“Aunt Howard knew they were false, and she was so embarrassed.” Prue shook her head, sighing. “She went to Mrs. Davies, and they quietly went about to set things straight. We’re to dine with Aunt and Uncle before they remove to Somerset. Camden is so looking forward to it.” She rolled her eyes, making them all laugh.
Izzy was stunned by the change in Prue. She was entirely herself, but with a confidence and grace that she had never managed before. She seemed perfectly at ease and bore a healthy glow now that Izzy was envious of.
“How’s the house, Prue?” Izzy asked, waving her into a seat while Charlotte sat in her chair again.
“Gableshead?” Prue smiled, folding her hands in her lap. “It’s so perfect, Izzy. It’s absolutely perfect. Come and stay with us in the autumn. We have apple orchards. Camden and I would love it if you came.”
“I doubt very much Camden would agree,” Charlotte laughed.
“Notice I didn’t invite you, Charlotte,” Prue shot back, which made Charlotte laugh harder.
Izzy turned back to her writing, desperate to get one line more. With the others coming, it would be impossible to complete what she wished, but if she could finish just this thought…
“Working on another article, Izzy?” Prue prodded gently.
Izzy scrambled quickly, shuffling papers atop one another, then shoving them all in a drawer. “No. Well, maybe. Ideas. Nothing really.” She turned and smiled at Prue quickly.
Prue looked at her, clearly knowing better, but she did not pry.
“Where is Camden?” Charlotte demanded at last. “I’ll make him invite me, and he still needs to introduce me to Mariah Turner. I am even more eager than before to make her acquaintance.”
“He’s fetching presents, Charlotte,” Georgie answered as she entered the room herself, smiling smugly. “I’ve just seen him. And the other girls have just arrived.” She turned her gaze to Prue, made a noise of content, and looked at the rest. “One down, four to go!”
Izzy and Charlotte groaned, and they heard accompanying groans down the corridor, signaling Grace and Edith’s arrival, and possibly Elinor’s as well.
Prue did not protest at all and smiled back at Georgie. “I fully support this endeavor.”
“Traitor,” Charlotte muttered.
Izzy said nothing but caught Prue’s eye as she looked at her once more, still uncertain.
She couldn’t tell her the truth. She couldn’t tell any of them. It was her secret, even from Georgie, and what if nothing came of it? It was better left unsaid, especially since she had no promises.
She wasn’t going to marry like the others might do. She wasn’t the sort of girl that men married. She’d never minded being a spinster before, but now her closest friends were married, and her options were running out.
This secret might open a way for her.
Time would tell.
About the Author
Rebecca Connolly has been creating stories since she was young, and there are home videos to prove it. She started writing them down in elementary school and has never looked back. She lives in Ohio, spends every spare moment away from her day job absorbed in her writing, and is a hot cocoa junkie.
COMING SOON
The Spinster Chronicles
Book Three
“A Spinster like her is everything nice...”
by
REBECCA CONNOLLY
The Spinster and I (The Spinster Chronicles, Book 2) Page 29
