Two hearts, one life.” She fought hard for a swallow. “That is what I want, and my heart breaks at the thought of missing it.”
There was no sound in the room but of Thomas softly babbling and the faint crackle of the fire.
Charlotte couldn’t look at Georgie now, felt her own emotions growing harder to manage. How could admitting what she wanted aloud have such an effect on her? Conveying the deepest feelings of her heart to someone other than herself, allowing that vulnerable wish to become known. It was terrifying and freeing, yet it made the whole thing far more real. Far more of a risk.
“I thought you wanted a love to bring you to your knees,” Georgie murmured, seeming confused.
Typically, Charlotte would have had a witty reply to such a statement, but she simply could not manage her usual antics at the moment.
“If it brings either of us to our knees, so be it,” Charlotte told her, keeping her voice low. “But more than that, I want a love that makes me feel whole.”
“Charlotte, that sort of love takes time.”
She swallowed, nodding once. “I know, and I can’t seem to find the man I want to spend the time to find that love with.”
“What about Mr. Riley?” Georgie pressed gently. “I thought the pair of you were getting on rather well.”
“We seem to be,” Charlotte allowed with a faint smile. “He’s terribly good with Mama, and never makes her feel as though she is conspicuous as our chaperone. I am finding myself more comfortable in his presence, which is lovely.” She wrinkled up her nose and shrugged. “I don’t know, Georgie. What am I supposed to feel?”
Georgie smiled at the question. “At the beginning? Awkward.”
Charlotte scoffed and allowed herself a droll look at her friend. “Fair enough, I think we can say I have felt awkward.”
“One usually does.” Georgie’s smile turned wistful, her eyes taking on a far-off look. “Then you find yourself comfortable, but with an excited edge that doesn’t quite make sense.”
“That would describe what I feel right now,” Charlotte told her with a nod. “I could talk with him for ages, and yet I seem to fidget constantly.”
Georgie snickered, bouncing her son again. “It’s the anticipation, isn’t it? Wondering if something will happen, wanting it to and yet not wanting it to…”
Charlotte nodded over and over, then huffed to herself. “Maddening stuff. Tell me it gets better.”
“I am so sorry, it doesn’t.” Georgie made a face, shaking her head. “Things only get more complicated.”
“Lovely. I see I have much to look forward to.” She plastered a false smile on her face that made Georgie laugh. Charlotte groaned and put a hand to her brow. “Why did I want this again?”
“Because we have been led to believe that love is the most enviable of all things,” Georgie answered simply, “and it is. It is also rare and unusual, and there is something to be said for those people who claim a marriage of convenience is a far easier matter.”
“Is there?”
Georgie nodded. “Yes. It’s true. That would be easier.”
Charlotte narrowed her eyes. “But…?”
“But a love match is so very satisfying,” Georgie admitted with an almost dreamy smile. “So lovely. So enjoyable. And complicated though it is, I cannot think my happiness could be any more than this if I had married for other reasons.”
“I want that ease and happiness,” Charlotte confessed. “I want it so much.”
“I know, dear.” Georgie smiled as she hugged her son to her. “You do like Mr. Riley, don’t you? I’d hate to think that you were trying to force your emotions to fit into a mold of love rather than let it grow naturally.”
Charlotte nodded quickly. “Of course I like Mr. Riley. I do not see how anyone could not like Mr. Riley. He is handsome, charming, and excellent company. I’ve never had a better dance partner, and he seems to only get more interesting the more I get to know him.”
Georgie grinned at her, setting Thomas back on the ground when he fussed. “Charlotte! That is wonderful to hear! And certainly a very promising start.”
“Do you think so?” Charlotte rubbed her hands together in more of an anxious habit than a speculative one. “I want to smile whenever I see him, Georgie. I don’t always do so, but I want to. My lips simply want to smile when he is near. But he’s not said anything about courtship or affection to me. Do you think that is a sign?”
“No, I think