and snapped open her fan. “Has anybody seen Jonathan?”
“I wish I had, my dear,” Miranda said without shame. “Marvelously handsome, that man. Will you marry him?”
“Miranda!” Georgie cried, a gloved hand going to her cheek in embarrassment. “You don’t have to answer her, Charlotte.”
But Charlotte adored Miranda and her frankness, finding the whole approach to life and conversation rather refreshing. “Well, he hasn’t asked, Miranda, so I really cannot say. The point is irrelevant if the offer is not made.”
Miranda smiled knowingly, her eyes narrowing. “Charlotte, my dear, you could ensure that the offer is made by Wednesday, if you set your mind to it.”
“I take that as a compliment,” Charlotte quipped. “Though I have little desire to rush Jonathan. I’m rather enjoying courtship. Only last evening he came to family dinner, and we all of us were awake far into the early morning telling tales and laughing for ages. Then this morning, I come down to breakfast, and there were two more bouquets of flowers.”
“What a lovely gesture!” Miranda simpered. “Two bouquets for you? How charming!”
Charlotte grinned and shook her head. “No, Miranda. One bouquet for me, and one for my mother.”
Miranda and Georgie clapped in delight, making Charlotte laugh. “All the better! You must marry him, Charlotte. I wish it.”
“If he asks, I may,” Charlotte replied, still laughing.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Aubrey, Lord Ingram, intoned from somewhere in the room. “I’m delighted to provide you some entertainment before dinner, and more particularly for the surprise it will be to us all. At the request of Miss Palmer, Mr. Sandford will oblige the company with a song. My wife will accompany him. Please.”
Charlotte blinked as the other guests began filing over to a corner of the room, but she could not move. Her limbs had no strength, her frame no warmth.
Michael was here? And he was going to sing?
I only sing for you, dear.
The pianoforte struck up, Grace’s nimble fingers no doubt dancing along the keys, and, a moment later, Michael’s voice filled the area.
Memory after memory assaulted Charlotte’s mind the moment he began; vocal duets the two of them had attempted, playful ditties Michael had sung to break her out of sour moods or to make her laugh, relaxed days of hearing his voice across the room while she pretended to read…
Each one darkened and dimmed as his voice floated among the guests. Only she had ever truly known the power, sweetness, and delight of his voice before this, and he had claimed to have kept that gift for her alone. Now that was gone, the secret revealed, and nothing remained between them that was only theirs.
The last link between them was gone. Broken by his own acquiescence. She did not believe Diana had coerced him into singing, even if she had known about his vocal abilities. Michael would only have done this if he had wished to.
He wished to sing for them, not only for Charlotte anymore.
“Charlotte?” Georgie murmured from beside her, somehow having gotten Miranda to leave. “Charlotte…”
Charlotte sniffled and shook her head, rising to her feet. She had to face him. She would face him while he did this. Because he did this.
The song soared as she approached, which would usually have brought her unending delights. It brought her nothing now.
Finding a small break in the gathered guests, Charlotte fit herself into the space, pressing forward as much as she would without being in any way forceful. She would show no desperation, display no overt emotion, leave no sign to anyone that her heart was full to the brim with this betrayal. She would carry on this evening as she would have done otherwise. She would smile and laugh with Jonathan, finding and taking comfort in his presence. She would praise Grace and Aubrey for their excellent dinner service and delightful friends. She would even encourage some light dancing later, if she thought others might join in.
But in this moment, one person needed to know, needed to acknowledge, what he was bringing about.
She saw Michael through the break then, lifted her chin as he grandly sang for them all. He was dressed in better finery than she had seen him in, which seemed to suit, and saw more people smiling for him now than ever had in his life. And then there was Diana, just a few feet away from him, beaming with pride and delight.
Something sharp and cold lanced Charlotte’s heart, but she would not crumble and fall. She was too well-practiced in all things