Honor and Desire (Gold Sky #3) - Rebel Carter Page 0,33

Hadn’t her mother just gushed over what fun she was going to have by dressing up?

“I know, I know what you’re thinking.” Julie paused and smiled ruefully at her daughter. “It was exciting today to do this for you, but you are already so lovely. Do not mistake my excitement at a new experience with you for anything else than simply that. I enjoy firsts with my daughters, and this was a first for us both. It makes my heart happy to see you this radiant. But know that you are perfect as you are every single day. I do not want you to forget that no matter what happens today.”

Seylah fought the urge to nod when her mother continued applying the rouge to her lips.

Perfect as you are every single day.

If she could speak, or move for that matter, she would tell her mother just how much and how needed her words of affirmation were on this day, but as it was, Seylah was left looking up at her mother with shining eyes and a pursed mouth as Julie finished her work. She leaned back with a raised eyebrow, surveying her work before she nodded and tapped Seylah’s cheek.

“Perfect. You look absolutely perfect, sweetheart. As you always do.”

“Thank you, Mama.”

“Seylah, there’s a dashing man here for you,” Florence stage-whispered to Seylah from where she stood at the doorway. Seylah looked up from the book she had been pretending to read for the better part of the last half hour. Though she’d been studiously staring at the pages, flipping them as if she were engrossed in her story, in truth Seylah had been blindly staring at the pages until the ink on them had begun to swirl and swim before her.

“Hmm?” She asked feigning a calm, cool, and collected composure rather than admitting to the frazzled and frantic wreck she knew herself to be.

“A man,” Florence hissed and crept into the room, but not before glancing behind her and back towards the entryway. “He says he’s here to take you to a picnic, but that can’t be true? Or is it? Because…” her voice trailed off and she hurried across the room until she was beside her sister. She dropped to her knees so that they were nearly eye-to-eye, “he looks like a dandy, but in the best ways. A man like that can get you in trouble.”

Seylah rolled her eyes at her sister. “He is not a dandy,” she said, but then paused and added, “at least I don’t think he is.” She didn’t know Elliot Myers, hadn’t the faintest idea about the man other than his profession and that he was able to pull a woman back from near death by an errant coach without so much as mussing his clothes, or missing the opportunity at making an introduction to a young woman...

She sat up straight when she thought about that. “Oh my word, what if he is?”

Florence clapped her hands and gave a delighted shimmy. “Then I am excited for you. You could use a bit of romantic drama.” Her sister bobbed her head and looked towards the doorway. “I could be persuaded to take him off your hands if you find that we are right, and the man proves to be a dandy.”

“And what exactly do you fancy you will be able to do with a dandy?” Seylah asked, crossing her arms.

Florence blew out an exasperated sigh. “Well, all sorts of things, that’s the point of a dandy, sweet sister.”

“Flo, no!”

“Flo, yes!”

Seylah set her book aside and stood quickly from her chair. If she did not make a hasty exit, then, there was no telling what might happen to Elliot. “I should be going, Florence.”

Her sister pouted. “Oh, fine, keep him to yourself then.”

“I’m not keeping him to myself. I hardly even know him.”

“Well that’s the point of a courtship, you goose. It’s all outing and fine meals.” She reached out and ran a finger along her sister’s arm with a smile. “Pretty dresses and lovely lip paints. You look absolutely ravishing, I might add. The men of this town aren’t going to know how to ride a horse when they catch sight of you, and all the ladies will faint with jealousy! How truly wonderful.”

Seylah’s palms began to sweat at the scene her sister was gleefully painting for her. “That sounds like a lot of attention…”

“Oh, it will be a wagonload of it! You’ll have more than you know what to do with. Why, I