The Unexpected Wife - Jess Michaels Page 0,62

be supportive, not exploitive.”

Celeste took that in, let it sink into her skin and her bones and her heart. She looked at Owen again, wondering what he thought of her friends, what he thought of her options. She wanted to touch him, as easily as Lena and Celeste sought support from each other.

Instead, she drew a deep breath. “Very well. It would help to talk about this with people I trust. Let me tell you what happened.”

Owen knew Celeste’s story—he had lived some small part of it with her—so he didn’t listen to her words as much as he watched for the reaction of her friends. He wanted her to find support. She had it with Abigail and Pippa, of course, but that was a sisterhood of this pain. Celeste also needed outsiders who would support her, those who wouldn’t ask to lean on her but would only give her a place to lean.

But both Miss Smith and Lady Lena were difficult to read, so he had no idea how they would respond as Celeste let out a long sigh. “And so,” she said, getting up and crossing to the window to look out on the street below, “that is the truth about Erasmus Montgomery and me.”

There was a moment where no one moved. Celeste stayed at the window, back to the group, and Miss Smith and Lady Lena were still on their chairs, staring at each other, unspoken communication flowing between them.

But then Miss Smith got to her feet, crossed to Celeste and turned her away from the window. They stared at each other a moment, and the tension all but came off of Celeste in waves. Then Miss Smith embraced her and Owen let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.

Both women were crying when they parted. Miss Smith wiped at Celeste’s tears. “I’m so sorry, love. When you wrote that you were being forced to marry, I hoped it could be a happy union. This…this is not anything I would have wished for you.”

Celeste nodded. “I know, I know. But I do not want your pity.”

“Pity!” Lady Lena leapt up now and joined the pair. “There is no pity here, my dear, I assure you. I may have just met you, but I have known of you from your letters for many years. If there is one thing that is clear immediately, it is how very strong you are. Despite the unfairness of all of this, you are holding up so very well. And you are not friendless, are you? You are not unprotected.”

“Indeed, not,” Miss Smith declared. “You will come and stay with us.”

Celeste glanced toward Owen, and he held her stare. Whatever she wanted to do, he wished her to see he would support her. Only she could determine her future path, and one where she depended upon Miss Smith and Lady Lena was not so very desperate.

Though he didn’t know what it would mean for the two of them. If Celeste detached herself from the other wives, from the investigation, she might very well be detaching herself from him. And that thought left a very empty hole in his chest, even though he would give her anything in the world to make her happy.

“I appreciate the offer,” Celeste said, reaching for Lady Lena’s hand so that she now held on to each woman. “And I may yet take you up on it. But for now, I am staying with Abigail and Pippa. Until this is resolved, it is the best place for me to be.”

There was no mistaking the hesitation that Miss Smith, especially, showed at that decision. She glanced back at Owen, spearing him with a glance for a long moment before she said, “Lena, my love, why don’t you show Celeste around our home? You can explain how the club works, as well, and her membership.”

Lady Lena’s expression lit up. “Of course!”

“My—my membership?” Celeste repeated.

“Certainly,” Miss Smith replied with a shrug. “You are now a member of Lady Lena’s Salon.”

Though Owen could see the excitement at that idea in Celeste’s eyes, her smile fell. “Oh, Harriet, is that wise? Your salon has a certain reputation, everyone knows about it. Do you want to invite in such an infamous person as myself and drag the scandal of my union with Montgomery into this special space you’ve created?”

“I don’t do anything I’m not entirely certain of, Celeste. You ought to remember that about me,” Miss Smith said with a stern expression.

That didn’t