Page 33 of Obsession: The Unspoken Sin
“Does Laurence not want us to go see our family?” she asked with a wounded expression.
“Oh, no, no, not at all.” Alice reached out, caught her daughter by the waist, and pulled her onto her lap. She placed a kiss atop the jumble of golden curls. “It is the opposite, Poppet. He wants us to return—”
Correction.
“He wantsusto return together.”
Confusion dawned in Laurel’s always revealing eyes. “Why don’t we go? Why don’t we go?” she repeated that as a little mantra, all the while bouncing up and down on Alice’s lap.
Her stomach clenched. “Because…” What was she to say here? How to explain to a child that the entire reason they existed and lived in this gaming hell and not amidst Laurel and Alice’s real family was because of the little girl’s very existence?Alice took the coward’s way; she pushed that complex exchange to a far distant future, to a time when Laurel was much,mucholder.
Alice hedged. “Do youwantto go see our family?”
Laurel giggled. “You’re silly, Mama. When do we go?”
There wasn’t even a question on the girl’s part that Alice would’ve said anything but yes.
“I—” Alice stumbled and searched for words.
“But why are you mad at Laurence?” Laurel interjected with another question. Somehow, this one was even more disconcerting. “Don’t you want to see Grand’Mere and Uncle Wynn and Aunts Elsbeth and Aunt Caroline? You’ve talked so much about them.Iwant to see them.”
Alice wanted that more than anything. She wanted that more than the very air she breathed. Even more, she wanted it for her daughter.
So why, then, have you rejected Laurence’s attempt to speak?Why did she turn him away? Letter after letter. She knew it was because he’d not been honest.
He acknowledged as much, didn’t he?that voice in her head nudged again.
It’s because she loved him so hopelessly and beyond all reason, and the idea that they’d been reunited by chance and came together in truth with their feelings had been her heart’s greatest wish.
Just because it didn’t happen to be the entire way you wished it had; can it not be still the start of a future…?
Or are you going to be a ninny yet again and allow a man to lie to you?
Conflicted, she hugged her daughter tight.
“We shall see,” she said.
It appeared to be enough for Laurel. She seemed to take it as confirmation that they’d have a meeting Alice hadn’t even realized the girl had thought about.
Laurence hadn’t been wrong in that. No, he’d been completely true in talking about how important it was for her daughter to meet her family. Her eyes went to the letter he’d written. The Devil’s Den’s nursemaid arrived to take Laurel off for her nap with the other children.
Laurel lovingly and trustingly slipped her fingers through Billy’s small fingers.
“Billy, I’m going to meet my grandma and uncle and aunt.”
Askance, Billy switched her stunned gaze to Alice.
Alice closed her eyes. “Oh dear.” She gave her daughter a final hug and kiss, then found herself alone.
Alone, with the exception of Laurence’s letter. She made her way over to the hearth and picked up the envelope written in Laurence’s hand and containing the Denbigh seal.
She turned it over in her hands. Alone with his letter…
“Oi, Dynevor’s got you shut away doing family portraits, does he?”
Alone, with the exception of the letterandAddien. She forced a smile for her friend’s benefit.
“I don’t mind doing portraits.” She was just grateful for employment and a place to stay.
