Page 48 of Legacy of Glass
It was immediately obvious to Olivia that if she had been standing there as her old self—as the niece of the upstart merchant next door—she would have had the door shut in her face. But it was harder to shut doors in the face of a future princess. Especially when it had been the woman’s own daughter who had elevated Olivia to that status.
“How…lovely to see you, Lady Olivia,” the woman said at last. “Do please come in.”
Chapter16
Olivia
Lady Emerson seated Olivia in an enormous formal sitting room in the front of the house.
“My apologies,” the noblewoman said in a stiff voice. “I wasn’t expecting visitors and so have nothing prepared. However, if you’ll give me a moment, I will ring for tea and?—”
“Please don’t put yourself out on my behalf,” Olivia said quickly, well aware that she wasn’t welcome. The household was clearly closed to visitors of the regular sort. “I merely wanted the chance to briefly speak with you.”
“And why would you want to speak with me, Lady Olivia?” Lady Emerson’s clasped hands trembled slightly.
Olivia leaned forward. “I’m worried about Marigold. She was always a good friend to me and?—”
“Too good a friend, it would seem,” Lady Emerson said quietly but with bite. “I fully understand Their Majesties’ fury toward our family. That is to be expected, and no more than Marigold has brought down on our heads. But I hardly see what you can have to complain about. My daughter elevated you beyond what anyone could have imagined—beyond reason.”
Olivia sat back, thrown off by the unexpected attack.
“I didn’t ask for thiselevation,” she said with as much dignity as she could muster. “I certainly did not seek or even want a betrothal to the prince. I don’t belong in the palace.”
Lady Emerson watched her, her brows creasing as the silence stretched between them.
“You really mean that,” she finally said, her tone incredulous. “I’ve always been good at reading people.” Her voice dropped even lower. “All except my own daughter, apparently.”
Olivia leaned forward again. “I do mean it. I had no idea what Marigold was planning, and when I found out what she’d done, I was furious. But I don’t want her to come to any harm. And I’m afraid she has come to harm. It doesn’t seem at all like her to run away in this situation, and?—”
“Unfortunately,” Lady Emerson said, cutting her off with sorrow this time instead of heat, “it isn’t at all unlike Marigold to run away. She’s done it before.”
“Yes, I know,” Olivia said, fighting down her rising frustration. “But what I mean is that she wouldn’t?—”
“After pulling a stunt like hers, can we really say that anything is beyond her?” Lady Emerson’s voice was heavy with the same sadness. “Believe me, I don’t want to believe any of it. Marigold’s father and I are desperate to find our daughter and bring her home.”
Olivia perked up at those words, but Lady Emerson continued. “But if you truly care about my daughter, the best thing you can do is to stay away from this house and keep her name off your lips. If others learn the truth she will be shunned and disgraced.” Her words finished on a suppressed sob.
Olivia’s heart twisted. Lady Emerson might believe the worst of Marigold’s behavior, but she clearly still loved her daughter and wanted to see her home and safe. If only she would let Olivia finish what she was trying to say.
Olivia tried again. “So there hasn’t been a ransom demand or anything like that? I’m worried that—” But Lady Emerson didn’t even seem to hear her, instead standing and gesturing toward the door.
“On that note,” the noblewoman said, “I must thank you for your continued kindness to my daughter and ask you to leave.”
“But I?—”
Lady Emerson’s stern expression made Olivia falter into silence. On impulse, she thrust her hand into her bag and closed her fingers around the handle of her mirror. Ignoring how odd she must appear, she pulled it out and examined her reflection, twisting so that her back was to Marigold’s mother.
With a subtle angling of her hand, she was able to capture Lady Emerson’s face in the reflective surface. A second ago, the noblewoman had been looking impatient, but in the mirror’s reflective surface, she appeared haggard and desperately worried. Olivia leaped to her feet, an instinctive reaction when confronted with someone on the verge of collapse. But when she spun around to view Lady Emerson directly, the noblewoman looked merely irritated and confused.
Olivia swallowed and thrust the mirror back into her bag. Shaken by the glimpse of what lay beneath the noblewoman’s surface, she allowed herself to be ushered toward the door. By the time she had thought of a fresh argument, she was standing outside facing nothing but a closed door.
Should she knock again? She strongly suspected the door would not be opened to her a second time. Closing her eyes, she groaned. The visit hadn’t gone well. She should have been better prepared.
But from the true emotions of Lady Emerson, Olivia wasn’t sure the noblewoman would have been receptive to anything Olivia could say. She was clearly already on the edge—teetering where any further burden of worry and fear might push her over. Was it any wonder she wouldn’t allow herself to consider the possibility of foul play? Such a fear might sink her under completely.
Olivia’s dejection turned to determination. If Marigold’s family weren’t chasing down every possibility, then Olivia had to find a way to search herself. Mere weeks ago she would have had little hope of success. But for the moment she was living in a palace, practically a princess—surely she could use that position to search for her friend.
Before she reached the street, a tall male figure turned into the courtyard, his head down and gait hurried. As he passed her, Olivia seized his arm, halting his progress and spinning him back toward her.
