What a Spinster Wants - Rebecca Connolly Page 0,33

others chuckled, and her smile was one of the most charming things Edith had ever seen. Despite the shock of it, the marriage between Elinor Asheley and Hugh Sterling was a love match if there ever was one. She rarely spoke of it, but there was no denying the joy Elinor exuded at any given moment since then.

A love match with a reformed villain. How was that possible?

Yet it was.

“Hugh surprised me,” Elinor managed, averting her eyes and tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “But Christmas itself was as chaotic as it ever was. Shocking number of engagements, though.”

“Perhaps I should go to your estate next Christmas,” Amelia said with a laugh, though Edith caught the tension in her voice as she said so.

She hadn’t thought Amelia Perry was particularly searching for a husband, though it did seem to be on the mind of every other young woman in Society. Perhaps Amelia’s melancholy was a broken heart, but who would have done such a thing? There had never been any indication of a suitor for her, as far as Edith knew, unless she had missed something during her time away in Derbyshire.

“Amelia,” Georgie suddenly began, lacing her fingers across her lap, “Edith has a question to ask of you, which is why we asked you here.”

Amelia’s eyes widened, and she looked at Edith expectantly. “Yes, my lady?”

Edith smiled at the girl, shaking her head. “Lass, don’t ‘my lady’ me. Edith is fine.”

“Edith,” she corrected with a quick smile, “if you insist.”

“I do,” Edith replied with a wink and a smile, “especially if you come to stay with me.”

Amelia’s smile froze, and she blinked once. “I beg your pardon?”

“I would like to have you stay at my home with me,” Edith replied. “I am there alone but for my servants, and it would be best for all concerned if I had some company for a time.”

Again, Amelia blinked, her mouth beginning to gape open.

Poor thing, this was such a strange request, and possibly harmful to a reputation, given Edith’s situation. Why would she agree to stay with her? She had a perfectly lovely home in London, far nicer and more elegant than Edith’s home could ever be, let alone actually being in a livable condition. She barely knew Edith, and…

“When can I come?” Amelia suddenly said, looking brighter and more like her old self than she had yet. “I would love to stay with you; are you certain?”

That was certainly unexpected.

Edith blinked unsteadily, her heart stopping in shock. “I am if you are, but are you sure, lass? Ye’ve no’ seen the state of my house, and…”

Amelia shook her head firmly, cutting Edith off. “If you can live there, Edith, I can live there, I vow. I’m not nearly as fine as I look, and I am desperate to be away from home.”

“Well, that’s simple enough,” Charlotte commented with a laugh. “I’ll go see about a tea tray.” She rose and exited without another word.

Edith bit her lip, staring at Amelia with some concern. “Do you need to check with your parents, Amelia? I live in Cheapside, and the situation is not… I dinna ken why I’m asking. The more I consider the idea, the worse it gets!” She pushed up from her seat and began to pace. “I canna do this to you, or to anyone. It’s too horrid, too much. I dinna ken why I agreed…”

“Edith!”

She stopped as Grace stepped directly into her path and grabbed her arms. She met her friend’s eyes helplessly, panic and regret welling within her.

“I canna ask her to do this, Grace. It’s not right.”

“None of this is right, Edith,” Grace insisted, her voice as firm as her expression. “None of it. It’s not right that you are in it, either. You have Owen at the house. Bringing Amelia in may make things more bearable until we find a more permanent solution for you.”

Edith shook her head slightly, tears welling. “I have to tell her everything. She has to know what she is risking.”

Grace gave her a firm nod. “All right. Then tell her everything.” She took Edith’s arm and led her to the seat beside Amelia, then gestured for the rest of them to follow her out of the room.

Without a word, they did so, leaving Edith and Amelia alone in the drawing room together.

“This is a little worrisome,” Amelia murmured as she turned towards Edith. “Are you all right?”

Edith exhaled slowly, blinking away the tears of her panic and trying