perhaps this list is for him?”
“We might believe that if we all hadn’t heard of how August dragged you away from that nice new man,” Delilah replied.
“Absolutely barbaric,” Rose said and then let out a dreamy sigh. “I adore it. Being fought over by two men!”
“No one is fighting over me. There are no men fighting over me.”
“Then they mean to share?” Florence asked, perking up. “How lovely. A fine idea if you ever had one, Seylah.”
Seylah rubbed her temples in exasperation. “There will be no sharing, Florence. There are not two men in this story.”
Rose’s face fell. “Oh, how boring. I was so hopeful.”
Delilah jabbed her sister with her elbow. “Florence, stop foisting your own desires on Seylah,” she said and turned towards Seylah. “If there are not two men, then is there even one? Tell us yes.”
Seylah swallowed hard and then turned away from three pairs of eyes that were firmly trained on her. “Yes, there is one man,” she finally said, voice barely above a whisper.
A collective shriek arose from the women, and Seylah leapt back in shock. She glanced around and assessed the distance between herself and the dining room exits.
“Please tell me that is a good sound...it is, a good sound, right?” She asked, edging towards the window at her back.
Rose nodded. “A very good sound indeed!” She reached out and caught her sister by her hand, pulling her away from the window. “Don’t you even think of making a run for it.”