Honor and Desire (Gold Sky #3) - Rebel Carter Page 0,47

told Seylah, who was now struggling to free herself from Rose’s grip.

“How on earth are you this strong?” Seylah asked, trying to yank her arm free. “You’re like a Vaudeville act.”

“Stop struggling,” Rose ordered, dragging Seylah closer to their sisters and what Seylah was now forever thinking as ‘that damnable list.’

“I for one,” Florence held up her hand as she spoke, “think you can add more demands to this list,” she said, pointing at the list in earnest.

“They are not demands,” Seylah protested, still struggling against Rose who only seemed to be growing stronger by the second.

Florence scoffed. “Then, what, dear sister, are they?”

“They are--they are guidelines,” Seylah finally managed to spit out.

“Guidelines for what exactly?” Rose asked, throwing both arms around Seylah’s waist and dragging her forward.

“Guidelines for amorous situations with a suitor, that’s what,” Florence crowed, and then directed a hopeful smile at Seylah, “or two? Are there two suitors?”

“There are not two suitors. For the absolute last time, Florence.” Seylah grit her teeth and struggled for breath beneath her sister’s ever-tightening embrace.

Her sister rolled her eyes. “How positively droll.”

“Stop being salacious. Let’s take a look at these guidelines, shall we?” Delilah held out her hand in a perfect impersonation of their mother when she was at the head of a classroom of unruly school children.

Florence handed over the paper, and Seylah muffled a curse when Delilah began to read aloud from the list.

“No arguing. Fancy Dancing?” Delilah smiled at the paper and raised her eyes to Seylah. “I know who this list is for.”

Seylah sighed, eyes closing in resignation at the knowing tone in her sister’s voice. “I suppose you do.”

“Tell us who it is,” Florence clasped her hands in front of her and gave Delilah a pleading look.

“Oh, it’s August, stop being obtuse,” Rose growled from where she was still wrapped around her sister. “It’s always been August.”

Florence snapped her fingers. “That does make sense when you say it as such,” she nodded approvingly at Seylah before she pursed her lips. “And I was not being obtuse. Seylah was at a picnic with a very handsome banker just today, which is why I was praying for two suitors.”

Seylah sagged in Rose’s arms. “I can barely manage the suitor that I do have. That’s what the list was for,” she explained with a sigh and pointed at the list in Delilah’s hand, “that was my attempt at managing my relationship with August.”

“Which is?” Delilah asked.

Seylah raised a shoulder in a shrug. “A courtship?” It was true that they had agreed to begin a courtship, had decided to take a new direction together, but what that meant for their friendship was unknown to her. Her eyes lit on the list in Delilah’s hand and she swallowed hard against the rising lump in her throat.

She did not understand this.

This was not her element, not that she particularly knew what this was.

“I, ah, need some air,” Seylah choked out, looking down at Rose’s grip assessing how to best break her sister’s hold.

Delilah stood up straight and flicked the paper at her. “You’re not to go anywhere until we figure out this list,” she paused and cleared her throat, “as crude as it is, and we all ensure that your courtship with August gets off to a wonderful start.”

Selyah reached down, gripping her sister’s wrists and shook her head. “It’s quite all right. Everything is fine.” She thrust down on her sister’s wrists, breaking the grip and stepped away from Rose quickly before she managed to grab her once more. “August and I will manage. I am confident things will return to normal before long.”

“But why?” All three of her sister’s cried out, making Seylah jump.

“Well, because, well…” her voice trailed off when she couldn’t much think of any reason why she wanted it to go back as it was, especially when returning to life as they had known it was at the bottom of Seylah’s to-do list. “It just will,” she finished lamely.

“I refuse to accept that,” Florence declared, moving to block the window when Seylah darted that way.

“And I am of the same opinion,” Delilah informed her when Seylah looked in her direction, pleadingly. It seemed there would be no help coming to her from that corner. “And that is why we are going to add an addendum or two to this list.”

“Addendum?” Seylah paled and wrung her hands in front of her. “Is this now a legal document?”

“Perhaps it should be,” Rose interjected. “To add an air of